


The Kopīkyatto Shadow

by Cazark



Series: The Adventures of Killua and Daniel [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Chimera Ant Arc, Eventual Fluff, Gender Confusion, Greed Island Arc, Humor, Intersex, M/M, The Phantom Troupe, pervert father
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 116
Words: 548,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3470963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cazark/pseuds/Cazark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new life has begun for Daniel Darkscryer after making a pack with his father(s). He and his adopted sister Zaikaria Vyner Darkscryer, make their way to the Hunter's exam, wanting to achieve and try something new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a full remake of The Shadow Hunter found on fanfiction.net under the same name. I decided to remake the whole story because it felt like I fucked up Daniel entirely, and that I would like to change him.  
> Not completely to the point he becomes an entirely new person, but to make him more natural, more normal... 
> 
> Well... as normal as you can make an OC these days, without making them a Mary or Gary Stu in fanfiction world.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new life has begun for Daniel Darkscryer after making a pack with his father(s). He and his adopted sister Zaikaria Vyner Darkscryer, make their way to the Hunter's exam, wanting to achieve and try something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a full remake of The Shadow Hunter found on fanfiction.net under the same name. I decided to remake the whole story because it felt like I fucked up Daniel entirely, and that I would like to change him. 
> 
> Not completely to the point he becomes an entirely new person, but to make him more natural, more normal...
> 
> Well... as normal as you can make an OC these days, without making them a Mary or Gary Stu in fanfiction world.

**Character Description**

**Name:** Daniel Darkscryer

**Gender:** Male

**Aliases:** Urufu

**Birthday:** 18/06

**Age:** 12 years old

**Eye Colour:** Azure Blue eyes

**Hair Colour:** Black

**Hair Style:** Long, un-styled, bed hair. From behind he is mistaken for a girl.

**Distinguishing Features:** A wolfish face which is more noticeable with a toothy grin

**Height:** 149 cm/ 4'10"

**Weight:** 47 kg

**Body type:** An average build.

**Personality:** Argumentative, loner, careless and a joker

**Back story:**

Daniel A.K.A Urufu (Adopted sister's Aliases) lived with a family of semi-assassins, which consisted of; two dads Vastorie (Mother figure) and Nathaniel (Father figure).

His father Nathaniel refused to allow Daniel to go down the Assassin path like Vastorie, and instead, trained Daniel to defend himself, as well as weapon mastery training. Although Daniel has touched on multiple weapon styles, he mastered the spear and chain whip by the age of 12.

He briefly touched on _Nen_ and has learnt only ' _Ten'_ so far.

With his skills, he decided to take the legendary Hunters exam, hoping to travel the world and discover what his truly looking.

**Personal Goals:** To find out the nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

**Bad Habits:**

* Not listening to others when he wants to do it his way, even if he's wrong.

* Doesn't take things seriously. Unless, it comes to family, friends, people he cares about, or when the situation calls for it!

* He's afraid of his actions and how they will affect his future.

**Current attire**

* Red shirt

* Black vest, jeans and shoes

* A messenger bag that's a silvery black colour and a large werewolf on all fours, printed on the side.

**"~"**

**Name:** Zaikaria Vyner Darkscryer

**Gender:** Female

**Aliases:** Enjeru

**Birthday:** 28/05

**Age:** 23 years old

**Eye Colour:** Green

**Hair Colour:** Fiery Red

**Hair Style:** Long and curled

**Height:** 165 cm/ 5'5"

**Weight:** 63 kg

**Body type:** Slim

**Personality:** Serious, playful (Sometimes), perfectionist and a controller (Only on certain things).

**Nen:** Specialist

**Distinguishing Features:** Fiery red hair?

**Back story:**

Zaikaria grew up as an orphan with only with her mother's maiden name, Vyner. For most of her life she had been hearing loud voices which scared her. After being called a monster for four years, she was kicked out of the orphanage and became a homeless child.

With little to no skills, she fended for herself for two years, before running into Vastorie Darkscryer. He opened his hand for her, offering a new more stable life. She took his hand and began a new life as a 'Darkscryer' while wanting to keep her mother's maiden name 'Vyner'.

She learned to master the voices by age ten and _Nen_ by the age of twenty.

When Daniel was born, she made a vow and wanted to protect the child of the one who gave her a chance in life.

Zaikaria is a _Specialist_ and her _Nen_ ability is called **Endless Noise**. Only Vastorie and Zaikaria are aware of her Pros and Cons, seeing as Vastorie helped her develop the ability and learn to control it.

She can read minds and alter memories (Removing, Locking or Changing) the original memory.

**Personal Goals:** To one day find out what happened to her mother.

**Bad Habits:**

* Her way or the highway.

* Loves to tease people, and play with their mentality.

**Current attire**

* Loose white V-neck shirt

* Blue jeans

* Black high heels

* Pink duffle bag with a cat printed on the side.

Daniel stood around the Hunter's gathering hall, flicking his tag which displayed the number 64. He sighs impatiently, looking up to his sister, hoping to find out when something's going to happen.

"Hey Zaikaria," Daniel open up a conversation, met with a somewhat distant voice "Hmm...?"

Daniel continued, even without her full attention "When-"

"Is the exam going to start?" Zaikaria blurts out without a single care in the world.

Daniel freaked out, retreating into his mind for a moment "You always freak me out when you do that..."

Zaikaria chuckles, turning to give Daniel her complete attention "I'm you big sister! I should always know what you're thinking..."

Daniel nods after taking in the information.

Zaikaria calmly blurts out next "Doesn't help that you're predictable as well..."

"I'm not predictable, Enjeru!" Daniel huffs, quickly turning away to exaggerate his anger towards Zaikaria. Zaikaria chuckles as she reaches down to pat Daniel on the head. Daniel instinctively swats away her hand, quickly muttering under his breath softly "You know I don't like that..."

Zaikaria nods as she looks back at the crowd "I know... but you shouldn't let it stop you from feeling some sort of comfort from others. What if a girlfriend wants to-"

"Or boyfriend!" Daniel responds dryly, "I might like guys too..."

Zaikaria's mouth softens into a warm smile.

During that time, Daniel failed to notice the smile, too busy focusing on the candidates.

"Ok, what if the person you love, wants to touch your hair? Are you going to say 'screw you'?"

Zaikaria chuckles at Daniel's obvious pout.

"I'll just tell them they can't. Anything but that... or... I don't know..." Daniel cuts himself off in uncertainty "I've only known one person who's gotten away with it..."

Zaikaria frowns slightly, trying to avoid Daniel from seeing it "Nathaniel?"

Daniel shakes his head as he looks up at his sister, noticing her smile straight away "No... I have a feeling I know them... But at the same time, my mind feels like I don't know them at all... It's weird..."

Daniel clenches his hands a few times, looking down at floor in hopes of gaining some sort of answer "It feels like this person is close to me... yet so far away..." He sighed, continuing to look down at the floor.

Zaikaria murmurs "It's probably just your heart calling out for attention..." She rests her hand on Daniel's shoulder, hoping to gain his attention. Instead, she's cut off by a short stubby man with a huge nose.

"Hi, I'm Tonpa! You girls must be new."

Daniel lifts his head, turning around to look up at Tonpa curiously "Excuse me?!"

"Correction, this is my brother Urufu." Zaikaria smiles in a joking manner.

Tonpa raises a hand to the back of his head, feeling quite stupid and awkward for mistaking someone's gender "Sorry, sorry. The long hair made me think otherwise..." Tonpa shakes Zaikaria's hand.

As Tonpa attempts to shake Daniel's hand, he raises an eyebrow when the boy raises a hand to object "That's my Aliases, only by her. My name is actually Daniel and she's Zaikaria..." Daniel then sighs, lowering his head back down "Anyways, I get that a lot... You aren't the first and you certainly won't be the last..."

Tonpa smiles, next pulling out a couple of soda cans from his messenger bag, hoping to offer to the boy and his sister.

Zaikaria smiles, lifting a hand to turn down the drink "I'm fine... I'm not feeling thirsty at all." Daniel mutters a 'thank you' under his breath as he takes one from Tonpa, opening it to take a sip. As he's about to take a sip, Zaikaria speaks up "You do realise that's tomato juice flavoured."

Daniel eyes widen in shock, spitting it back out before he could swallow "Are you serious?!"

Tonpa looks in shock as Zaikaria lifts a finger to her cheek, smiling cunningly soon after "Sorry, it  **was**  orange flavoured... my bad."

_More like dirt flavoured now..._  Daniel thought as he wiped his mouth clean, before muttering out loud "You don't just make a mistake like that... Sorry Tonpa, looks like I spilt my drink."

Tonpa offers another "No problems you can have another, there's plenty more to go around."

Daniel smiles shyly at Tonpa, apologising again "Nah. I feel bad for taking another. Give it to someone else."

Tonpa nods before moving on to greet others.

Zaikaria sighs, lightly touching Daniel's shoulder "It's a good thing you didn't drink that... it was poisoned."

Daniel looks up in concern at Zaikaria "Poisoned?! How would you know something like that...?"

She sighs, moving on to scratch the back of her head with a huge smile "It's the way he looks. The weird eyebrows were... a dead giveaway. They looked like two huge angry caterpillars on his face... He seriously needs to trim those monsters!"

Daniel snickers as he looks up at the roof, trying to force time to move faster with his mind. To no avail, he instead focused on what he assumes to be the sound of a skateboard rolling by. As Daniel's head drops, he sees a kid close to his age skateboarding by without a care in the world.

He smiles on the inside, barely muttering out loud in a nonchalant tone "His cute..."

Zaikaria looks at Daniel in shock "Whose cute?"

_Did I really say cute...?_ Daniel thought, raising a finger to try point out the white haired kid "Number 99... I think. The white hair kid on the skateboard..."

Zaikaria flinches as Daniel looks up her in concern "You've look like you've seen a ghost..." A smile widens across his face, Zaikaria freaking out on the inside _I have to end this now before Daniel starts to break down my mind barrier_.

Turning to look at Daniel, she retorts back calmly "He looks like one... And it's rude to point!"

"I'm only making it easier to find him..."

"How many white-haired kids do you see... or even kids for that matter?!"

"Right... two, including myself..."

The elevator chimes, letting the people know that there's someone else here. Daniel sighs as his eyes drift to the elevator "Probably another old guy..."

Much to Daniel's surprise, another boy close to his age, as well as an older man and teenager steps off.

"He looks cheerful..."

Daniel head drifts to look at Zaikaria "How so?"

Zaikaria shrugs "The best way to put it, he looks like a bright sun glaring at your face in the morning... after trying to sleep with the drapes open. It's impossible to not notice..."

Daniel nods as he looks back, realising everyone else has stopped to stare as well. The kid in the group exclaims loudly "Excuse me..." though; he stops immediately after realising something. He dropped his hand to comment on the situation "Everyone's really tense." The kid looks around as he speaks, looking directly at Daniel after spotting him.

As their eyes connect, Daniel gives a weak smile, lifting a hand to wave at the kid. As the kid waves back with a huge smile, Daniel mutters under his breath "You right... He looks really happy!"

"What about him? Is he cute...?" Zaikaria asks. Daniel shrugs "I guess so... I still... I don't know there's something about him..." Daniel loses his track of mind, unable to find the words he wants to voice out. _Please shut up brain... you shouldn't go there!_

_His so damn persistent...!_ Zaikaria thought to herself before interrupting Daniel's train of thoughts "I don't know... That kid didn't look like he knew the meaning of _smiling_..." Daniel looks up at her to flash a toothy grin "Everyone smiles... they just need a reason to..."

Zaikaria shrugs "I still don't know... he gives a bad vibe..." _Please let it go! I don't want..._

"Maybe his just bored like me... You don't know!" Daniel growls as Zaikaria is taken back, the sudden hostility intriguing, and frightening her track of thoughts "Who got your panties in a bunch...?! You never defend strangers..."

Daniel shakes his head in bemusement, keeping silent over the comment. Zaikaria raises an eyebrow, quickly turning away.

_I can't believe that even happened! His somehow resisting the memory block, and for a second, his anger on the night released...Our father is one cocky bastard! I'll show him... I'll stop Daniel from chasing after Killua... I'll prove that you that I can change fate! I just hope it's soon... before he remembers anything! Before... he realises he even has feeling for him, or more like had... or is it had a crush?_

Zaikaria looks at Killua, seeing a faint line of aura connected between them _._ As Zaikaria is thinking to herself, Daniel had thoughts of his own.

_I don't know... He looks like he just needs a hug and a friend... Maybe I can be that friend... Don't know about the hug though... He doesn't look like the type who openly wants a hug..._

A scream of agony echoes throughout the room, silencing both Zaikaria and Daniel's take of thoughts as well as making everyone look in the direction of the noise. Daniel and Zaikaria's heads jolt up, they barely see the red flower petals float up into the air, before floating back down towards the ground soon after.

Zaikaria shivers in delight as a low irritated growl escapes a man's lips "Oh, how peculiar... His arms seem to have become flower petals. No smoke and mirrors here..."

He pauses to let the words sink in.

"Oh... he sounds and looks hot..." Zai murmurs, only to be rebutted by Daniel soon after "He looks scary... and gives clowns a bad name..."

"Do YOU see a red nose?!"

Daniel shakes his head as the man continues on, before Daniel could say anything else. "Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize."

Murmuring can be heard throughout the room as Daniel barely hears who he assumes to be Tonpa's voice among the crowd "That Psychopath is back again." Daniel's ears perk up, hoping to hear the name of the man "Number 44, Hisoka, the magician."

He failed to hear the next part. Sighing, Daniel whispers the name "Hisoka... the Psychopathic magician clown... Avoid him if I want to live..."

Zaikaria waves a hand to jokingly dismiss Daniel's comment "More like Hisoka the hottie with a perfect seductive voice..." She clasps her hands together, fluttering her eyes as if she's already planning their wedding.

Daniel grumbles in disgust, imagining her in a wedding dress and Hisoka in a tuxedo, walking down the aisle as flowers fall down behind them "Disturbing..." Zaikaria snaps out of her daydream, looking down at Daniel "What?! I'm only kidding!"

Daniel lets out a sigh of relief, which in turn makes Zaikaria lets out a long throaty laugh before calmly responding "Still... his so dreamy..."

"Yeah... if you didn't mind possibly dying..." Daniel sighs.

Zaikaria pouts over Daniel's response "What makes you think that, hmm...?"

He looks up at her weird "He just turned a guys arm into flower petals... because he didn't apologising after bumping into him..."

She nods with a huge smile "Even then, I'm only just teasing you..."

"I already get enough of that from my father... Thank - you - very - much!"

A ringing noises echo throughout the room for a few seconds before being silenced. As the door behind everyone opens, they see a tall thin man in a purple tuxedo and pink hair, holding onto a weird object.

"I apologize for the wait. The entry period for the Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!"


	2. Phase One X Test X Endurance?

**Nen ability information**

**Name:** Zaikaria

**Ability:** Endless Noise

**Info:**  
**Endless Noise** allows Zaikaria to read anyone's thoughts. The ability is split into two sections **Read** and **Alter**.

**Read** \- While focusing on one person's mind, she can read every thought as if they were her own. While reading, she must be no further than twenty meters, and she must touch them in order to start reading their mind.

**Pros:**

  * She can plan around future attacks.
  * Can play mind games.



 

**Cons:**

  * Can only read one persons mind at a time.
  * Hears every thought no matter what and can't shut out any of them out.
  * Once someone figures out how the ability works, it becomes pretty much useless.  
E.g. If a person can act differently to their thoughts, the ability is useless.
  * If she changes, or removes the ability from whose she reading before making a mental note, she forgets everything she's read/heard from the person's mind.
  * Another subset of the ability, which can also be considered pro, is if someone has a **loud thought** , this can confuse her immensely. For example:  
E.g.1 - Killua is thinking of how much he really wants a ChocoRobo-Kun while she reading Daniel's thoughts. The thought will come into her mind, making her think that it was Daniel's own.



E.g.2 - Hisoka thinking of how much he wants to kill her while she is focusing on Daniel will alert her of someone's ill intentions.

 

**Alter -** This ability can be split into three separate abilities.  
**'Remove', 'Lock' or 'Change'.  
** All abilities require Zaikaria to be touching them at the time of altering. If she loses her grip, the ability is cancelled out and she has to repeat the steps. The consequences of the ability vary depending on which one she was using at the time but a common factor is loss of aura, during cancelation.

 

**Remove:**  
Removing the thought is used as mostly attacking ability. If targeting a stronger thought, the ability can kill the person.  
E.g. 1 - Removing a loved one from their mind.  
E.g. 2 - Wiping the memories of their father's existence.

A more mild thought stuns them or leaves them confused.

**Cons:**

  * If she loses the grip on the person while attacking a larger memory, it stuns them instead of killing.
  * Requires a larger amount of aura to pull off and at maximum, depending on how many memories she's erasing, can be very taxing. At maximum strength, she can use it once to five times a day at full capacity.
  * If the ability was cancelled through mid use, the aura she was using to wipe the memories is wasted, and only stuns them instead of killing.



**Lock:**  
Locking a memory is the safest of her abilities. When she locks a memory, rather than forgetting it entirely and outright killing them, it gets pushed into the back of the mind.  
E.g. Locking the memories of the person's father, makes them forget who their father is and memories of them, but the person still feel as though they've forgotten something dear to them.  
The ability can be cancelled through _Nen_ exorcism or if she just slaps them across the head with aura.

**Cons:**

  * If cancelled, she has to repeat locking process and there's no loss of memory to the person targeted.



**Change:**  
Changing can be used in two different ways to **'Create'** or **'Modify'**. When **'Creating'** she creates  a new memory within the person's mind.  
E.g. making them think she was a long lost childhood friend.

**'Modifying'** allows her to alter a part of their memories.  
E.g. changing the person's fathers name in their mind to make them think it's another name; like David instead of Luke.

**Pros:**

  * **Creating** uses a smaller portion of aura.
  * While creating, she automatically learns the memories as well.
  * **Modifying** a memory can sometimes leave the person confused.  
E.g. Making Killua think, his name is Gon, and Gon's name is Killua. **  
**



**Cons:**

  * **Modifying** a memory uses a lot more aura and can decrease the amount of times she can use **Remove** or even if she can use remove for that matter.
  * **Creating** can back fire if there's another person nearby that knows the targeted person's entire life, seeing that only the person she's targeting and herself are aware of the creation.
  * **Modifying** a memory can backfire depending on the memory. If someone has forgotten something and she uses the ability to help them remember it, if cancelled, the person is left paralysed and unable to move at all.



 

**Modifying** can also be confused as a form of _Nen_ exorcism.

For example, Kurapika used **Judgment Chain** on Chrollo;  
Scenario one - She used this ability to make Chrollo Lucilfer forget about Kurapika's Judgement chain. Chrollo would still die from using his _Nen_ , even without remembering Kurapika had commanded Chrollo not to.

Scenario two - She used it on Kurapika instead, making him think he never used Judgment Chain on Chrollo. Chrollo would still die if he used his _Nen_.

She can only remove the memories and not the effects of the _Nen_ itself.

* * *

Daniel smiles as his thinking. _Yes, the exam is going to begin and I'm gonna ace it!_

Zaikaria turns to smile at Daniel "You happy the exam's started?" Daniel nods as he waits for the instructor to continue talking.

"A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me." The man holds out his hand, gesturing to the elevator behind everyone "Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."

He gives time for everyone to think it over. Zaikaria looks at Daniel in concern, broaching the subject again for the seventh time that day "Are you sure you want to continue? We can back out now..." Daniel shakes his head before smiling widely at Zaikaria "No! I'm going to continue... I wanted to do this after all... I feel like I need to be here for some reason..."

Zaikaria nods before turning back to the man. _Everything Vastorie said is turning... **He will seek him out in the future, you can bet on it!** Our father is one cunning bastard! Sometimes I wonder how he isn't Manipulator, so I wouldn't be surprised if his been planning this the whole time. I just don't get how Killua is here... Was it dumb luck, or fate? Either way! I won't allow it... his too innocent for that life style! Or to be around a guy like that..._

Daniel raises his head to look at Zaikaria "Are you ok?" She nods, looking away in discomfort "Just getting my game face on!"

_Liar!_

Looking back towards the Examiner, she thinks _I know..._

The examiner drops his hands to his sides "Very Well. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One." He pivots on one foot, turning around to start walking slowly, like an army man marching out.

The whole group followed the examiner, walking slowly after him.

As Daniel looks around, he sees Gon walking still side by side with the teenager and adult he came in earlier with. As the three boys are talking, Zaikaria interrupts Daniel's track of mind "Hmm... that's a shame. I was hoping for some of them to clear out. It seems like everyone has balls here..."

Daniel lifts head his, focusing on Zaikaria instead of the boy and his companions "How so?"

Zaikaria singsongs her next few words as if she was matching her voice to a small upbeat tune "Well, The Hunter exam isn't forgiving... People do die in this and Nathaniel wouldn't allow you to go by yourself. Try to stick with me the whole way through..."

Daniel nods, looking back at the three companions.

"You should go up and talk to them."

Daniel lifts his head again, looking at Zaikaria as if she had just said something weird "What?"

"You keep staring at those three guys. You should go talk to them..."

He drops his head, briefly glimpsing back at the three guys' general direction every so often "I don't know..."

As the pace starts to pick up, Zaikaria motions to Daniel to keep up.

Daniel runs to a better position, checking out the three companions thoroughly. The older one is wearing a dark blue suit and teal tie. His suitcase spikes Daniel's interest, but not long enough to keep him distracted enough to look up at the man's face. The man's glasses give him an intelligent look while his facial structure suggests that the man is quiet old, making Daniel question his age. _Maybe he's in earlier thirties of late twenties?_

His eyes dart to the next oldest of the group. The teenagers blond hair flows gracefully through the air and his face structure gives Daniel a reason to pause. _Is that even a guy?_ The thought only lingers for a second when the teenagers clothing choice draws his attention next. The teenager is wearing a training suit with a blue tabard over it and his messenger bag filled with Daniel could only guess what.

Finally, Daniel looks next to the youngest that's watching the front with fascination. Daniel knows his around the boy's age. Whether his younger or older, he could only guess. The boy's hair defies gravity sticking up without anything holding it up. His eyes brim with a fascination that Daniel could only describe as being similar to a magpie.

The boy's clothing would suggest he comes from a not so rich family but doesn't give any hints to say his poor either, and, the clothing is coloured in a way, most likely to suggest the boy's favourite colour, a type green _Maybe earth green?_

The backpack suggests he isn't carrying much besides his important items like a compass and other hiking gear. But the thing that confuses him the most is the fishing pole. The clothing suggests his a hiker who spends most of his time in the forest, but the way he carries the fishing pole suggests his a fisherman, leaving Daniel to consider multiple possibilities. _He must live on an island with a forest or something..._

The raven-haired boy that Daniel has been staring at intently speaks up "The people in front started running."

The blond teenager speaks up in agreeance "He's picked up the pace."

"Go talk to them you unsociable baby! You need to make friends and no; Nathaniel doesn't count as one or even I, for that matter!" Zaikaria blurts out casually.

Before Daniel could even retort back, the examiner speaks up "I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase."

Someone yells out amongst the crowd "Second Phase?" Daniel looks around but fails to notice who actually yelled in the first place. "What about Phase One?" The person yells out, allowing Daniel to finally able to spot him. The bald man looks young but also older at the same time, like his early twenties. And the man's gear suggested his some kind of ninja... or he wants to be one...

"It has already been commenced."

Everyone mutters words of confusion as Zaikaria motions to Daniel "I can take a gander at this Phase. It's a form of endurance..."

Satotz turns around while still keeping the same pace of speed "You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's First Phase."

"Follow you? That's it?" The bald ninja asks.

"Yes. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me."

Zaikaria murmurs as she waves her hand back and forth "I thought I was right... It is endurance. But this could go two ways depending on how long we are running for..."

Daniel looks up to her, confused as ever "What you mean? Isn't this a test of physical endurance?"

She shakes her head, lifting a finger as if to point something out "Yes and no. It's a test of both physical endurance and mentality. We could be running for hours or days... that's what his suggesting through his tone-of-voice."

Daniel nods, looking back at the three boys. Zaikaria sighs, kicking Daniel in the backside. He stumbles forward, bumping into one of the three boys, the youngest accidently "Ow..."

The boy's smile widens in delight, excited to meet Daniel "Hey! You were the boy that waved to me."

Daniel nods, holding out his hand in a gesture to apologise "Sorry... I must have tripped on a rock... or something..."

The boy waved off the whole situation like it never happened "I'm Gon Freecss!"

_FREECSS...?_ Zaikaria looks in disbelief towards Daniel's direction after hearing the name ring through her mind. Vastorie had mentioned the name, a legend, an enigma of the Hunter's world. He was hard to get into contact with, and even harder to find. The Hunter had made a mark on the world, yet he left no trace being, just a name... and nothing more to be found.

Gon holds out his hand "What's your name?"

Daniel smiles as he shakes Gon's hand "Daniel... just Daniel... Are these your... older brothers?" He asks curiously, trying to make conversation with the group. Gon shakes his head, pointing to the blond haired boy first "This is Kurapika"

Kurapika smiles briefly at Daniel "Hi."

Gon points to the older man next "And this is Leorio Paladiknight."

"Hi, kid." Leorio beams with a huge smile.

Daniel nods, looking down at the floor, failing after trying to think of a way to continue the conversation. He felt awkward, meeting strangers he had no connection with.

"Who's the girl you were sitting with?" Gon asks curiously, his eyes lighting up like Christmas trees.

"She's my sister, Zaikaria..." Daniel looks towards her, noticing her innocent smile a _nd the reason for why my butt hurts!'_

Zaikaria shakes her head as Daniel pouts, feeling as though she somehow read his mind.

Leorio asks in disbelief "What? Where...?" 

Daniel turns, pointing in Zaikaria's direction "That's her."

Love hearts shoot out of Leorio's eyes, exclaiming louder than Daniel would have liked "Wow! She's a cutie!"

Zaikaria looks disgruntled, hearing the man's words loud and clear through Daniel's thoughts.

Daniel joking waves his hand, not wanting to insult Leorio's age. He hoped he wasn't addressing the man's age by his looks "I don't think _you're_ her type! Anyways, she doesn't like men younger than her. She calls them babies... even if they're one year younger than her."

"How old is she?"

"I rather not say... she'll kill me..."

Leorio sighs while scratching the back of his head "That's a shame..."

Daniel smiles at the group, looking back in front to focus on the course.

"~"

Hours pass by as Daniel acts unfazed by how far they've been running. _So far this is been boring... we've been running in a straight line for so long, I've lost count of both the time and Kilometres!_

Daniel hears a skateboard close by, making him look around. _Hey it's that kid again... I wonder where he is..._

Leorio starts to yell in front Daniel "HEY! Wait up, kid!"

"Hmm...?"

"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!"

"What do you mean?"

Daniel turns, focusing on nobody, but the kid.

The boy's eyes radiate bright blue, showing a form of darkness hidden behind them eyes. Daniel's heart starts to beat fast, making him look in disbelief at the boy. _That's funny... I feel as though I actually have met him... I just can't pin point where..._

He forces the thought in the back of his mind as he tries to see if anything else may trigger a thought. The boy's wearing a navy blue turtle neck shirt with a light tinted purple V-neck over the shirt. Daniel's eyes look down seeing the sky blue-purplish shorts that cover his knees and purple and white boots.

_I guess not... nothing is ringing a bell._

Meanwhile, Zaikaria has Daniel's thoughts cross her mind.

**_I feel as though I actually have met him... I just can't pin point where...?_ **

She turns to look at Daniel, noticing him staring at Killua. _FUCK! I covered up that memory... There's no way he should remember Killua!_

**I guess not... nothing is ringing a bell.**

She sighs in relief. T _hat's good! He still hasn't remembered, and it doesn't seem like Killua has noticed Daniel... Maybe Illumi did something to Killua when he was younger._


	3. Phase One X Killua? X Numere Wetlands

Leorio yells at the boy "Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!" Leorio points at the skateboard.

"Why?" The boy questions flatly. Leorio starts to sweat, blowing up in anger soon after "HUH?! Why... This is an endurance test!"

"No, it isn't." Gon yells out, making Daniel turn to him with a questioning look.

"Huh?" Leorio freaks out in disbelief. He turns to look at Gon yelling in completely shock "Gon, what are you saying?"

As Leorio is yelling, Daniel realises that his captured the boy's attention. The white-haired boy looked at Daniel weird, and then turned to focus on Gon instead.

"The examiner only told us to follow him."

"Whose side are you on, eh?"

The boy slows down, passing Leorio so that his side by side to Gon. "Hey, how old are you?"

Gon looks confused at the boy "I'm twelve years old."

"Hmm..." He turns to look at Daniel next "What about you?"

"Twelve." Daniel smiles as the boy turns to look at someone behind him "Who's the old lady?"

"OLD LADY...?" Zaikaria yells as white-haired kid continues "You know her?" Daniel nods "That's my sister. Don't pay any attention to her... She's over protective of me..." he says the last bit flatly as the boy smirks "I can see that..."

Killu smiles, thinking about the two boys next to him w _e're the same age._

The raven-haired boy in green smiles as Killua turns to stare at the woman.  _What's her problem?! She's staring at me like she's ready to protect this kid in front of me if I even sneeze funny..._

Killua twitches his nose, kicking up his skateboard up. "Guess I'll run too."

Daniel and Gon stare in awe after seeing that trick.

"Wow! That was cool!" Gon beams as they surround the boy side by side.

Daniel has an unshakeable feeling to want to be closer to the boy. He hides his flustered cheeks away from his sister, worried that she might tease him later for it, or get angry.

The white haired boy looks at Gon without giving him his complete attention "I'm Killua."

"I'm Gon."

Daniel scrunches his face, trying to figure out where his heard Killua's name from. Killua breaks his deep concentration "What yours?" Daniel blinks, realising he has Killua's complete attention "I'm Daniel."

Daniel looks at Killua as Killua turns to look in front of him. He cannot shake this feeling that his met the kid somewhere before "Where...?" Killua and Gon turn to look at Daniel "Hmm?"

Daniel shakes his hands, trying to explain his last comment "Nothing... It's just... Killua, have we met before, or run into each other by chance?" Killua lifts an eyebrow, trying to recall his memories "No. Not that I'm aware of... why?"

Daniel looks forward "No reason..."  _I just feel as though I've met you somewhere before... My body is screaming to remember, but my mind is drawing blanks..._

Time flies by as the two of them keep silent. Gon stops suddenly, making Killua and Daniel stop too in-turn to look behind them.

Leorio stands hunched over, breathing heavily.

Killua tilts his head slightly, cocking his head in Gon's direction "Hey, forget him. Let's get going." Daniel looks at Killua, and then turned to look at Gon standing still as if his waiting for something.

Killua lifts an eyebrow, looking quizzically at Gon, then towards Leorio as if his waiting for something to happen.

Leorio suddenly yells out "Screw that..." He bolts off, running past the three as he screams "I'm gonna become a Hunter! Damn it all!" Daniel raises an eyebrow in confusion.  _What just happened?_

Zaikaria stops suddenly, looking back behind her. _I just lost my connection to Daniel... He must have fallen out of my ability reach..._ She sees Daniel stopped, still otherwise safe. She shifts an eyebrow as the man in the suit run's straight past her.

 _Huh? I forgot the guys name... Damn it, I forgot to memorise his name!_  Zaikaria pouts running back ahead "As long as Daniel's safe! He'll catch up just fine..."

_"~"_

Gon smiles, flinging his fishing line to pick up the suit case Leorio had dropped. Daniel whistles at the achievement as Killua exclaims in amazement "Cool!" The three bolt off after the group as Killua speaks up "Let me try that later."

"If you let me try your skateboard, okay?"

Killua eyes dart in Daniel's and Gon's direction "Gon, Daniel, wanna race to see who finishes first?"

"Sure." Gon smiles as Killua looks at Daniel "What about you?"

Daniel shakes his head, looking in the direction of Zaikaria "I can't. I promised my dad that I would stick like glue to my sister..."

Killua frowns, sighing in disbelief "Ehh...? You're no fun!" Gon smiles "That's a shame. The loser has to buy dinner."

"Okay, you're on!" Killua smiles like his already won.

They yell together "Ready... Go!"

Killua and Gon run up the stairs, leaving Daniel for dust.

Daniel suddenly feels incomplete; feeling like a part of him was just lost. Killua turns around, smiling at Daniel with a cheeky grin "See you at the top slow poke." Daniel smiles briefly, for a moment before running to at least catch up to Zaikaria.

As he catches up to her, Zaikaria taps Daniel on the shoulder "You should be keeping as close to me as possible!" Daniel smiles "Sorry... I just felt like being closer to them..." Zaikaria nose twitches as she motions to Daniel to move faster "So you made friends already?"

Daniel shakes his head slightly as he picks up the pace "I'm not too sure... I like being around them... They seem cool!" She nods in understanding, turning to give Daniel complete focus "Well, see if you can make friends with them by the end of this exam..."

"Even Killua...?" Daniel asks cautiously. Zaikaria blinks in disbelief "Killua...?" Daniel nods, smiling as he looks up at his sister "That's the name of the white-haired boy, Killua... Although... I feel like I've met with him earlier..."

Zaikaria shakes her head "In public I've always been with you. And I've never seen him before..." Daniel shifts an eyebrow "Oh... Zaikaria..."

"Hmm...?"

"How you able to run up the stairs in high heels, or even this long for that matter...?"

"GIRL POWER!"

_"~"_

Everyone mostly stands around, puffed out after the marathon run. Daniel and Zaikaria look around taking notes of the area. Zaikaria notes the large swamp in the background "Oh... I think we are going to have to run through that..."

She sighs, unzipping her duffle bag to pull out a pair of white sneakers. Daniel looks at her funny as she changes her shoes putting her high heels in the duffle bag.

He notices something wrapped up in the bag, choosing not to question it as she zips it back up, tapping her shoes on the floor so they sit comfortably.

"If you had a pair of sneakers... why didn't you put them on earlier?"

"I couldn't run and do that... and, I'm not about to stop to put them on!"

Daniel sighs in disbelief as he waits for the exam to continue on. He notices Gon, the boy waving for him to come over, and join Killua and himself.

Daniel looks up at Zaikaria for permission. She sighs, nodding towards Daniel to let him go join them.

"Hey you made it slow poke." Killua grins cheekily at Daniel. "Yeah... I guess I did." Daniel smiles at Killua, feeling that sense of completeness around the two again. As Daniel sits down, Kurapika and Leorio come running up the steps.

Leorio breathes heavily as Gon yells out "Hey, Kurapika!"

"Hey." Kurapika takes a few deep breathes as he notices Gon "Is this our destination?"

"No, it isn't."

 _SERIOUSLY, we are going to be running through a swamp...?_ Daniel takes off his vest, placing it in the bag as Kurapika muses "I see. The fog is fading."

Daniel turns to look at the horizon. The fog slowly beginning to lift as Gon smiles "Oh, really?" He gets up slowly, continuing to smile as he looks at the swamp.

Satotz stands in front of everyone, looking towards the swamp as he speaks "The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures that deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful."

He turns, looking seriously at the entire group "If you let them fool you..." He pauses, lifting a finger up to the sky to add a dramatic effect "...you're dead." The group freaks out as the gate behind them shuts, leaving those who have already failed behind them.

"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit..."

Satotz pauses for a moment to let it sink in "Hence the name Swindlers Swamp." He turns back around, looking towards Numere Wetlands "Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived."

"What a joke. How can they fool us, when we're expecting it?" Leorio smirks.

"Don't let them fool you!" A man yells out.

Leorio groans as he turns slowly to the man screaming "I just said that they can't."

The man, who yelled, stumbles out of the shadows as he's dragging something along "D- Don't fall for it..." He points at Satotz as he yells "He's lying to you! He's an imposter! He isn't an examiner..." He throws out his arm, pointing at himself next "I'm the real examiner."

"An imposter? What's going on?" Leorio freaks out in disbelief.

Daniel shrugs, pointing towards Leorio "And just like that, we've been fooled."

Zaikaria speaks up "Do you have proof?"

The examiner nods, pulling out the body of a dead ape with Satotz's face on it "Look at this..." The group freaks out in disbelief as Daniel frowns after seeing it.

"He looks just like Satotz-San!"

The new examiner nods, explaining what the creature is "It's a Man-Face Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!"

"A Man-Faced Ape?"

"Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!" The man points at Satotz, after laying out the assumed plan of action.

"Bastard..."

"He certainly doesn't-"

Zaikaria cuts everyone off "Rather than point fingers everywhere..." The area noise drops to dead silence "There's a really quick way to figure this out. You there! The guy that says this examiner is a lie... Prove it! Show me something that every examiner has..."

"Me...?"

Daniel blinks as he looks up at Zaikaria "What are you talking about?"

 _Hmm, how do I point out Nen, without exactly saying it...?_ Zaikaria murmurs as she tries not to give it away "It's something every Hunter holds it close to them, as well as on a daily basis..."

"I um..."

"His lying..."

Daniel thought for a second, wondering what exactly she was referring to. Then it hit him,  _Nen_. Every Hunter can use  _Nen_  and while the same amount of Hunters has a license, not all of them still has it. But he couldn't really say anything, he kept his mouth shut, assuming his sister was talking about  _Nen_.

"I- I'm not!"

Zaikaria smirks as the fake examiner yells out "He stole-"

The sound of cards embedding into flesh echoes throughout the participants, the fake examiner falling silent. Hisoka smirks, his sinister expression accompanying the sound of the body dropping to the floor, dead, after getting hit by some playing cards. A deck of cards gets shuffled as Hisoka laughs lightly, an amused tone accompanying his voice "That's an even faster way of telling..."

He giggles, though the sounds of excitement echoes throughout his voice "That settles it... You're the real one."

Satotz stands still, holding the very cards that Hisoka had thrown at him. As Satotz throws the cards on the floor, everyone freaks out as they look in disbelief at Hisoka "You had the right idea, miss... But I like my idea better. Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack."

"I shall take that as a compliment. However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified." Satotz says the last part dryly, narrowing his eyes at Hisoka "Are me clear?"

"Sure."


	4. Phase One X Killua? X A Friend?

Birds squawk as vultures come done to pick on the remains of the dead Man-Faced Ape.

Leorio comments in disbelief "Nature really can be brutal to watch..."

Satotz explains to the group who's still confused "He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away."

"We cannot relax our guard." Killua speaks in a mocking dry tone.

"Yeah..." Gon agrees as Daniel chuckles out loud "And nearly everyone fell for it!"

_Not that I was any better! If I Zaikaria wasn't here, I probably would have fallen for it... most likely... Actually, Nen would have been the last thing to think to check. I guess it's a good thing the creepy clown is here!_

"You will be encountering such deception on a near basis. I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity?" Daniel watches Leorio pretend that he never got suckered in by the fake examiner.

Yeah... not gonna lie... Daniel admitted silently in his own mind.

"Do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear that in mind. Then let us be on our way. Please follow me."

Satotz turns around, heading in the forest as everyone follows behind him, unaware of what will really happen in the Numere Wetlands.

"~"

"Pay attention now." Satotz hums "Be sure to stay close behind me." Daniel stands alongside Gon and Killua, refusing to stay besides Zaikaria for his own reasons. Zaikaria doesn't even pay attention to Daniel, more focused on listening to his thoughts.

Killua's eyes dart behind him, after feeling something blood thirsty "Gon... Daniel..."

"Huh?" Gon ask as Daniel looks at Killua.

"Let's move up."

"Okay."

Daniel nods his head in agreement with Gon.  _Interesting... I wonder what Killua's thinking?'_

Gon continues on "We don't want to lose sight of the examiner."

"I'm more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka. Staying close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air."

Daniel takes a whiff before speaking up "All I smell is wet grass... and who knows what else in this place..."

"Smell?" Gon takes a whiff "Hmm... I don't think he smells." The boy then turns to face the others, yelling out to them "Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should move up!"

"Hey..." Killua growls, judging Gon in a rather flat tone "Can't you feel the tension surrounding us?"

Daniel shakes his head at Killua "I can't feel anything..."  _Though that still doesn't mean I shouldn't trust him... After all, he might possibly know about this stuff better than me..._

"Moron!" Leorio yells "If I had the strength, I'd already be there!"

"Don't worry about us!" Kurapika yells back.

Gon pouts, whining back to the others "What?"

Killua frowns at Gon "Let's go, guys." Killua picks up the pace. As Daniel follows after Killua, Gon whines behind them "Ah, wait!"

As time passes, more and more people scream in agony, making Daniel start to panic. What's going on?! The boy looks around, continuing to panic as the screams continue.  _I feel like I should be scared... but at the same time, I somehow feel... safe? Do I feel safe amongst my new friends more than my family...? No! That can't be right! I feel like Gon and Killua would protect me for some reason... It's... strange._

"~"

Zaikaria looks up after hearing a thought cross Daniel's mind.

_**I feel like I should be scared... but at the same time, I somehow feel... safe? Do I feel safe amongst my new friends more than my family...? No! That can't be right! I feel like Gon and Killua would protect me for some reason... It's... strange.** _

Zaikaria's mouth rolls into irritation "Tch! That's the only thing I hate..."  _The body remembers but the mind doesn't. It gives them a reason to pause and think, about things... But I don't think he'll break the lock on his memories. But he can still create new ones... Vastorie you sly bastard! Aren't you worried about your son at all...?_

"~"

Gon voices his concerns to the two boys "I hear people screaming all around us."

"Just stay on your guard." Killua complains.

"I wonder if Leorio and Kurapika are okay..."

Killua stops suddenly in confusion "Huh?" The floor drops under them like a pitfall, swallowing up the three boys.

"~"

Zaikaria's brain clicks as she stops, turning around in irritation _. AGAIN?! Fuck...! I lost something important I really had to remember... Daniel... Daniel... FUCK! It's gone! I hate this draw back in the mind reading part! That's it! I'm going to memorise everything! Even if it's useless...!_

"~"

Daniel drops to the floor, lying in a pile of frog vomit "Ew..."

Gon chuckles awkwardly "Guess he didn't like the taste of us."

Killua lifts a can of soda "It was this."

Daniel instantly recognises it "I remember that! That's Tonpa's soda that he was handing out..."

"Yeah," Gon smiles widely "That was from Tonpa-San! Guess he saved us."

"Yeah..." Daniel hums "I guess he did... who knew..." Killua throws the can away, blurting out casually "Well, I could have escaped."

Daniel beams in delight, surprised to know he could also escape. Though, between the wrappings of the frogs intestines, he would have been better off with a weapon of some kind, cutting out through the frog by making another exit "You must be really strong then?"

Killua looks away flustered, choosing not to say anything.

"I'm still worried about Leorio and Kurapika." Gon sighs for the third time that day, giving Daniel a reason to pause and think.  _He really worries about his friends... I wonder if he considers me a friend..._

"Forget about them. Let's get a move on. We can still catch up to the examiner." Killua runs off after finishing his statement as Daniel follows after him, fascinated about Killua's every move and plan.

After a while, Killua stops, smiling at a large group of people passing my "Cool... We've caught up to the main group, Gon, Daniel."

"Killua's so cool..." Daniel looks away, flustered after saying it so casually and out loud.

Killua turns to look at Daniel in complete shock and embarrassment "Idiot, why would you say something like that out loud and so casually...?"

Daniel smiles, continuing to look away "Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Huh?" Killua looks in disbelief "Where did Gon go?" Killua jumps on his skateboard to join the main group. Daniel holds out his hand "Wait..." Killua stops, looking back at Daniel "Hmm?"

Daniel's hand drops, feeling a sense of dread washing over him.

As Dnaiel looks down, Killua poses a question "Are you going to stand there like a statue?"

Daniel looks up in disbelief at Killua, feeling that sense of completeness fill him again "I thought you were going to leave me behind."

Killua rolls over to Daniel, ruffling his hair "Idiot! I'm not going too fast. Just stay close..." Daniel's eyes widen in shock.  _He's the second person to touch my hair, without me feeling weird! That's... strange..._

Daniel looks up at Killua, smiling widely at him "Thanks...! Can I call you my friend?" Killua smiles slowly, turning away to follow after the crowd "Sure..."

Daniel beams in delight as he follows after Killua, joining the main group.

"~"

As Daniel and Killua navigate the resting area, Killua sighs "Ehh...? Gon isn't here..."

Daniel looks towards Killua, smiling at him "Something tells me Gon is going to be ok... He seems strong... like you!"

As Daniel smiles at Killua, Killua turns away flustered "Idiot... you don't say things so casually..."

"But you are!" Daniel whines. The pair are stopped short when someone yells behind them "DANIEL! That's where you've been. I've..."

As Daniel turns to look at the person, he smiles after realising its Zaikaria "I made a friend!" Daniel exclaims happily as Killua turns away to scratch his head in sheer embarrassment "Yeah..."

Zaikaria places her hand on Daniel's shoulder, surfing through his mind as she speaks "As long as you're safe." Zaikaria's eyebrow twitches after seeing what had transpired during her lost connection to the boy. He'd been through so much, in so little time. But the fact that Killua had saved Daniel, or from what she read from the boy's thoughts gave her pause "Thanks... Thanks for protecting my idiot brother, Killua..."

Killua smiles sheepishly as he scratches his chin "No problems..."

Zaikaria let's go as she smiles at Killua "Though, hurt him in anyway..." Her eyes darken from the thoughts lingering in her mind "I'll kill you, Killua. After all he is my brother..."

For the first time, Daniel is scared from his sister over protective nature, but considering this is nothing new, he waves his sister's comment off "I'll be fine! You don't have to worry about me."

She nods as she takes her leave.

Zaikaria lies against a tree, emitting an aura of irritation.  _Damn it...! He's getting too close! His going to make Vastorie's statement come true! I wonder how Nathaniel would react. How pissed would he be if he found out his son had a crush on a Zoldyck? He'll be up in flames!_

As she sighs in frustration, she continues to watch Daniel from a distance  _'As soon as this exam is over, we are going home! Even if I have to drag him all the way there...'_

"~"

"She reminds me of someone just as over protective..." Killua sighs a little bit irritated. "Is she always like that?"

Daniel looks towards Killua, raising a quizzical eyebrow "No... not always?" As Daniel starts to question himself, Killua laughs at Daniel face, amused by Daniel's own questionable look "Are you doubting your own mind?"

Daniel shakes his head, looking at Killua with a huge smile "Nah... I'm just perplexed. She just wants what's best for me, and that often gets in the way of her better judgement. She... pushes herself for me, I guess. I feel like she protects me, because... she somehow owes me..."

Killua places his hands on the back of his head, leaning slightly back in mid air "Hmm... Who knows with that old lady?"

"She's not that old..." Daniel chuckles, "She's twenty-three, turning twenty-four this year..." He hums as he looks around.

Killua sees someone run into the boys' stop "Oh. He finally came..."

Daniel raises an eyebrow "Who?" Killua grabs Daniel's cheeks, turning him to face a certain direction "Gon! Kurapika!" Killua nods, running up to greet them "Gon."

As Daniel runs to join Killua, Gon yells excitedly "Killua! Daniel!"

Killua smiles as he reaches Gon "I can't believe you actually got here... I thought you were done for."

"I just tracked Leorio's cologne."

"Huh?" Daniel asks confused. Killua exclaims in just as much confusion after Daniel "Cologne? That was how? You definitely are weird." Killua leans forward, looking at Gon weird as his eyes narrow like they are trying to figure out how exactly Gon was able to do it.

_His like a Beagle... Stubborn and easily amused... Actually, I can see my dad, Nathaniel in him..._

"Excellent work, everyone." As the group turns to look at Satotz, he speaks while standing at the gate. "Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you."

Satotz walks off as the gate opens, welcoming us into the next park of the exam.

"Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?"


	5. Phase Two X Cook? X Death

"Welcome." The first examiner of Phase Two greet us, "I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."

"And I'm Buhara, the other examiner."

The two examiners together are intimidating.

Menchi is tiny compared to Buhara, but, she's far more intimidating than the other. Her clothing consist of; a pair of short shorts, a bra, mesh shirt that looks more like she's wearing a invisible T-shirt, and long knee-high high-heels. Her bluish-green hair is tied into five knots at the back, with two strands of hair dangling on both sides of her face.

Buhara on the other hand is quiet large and round, and even while sitting, he could easily stand as tall as three Menchi's, standing on top of each other. He consists of plain clothing; a yellow shirt, which barely covers his massive belly, a pair of dark green pants and no shoes on his feet.

A loud growl resonates in the area as everyone looks around, trying to pin point the sounds location.

**Wh-What was that sound?**

Menchi turns slightly to look at Buhara, smiling slyly "You must be hungry."

"I'm starving..."

Menchi gets up, smiling at the rest of the group "There you have it. Phase Two will involve..."

Daniel holds his breath, waiting to hear what the test contains.

"...cooking!"

**C-Cooking?**

Daniel growls to himself, pissed that he might actually fail this exam.  _SHIT, I've failed... Wait, I might still have a chance! As long as it isn't extensive cooking, I should be fine._

**Wait! Cooking? We're here to take the Hunter Exam!**

Daniel looks around trying to pin point who's arguing. He fails to notice who's arguing when Menchi stands up, drawing his attention instead "That's quite right. Your challenged for the Second Phase, is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate."

**Why do we have to cook?!**

Daniel finally sees who has been arguing the whole time. A small rounded man with orange slicked backed hair. The man doesn't even strike Daniel as the interesting type for some reason, giving him no reason to continue looking at the man.

"That's because we are Gourmet Hunters."

The group starts to laugh.

**Man, what a letdown.**

**They're Gourmet Hunters...**

Menchi frowns, closing her eyes in irritation. Zaikaria sighs out loud "Man... a lot of you are going to die today..."

The fat man who just insulted the gourmet Hunters speaks up "So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?"

Menchi look at the candidate for a split second, closing her eyes to growl out loud "Buhara."

Buhara standing up straight, nearly as tall as the building behind him "The required ingredient is pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious."

**Pork?**

**As in pig meat?**

Without even acknowledging the stupid question, Buhara explains "You're free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork."

"And we will evaluate more than just the taste."

_FUCK! I've definitely failed..._

"Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it? When we've both eaten out fill, the exam will end."

"We get it. We get it. Let's just start."

"Yep...! This guys dead..." Zaikaria murmurs only loud enough for Daniel to hear.

"Then, the exam's Second Phase-" Buhara slaps his stomach, making a sound similar to a Gong. "-begins now!"

As the exam begins, everyone rushes out the front gate, rushing to get through the first part of the Second Phase, and to find those pigs.

"~"

The group walks through the forest, trying to pin-point the pigs that is needed to past this exam.

As Daniel walks along side Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika, Zaikaria strays a little behind them.

"Catch a pig and cook it. This is way easier than the First Phase." Leorio hums as Zaikaria corrects him "Listen, Leorio. That's not all you have done, you have to peak both of their interests... Buhara looks easy to please. But Menchi... I think the big guy may have ruined our chances."

Kurapika sighs "I was hoping for something simpler..."

Gon sudden charges off, sliding down a hill suddenly. Killua jumps down next as Daniel follows straight after him. As Killua's sliding down, he cheers in excitement "Ya whoo...aaahhh!" Killua slams into Gon, first followed by Daniel, Leorio and Kurapika soon after.

As Daniel slides into Killua, he holds out his hands to brace for impact. Leorio slamming into Daniel makes his hands slide around Killua, accidently pulling himself into Killua instead. Kurapika slamming into Leorio, forced Daniel's nose to bush against Killua neck, making him shiver and flush out of embarrassment.

When Daniel finally grabs his composure back, he removes his arms from Killua, placing them on the grass instead.

"Sorry, Killua...!" Daniel freaks out as he remembers a distinct smell on the tip of his nose. The scent of lavender and a very mild smell of copper, etched into his nose. He turns away flushed as Killua attempt to hide his embarrassment "Don't do that again..." Killua attempts to yell at Daniel in anger.

 **Attempt**  being the magical word that fails Killua, making it sound more like a temper tantrum than actual anger. Killua turns to Gon, yelling at him more aggressively than Daniel "What was that about, Gon?!"

Gon innocently points to a couple of pigs in the distance "Found them."

Killua looks at Gon, more composed than he was a few seconds ago "HUH?"

Daniel turns his head to look where Gon's pointing at as Leorio yells "Pigs!"

He sees large pink pigs, with huge noses, chewing on the bones of people who have fallen prey.

"Uh... They're chewing on bones." Leorio states in a matter of fact tone.

"Don't tell me..." Kurapika freaks out as Daniel finishes "Their cannibals!"

Zaikaria slides down, avoiding the five person pile up "Carnivores is the technical term. Daniel, are you ok?" Daniel nods, hiding his recent memory of Killua that had just been etched into his mind.

Zaikaria shifts an eyebrow at the boy in the middle, crushed on either side. The memory clicks in Zaikaria's mind, giving her a reason to pause before asking anything.

_**Killua smells like lavender... mixed with a mild coppery after effect... it smells... nice.** _

Zaikaria clenches her fist, letting go to wave the others off of Daniel "Get off of-"

The pigs scream, angered by Zaikaria's sudden screeching. Pissed and angered, the pigs give chase, following after everyone that has scattered.

As the people scatter, some are knocked down by the pigs while trying to run away, swat away like flies. After a smile, everyone is fortunate enough to get their own pig. Daniel slides away, attempting to take it down with his owns fist, only to be hit back by the pig.

Zaikaria jumps away, avoiding the pig as she climbs to higher ground, using the tree as a way to keep safe and make a plan for.

"~"

Daniel jumps away, hitting to the top of the trees when he hears a thud. He looks to the side, seeing Gon watch a pig screech in pain. Daniel continues to watch in awe as Gon slams the pig in the head with his fishing pole, knocking it out instantly.

_That's it! They have a huge nose because their head is weak. Specifically, their forehead!_

Daniel jumps down, slamming his fists on the pigs head.

"~"

As Zaikaria's planning for a way to take out the pig, a thought crosses her mind.

_**That's it! They have a huge nose because their head is weak. Specifically, their forehead!** _

She jumps down, slamming her elbow into the pig "Go team girl power! Now here comes the hard part... cooking."

She looks at Daniel in concern, wondering how exactly he is going to pass the Second Phase.

"~"

Daniel roasts the pig, avoiding to add any actual significant flavours. During mid cooking, the pig emits a large green mushroom cloud, making everyone stop at and stare.

The cloud turns into green skull and crossbones, dissipating as quickly as it came.

Daniel drops to the floor in defeat, sulking miserably at his failure "I'm going to be the only one, who fails to impress even one of the examiners..."

Failure, after failure, Zaikaria lets out a long irritated sigh "This is how you properly cook!" She slams a large plate on the table in front of Menchi, making her start to smile.

The plate is beautifully proportioned.  
Each slice of pork not to thick and not to thin either. The inner layer is line with vegetables of wide assortment and rice in the middle, mixed in with a few vegetables and shredded pork.  
On top of it sauce laces the food, not to thick to destroy the taste, but strong enough to give it a sense of flavour.

Some of the candidates drool as Menchi takes a bite, making sure to try everything at once. She smiles in glee "You've passed."

"Nope!" Zaikaria retorts as Menchi looks dumb folded. "I just wanted to redeem the whole group's failure to cook."

Menchi sighs as Buhara slaps his gut, giggling happily after he downs Zaikaria's food in an instant. "That was so much food, I'm stuffed!"

Menchi lets out a long irritated sigh "Yeah, I'm stuffed, too. Since all of you, except one, who chose to fail with the rest of you, no one passes. We're finished here!"

**It's over?**

**Zero people passed?**

**Are you serious?**

Candidates continue to argue, only to be stopped by one of them arguing.

One of the portable kitchens gets smashed in as the culprit argues "I won't accept it... I absolutely refuse to accept this!"

"In the end, you've still failed." Menchi points out as she grins slyly.

"Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked out lives to-" Before the large man could finish his sentence, Menchi interrupts him "I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious..."

Daniel scratches his head, while deep in thought.  _Ideally, that would be impossible... different people like different things..._

"None of you made anything remotely delicious, except one of you, sixty-five. You all did almost the same thing, again, except one of you who somehow managed to poison the pork while cooking it."

Daniel sulks in the corner as Zai pats him "There, there... Cooking was never your forte."

"I know..." Daniel lifts a finger.  _Yet somehow, I can make a mean chocolate cake... go figure!_

"There was no effort made... Just when I thought some actually tried, they only changed the appearance. No one else attempted to emphasize the flavour. I'm positive that the rest of you didn't take cooking seriously!"

The bald ninja points out "Pork dishes are all the same..."

Menchi grabs the baldy in a flash, pulling on his undershirt so his right in her face. She proceeds to yell at him aggressively, bearing her own fangs "Just say that once more. Anymore crap from you, and I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out!"

 _WHOA! That escalated quickly..._  Daniel winces from the afterthought, an afterthought of someone doing that to him.

Menchi continues to yell, making little to no sense during her rant. After a good long tongue lashing, Menchi sits down as cool as a cucumber "In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new."

"Shut up!" The aggressive large man from earlier yells. "I'm not trying to become a cook or gourmet... I want to be a Hunter!"

**Yeah! Yeah!**

The rest of the group chants with him.

Daniel muses to himself.  _Hmm, if she's not a Hunter in his eyes... I wonder who is... Vastorie is I dare say an Excitement Hunter. He looks for anything new and exciting._ _  
__Zai mentioned that Vastorie was drawn to her, and was willing to help her free of charge. He apparently helped her get over her mental issue, as she puts it... Whatever that may be... And who knows what else Vastorie likes._ _  
__On the other hand, Nathaniel has always been strong. I've always wanted to have his strength, always wanted to be like him..._ _  
__Maybe one day I'll be like him... Strong enough to protect the things and ones, I love the most._


	6. Phase Two X Spider Eggs X Thoughts

The angry large candidate continues to yell at Menchi, furious from failing all the candidates "My goal is to become a Black List Hunter. I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"

Menchi tilts her head, obviously hiding her inner smirk "Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an examiner... Better luck next year?"

"Why, you... Don't mock me!" Before the man could throw a punch, Buhara smashes the man, launching him into one of the tower walls that surround the area.

Menchi growls from being helped out "Buhara, don't interfere."

"Well... If I hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?"

"Probably." Menchi gets up, pulling a couple of chef knives out of nowhere. She takes a couple of steps towards the group as Zaikaria holds out a protective hand in front of Daniel.

"Let me clarify this... We frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients. Every Hunter knows some form of martial art." Menchi proceeds to flip the chef knives, juggling them in a circular pattern without cutting herself.

Daniel's eyes open in awe, watching every movement of Menchi's hands, intrigued by her fighting style.

"You lack focus and the willingness to experiment." Menchi in one quick sweep catches all the knives in one hand, pointing them at the large candidate that tried to hit her "That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!"

Daniel silently claps at Menchi's skills.  _That's so awesome!_

A loud voice echo's forces everyone to look around, attempting to pin-point who's talking.

"That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant."

Daniel finally looks up, seeing a large airship in the sky with the Hunter's logo on it.

**That's the symbol of the Hunters Association!**

**Is it someone from the Selection Committee?**

Something falls from the Airship, landing on the floor as it create a large dust storm process.

As the dust settles, Daniel sees an old man walking towards Menchi.

The old man has white hair, a pony tail that has been tied up in a small bundle at the top, a long thick bushy beard that looks like he may have dipped the bottom of his beard in black ink. The man wears a traditional man's kimono and a pair of high block sandals, which balances on one block.

**Wh- Who's that geezer?**

"The Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exam... Chairman Netero." Menchi exclaims as she walks up to the old man.

Netero smiles "Well, I work behind the scenes. I only take action when there's an issue, like now." He continues to smile widely, glancing down for a split second before continuing "So, Menchi-Kun..."

"Yes, sir."

"You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance-" As Netero glances down again, Daniel lifts an eyebrow after seeing Netero looks up again "- to try new things?"

"No, sir... I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary."

 _Not that it was already hard for me to begin with..._  Daniel looks down disappointed in himself.

"In other words, you're aware that this exam was unacceptable."

"Yes, sir. When cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner." Menchi looks down as she closes her eyes, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over herself.

She opens her eyes, speaking proudly, without any hesitation "I will resign as examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!"

"Hmm... But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice."

"I apologize..." Menchi looks down, feeling even more disappointed than earlier.

Netero smiles widely, lifting a finger in glee "Very well. How about this? I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose."

Menchi looks in shock at Netero. "Is that acceptable? I'm certain that will help the applicants to accept the results."

Menchi starts to smile slowly, thing of ideas of what she could do "That's true... Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs!"

**Boiled eggs?**

Daniel looks up at Zaikaria, hoping she'll have a faint idea of what the phase will be. She shakes her head at Daniel, letting him know she's just as confused as him.

"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?"

Netero hums at the Idea "Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're doing. Certainly, I can."

"~"

Daniel watches Mt. Split-in-Half come into view from the window, seeing a mountain split right through the middle. Daniel feels his chest tighten in excitement, ready to pass this phase no matter what.

 _I may be bad in cooking... But I know I'll pass this phase! As long as I have Zaikaria, Gon and Killua-_  Daniel feels his chest tighten at the mention of Killua's name, flooding him with a sense of warmth.

He holds his chest, smiling from notion that he was able to make friends. Friends, which he knows he can trust with his life.

"~"

As the ship lands, people file out of the airship. Daniel takes a peek over the side along with everyone else. As Killua and Gon stand beside him, looking over the side to see as well, in the corner of Daniel's eye, he sees Killua flash a smirk briefly.

After everyone has gotten their fill of peeking, Menchi speaks up "Now, everyone... Look down there."

**Wh- What is that?**

"Spider webs... perhaps?" Daniel murmurs.

"Your close. It's a Spider Eagle's web."

_'At least I got the spider part correct...'_

"They build webs down there?" Gon asks. As a gust of wind blows up, Menchi continues "Look below the web."

"Those are..." Gon hums as Menchi cuts him off "Those are Spider Eagle eggs."

Netero comments "Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines, to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain. The eggs are also known as  **Dream Eggs**."

The large man argues "W-Wait a minute... You don't mean we..."

"I sure do." Menchi replies with a huge smile.

"WHAT?"

Menchi jumps off the cliff, grabbing one of the many thick Spider Eagle webs that litter the ravine. The group watches silently after a sudden gasp of shock from when she jumped.

Leorio muses to Daniel, Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Zaikaria "Even if she can grab some eggs, how will she climb back you?"

Menchi lets go, dropping to grab one of the eggs on her way down.

"Hey... She jumped down! Is she trying to kill herself?" Leorio freaks out as Zaikaria smirks "I have an idea..." She motions for Leorio to watch what plays before him.

Kurapika nods from Zaikaria's response "She's right. She's not trying to get herself killed." At that very moment, a large gust of wind blows back up, sending Menchi back up into the air.

Killua smiles widely, exclaiming in excitement "That looks fun..."

Netero points out what just happened "This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web." Menchi safely lands, holding onto the Spider eagle's egg to show the entire group. "There. Now I just need to boil the egg."

"Y-You must be joking. No reasonable person would jump down there..." The pony-tail man yells at Menchi. "Speak for yourself." Zaikaria smirks, jumping off the side to latch onto the web down below.

Gon smiles widely "I've been waiting for this!" Gon jumps off, followed by Leorio, Kurapika and Killua. Killua frowns when he sees Daniel hasn't jumped yet "What are you waiting for?!"

Daniel takes a quick runner, jumping of the side to catch a web down below. He misses a rope by a couple of millimetres. With one hand, Killua grabs Daniel before he could fall, pulling him up so he can grab a rope.

Daniel smiles sheepishly, feeling stupid for almost plummeting to his doom. "Thanks... Killua..." Killua nods, turning to look down uninterested with a slight flush.

Daniel feels his hands tighten when a man jumps down to grab an egg "Catch you later."

Leorio speaks mutters loudly "Let's go!"

Gon yells out "Not yet."

Daniel looks slightly in Gon's direction as Leorio speaks "Why not?"

"There's no wind." Killua singsongs a little disinterested with a hint of boredom behind his voice. Kurapika murmurs "There isn't always an updraft." Daniel hears the man that jumped earlier scream as he falls to his death, making him grip the web even tighter.

"When's the next one?"

"Wait."

Daniel holds on tightly, trusting Gon's judgement like it's the meaning of life. As the rope drops a little bit, Leorio freaks out. Kurapika turns to Gon, voicing out his concerns "The web won't hold us all!"

Daniel starts to panic as Killua turns to Gon, acting casual "Gon, not yet?"

Other candidates soon freak out, jumping to their doom as the web loosens a little bit more. Daniel looks up, seeing the webs hang by a thread "It's gonna snap!"

Gon yells at the top of his voice, letting everyone know to jump "Now!" Zaikaria lets go first creating a domino effect. Killua, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio follow after her. Daniel delayed by a second, drops to grab one of the eggs on the way down.

A gust of wind blows up, pushing everyone back up. As everyone lands safely, the eggs are boiled.

"~"

Everyone enjoys their rather unique flavoured egg, humming at the rather delicious taste.

"I can see why they're called dream eggs." Kurapika hums as he continues to dig into the egg.

As Daniel continues to eat, he cannot help but watch Killua eat.  _Jeez... I feel like a stalker..._  No matter what way Daniel looks at it, he cannot help but watch Killua's movements, drinking in every action Killua does.

 _His cute..._  Daniel slowly turns away, watching Killua from the side eat with his puffed out cheeks.  _His definitely cute..._

The thought rings throughout his mind as an onlooker watches him carefully.

"~"

Daniel fails to notice Zaikaria watching him, eating her egg slowly.  _There he goes again... Calling Killua_ ** _'cute'_** _. His like a baby...! Well... at least in my eyes. I don't think he knows what Killua is really capable of..._

Looking at Daniel again, she notices a faint smile spread across his face as he continues to eat his egg slowly.  _I can only hope that, somewhere down the line, Daniel can finally realise how dangerous Killua really is... A Zoldyck is not one to be messed around with... And I feel like Illumi is close by. But who is he...? Which one of them is Illumi in disguise...? And what type of_ ** _Nen_** _ability is he using?_


	7. Phase Three? X Starry Night X A Game

The passing candidates standing in a room, waited for Netero to congratulate them, as well as give them an idea on what is going to happen next. Daniel starts to fidget getting so excited from the adrenalin pumping through his veins.

He receives a quick slap on the back of his head by Zaikaria, as well as a motion from her to let him know to watch the front. Daniel nods in understanding as Netero starts to give a speech "Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-four remaining applicants. I am Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."

A short tiny man stands by Netero's side, wearing a tuxedo. His wide eyes and green face reminding Daniel of jelly beans for some weird reason. "I'm his secretary, Beans."

"Originally, I'd planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but as I'm already here..." Netero stops for a second. He grins at the remaining candidates before continuing on "I'm loving this tension in the air!"

Daniel turns to the side when he hears Killua yawning, wondering why he's so tired.

"So I think I'll stick around for the rest of the trip." Netero chuckles as Bean explains what's happening now "We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at eight AM. You'll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You are also welcome to get some rest. In other words, you're free to do as you please until you are contacted."

Killua turns excitedly to the side "Okay, Gon! Daniel! Let's explore the airship!"

"Yeah!"

Daniel turns to look at Zaikaria as she nods to Daniel, letting him know his free to do whatever. Daniel smiles at Killua and Gon "Alright!" The three of them run off as Leorio sighs "How can they have so much energy?"

Zaikaria chuckles at Leorio "You're saying that you weren't like that at their age?" Leorio huffs, sighing as his eyes droop slowly "I'm hitting the sack."

Kurapika sighs "You can say that again."

Leorio turns to Zaikaria "What about you? Are you going to get some beauty sleep?"

Zaikaria shakes her head at Leorio, smiling as she pats Leorio's head "No old man."

Zaikaria yells to herself internally for reading everyone of Leorio's every thought.  _DRAT! Now I have to read his mind... and I've lost my connection to Daniel in the process... I'll just walk away from him before he starts to think-_

**_OLD MAN?! Ah... I can't believe I'm letting this cute girl insult me! Women...!_ **

Zaikaria smiles as she walks away "See ya later..."

**_Mmhm... Her butt looks nice..._ **

Zaikaria scurries off before she can hear any other thoughts!  _I need a shower after hearing that!_

"~"

"Hey, there! Kids! Stay out of the kitchen!" Daniel, Gon and Killua get kicked out of the kitchen, thrown out by the master chef "Go eat in the dining hall!"

Daniel chuckles when he sees Gon and Killua still with the food in their mouth that they managed to get away with. He never thought they'd get away with it, much less see Gon manage to swipe two pieces. Gon hands another piece of meat he got away with to Daniel as they transverse the ship, eating the very meat they managed to get away with.

Killua stops to run up to the window, smiling excitedly at the sight "Wow, awesome! Look, Gon! Daniel!"

Gon gets just as giddy as Killua, running up to check on the window "Hmm? What is it?" He presses his face against the window as Daniel soon follows to look out the window. "Oh... the view is fantastic."

Daniel looks outside, seeing the cities light creates a large light network.

"Whoa! It's like the ground is covered in jewels!" Gon exclaims loudly, detailing the lights down below far better than Daniel imagined.

"Yeah!"

"Hey, I was wondering, Killua, Daniel..."

Daniel looks towards Gon, waiting for the guest as Killua hums "Hmm?"

"Where are your mom and dad?"

Daniel looks flabbergasted at Gon unsure on how to answer the question. Killua answers casually "Hmm... They're alive. Probably."

"What happened?" Daniel asks, unsure whether he should have asked the question of not.

As Killua huffs, he blocks out Daniel's question. Gon turns to Daniel "What about you?"

Daniel hums and haws "I don't think I could answer that..."

"Why not?" Killua asks bluntly. Daniel sheepishly pokes his fingers together "I don't technically have a mother..."

Gon feels sorrow wash over him, feeling as though his stepping in territory that will remind Daniel of his mother whom may have passed away "Has she passed away?"

Daniel shakes his head "I have two dads..."

"EH?!" Killua exclaims loudly.

Gon blinks a few times, confused. He was not expecting that, but curiosity soon got the better of him "Are you adopted?"

Daniel shakes his head at Gon "I'm a splitting image of Vastorie, one of my fathers... But Zaikaria is adopted..."

"Hmm..." Killua hums "I've heard of that name before... Maybe Vastorie had a fling behind his husband's back?"

Daniel blinks "I don't think Nathaniel's that dense..." He says dryly, "Anyways, Zai, my sister, mentioned that she's never seen Vastorie with anyone else, and she has grown up with the both of them as well. She also said Vastorie is very dedicated to Nathaniel. And that splitting them up, is near to impossible..."

Killua looks out the window "Hmm... Sounds like an overly attached girlfriend..."

Gon smiles widely, curious to know even more about the two boys whom families differ his own "What do your parents do?"

"They're assassins." Killua casually blurts out.

"Huh? Both of them?"

Killua turns to look at Gon, smiling widely before laughing out loud "That's you first reaction? You really are a riot!"

"Huh?"

Daniel hums at the piece of information "Is it really that funny...?"

Killua turns to Daniel "Why are you so casual about it?"

Daniel shrugs "Vastorie's... I have no idea what he is. Anyways, Nathaniel, I would believe, is a Black list Hunter... Although, he rarely goes out on missions..."

"What you mean you don't know what he is?" Killua asks flabbergasted. Daniel hums "Well, I could argue he's a pervert... and a book nerd, always reading when his not doing 'something' else. That 'something' being whatever he does..." Daniel states casually.

Killua raises an eyebrow which Daniel shrugs it off.

Killua sits down as he smiles at both of the boys "You two are the first ones who's ever responded seriously."

"Well, you're telling the truth, right?" Gon states in a matter of fact tone.

"What makes you think that?" Killua looks seriously at Gon.

"It's just a hunch."

Killua sighs "That's weird..." the boy's head peaks up, interested to know if he thought the same with Daniel "Wait, you get the same hunch from Daniel?"

Gon nods "Uh huh."

As Killua sighs again, he rests his head against the bench "People only like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious."

"Hmm..."

"I like you Killua cause your Killua." Daniel stated casually.

Killua blushes madly, quickly retorting back "How could you say something so casually...!" The boy then sighs, resting his head back on the bench.

Daniel thought it was funny, watching the boy's moods change from embarrassed to quiet within a matter of seconds.

Killua wills his flushed cheeks away "I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins." The boy then smirks "And my family has really high hopes for me..."

Daniel asks a question, one he was expecting to hear "Is that what you really want to do?"

Killua frowns, hearing a question which many have failed to ask before. It was a joke to everyone, except Killua. The boy lets out a brief sigh "No. I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?"

From a brief moment of his life, Daniel clenches his fist, feeling anger bubble up inside of him.  _To think your own family wants you to kill others, just because they believe you'll be good at it... That's disgusting!_

Killua turns to look at Gon, opening his eyes to yell in frustration "When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped!" He lifts a hand, gesturing to the boys just exactly how annoying his parents are "My mother had tears streaming down her face, as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin."

Gon is soon laughing at Killua's rant, unable to stop until Killua has finished.

"Horrible parents, right? It's natural their kid would go bad." Killua looks up smiling to himself. "We ended up fighting. So I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side, and ran away from home."

Daniel silently thinks nothing but horrible thoughts, but considering Killua's parents were horrible, he didn't bad for thinking them.  _That's good! They deserve nothing less!_

Killua massages his chin, grinning gleefully "I'm sure they're out for blood now. But if they find me, I'll send them packing." Killua get's up, smiling as he sparkles in his own mind "When I become a Hunter, I'll start by capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties..."

Daniel chuckles at Killua face.  _That smile is so adorable... It's like puppy photos... Something you could look at for hours._

Before Daniel could question his thought, something makes him and the other two turn around. Then they hear Netero speak behind them, making them stop and turn around to look at him.

"Something wrong?"

Killua focuses on Netero, watching him like a cat watching a mouse.

Gon asks in confusion, slowly pointing in a direction "Ah, Netero-San... Did you see anyone coming from that side?"

Netero looks in the direction for a moment, and then shakes his head as he looks back at the boy "No."

"You're pretty fast for an old man." Killua jokingly states.

Netero tilts a little forward in Killua direction "That little trick? I barely moved." The two of them enter a little death staring match as Gon looks between the both of them.

"What do you want?" Killua asks, "You don't have to do anything until the last phase, right?"

"No need to be so unkind. I got bored, and was looking for some companions." Netero smiles innocently at Killua, making Daniel think otherwise. "By the way, I meant to ask the three of you... Any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?"

Gon nods with a huge smile "Uh-huh! It's fun! And there haven't been any of the written exams I was dreading."

Killua sighs as he flips a hand out "I'm disappointed... I expected the exam to be far more difficult. I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?"

"Well, now... I wouldn't know about that." Netero humours, then looking towards Daniel "What about you?"

Daniel hums "The start was boring with all that waiting around... but then again... I did arrive early along with my sister... The first part was boring because we ran in a straight line for hours, then after that, it got more interesting as time progressed... because of the people I met along the way."

"Ho, ho, ho!" Netero laughs "That's an interesting look at it."

Killua turns around, motioning for Daniel and Gon to follow after him "Let's go, Gon! Daniel!"

Netero stops Killua from walking any further "Now wait just a moment." Killua stops to glance in Netero's direction without turning his head.

"Would you care to play a game with me?" As Netero finishes asking, Killua slowly turns to face the older man as Gon asks "A game?"

"If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters!"

"Really?" Daniel and Gon ask excitedly, before Gon continues "I'll play!" As Killua finally turns, now giving Netero his complete attention, Netero asks "How about it, eh?"

"~"

Netero bounces a ball in a large basket ball course which they now occupy. He catches the ball, balancing it on his finger "Now, I'll go over the rules of the game. If you can take this ball from me, before the airship reaches its destination, you win."

The three of them look at the clock. "I believe that we're scheduled for an 8 AM arrival? Well, that still gives you nine hours. You're free to attack me however you'd like. I won't touch you."

Gon whines "Huh? That's too easy. You can't call that a game."

Netero humours the three of them "Why not give it a try first?"

Killua asks a question next, intrigued by the rules place by the older man "We just have to take the ball?"

Netero nods.

"Then I'll go first."

"Go ahead."

Killua slowly walks around Netero, moving around in a circular pattern. Along the way, time almost distorts, making it look like there are now multiple Killua's walking around in a circle.

Netero looks in awe as Daniel almost 'squees' in excitement.

"I see lots of Killuas!" Gon yells in awe as Daniel simply nods "He could do so many choirs at the same time!" Killua jumps out suddenly, going to grab the ball. Netero pulls the ball back out of Killua's way, making Killua pivot's his foot to jump up and make another attempt.

Killua keeps trying as Netero only steps back, making sure to keep it out of Killua's grasp.

They keep going at it until Netero jokes "What? That's it?" He flips up the ball, balancing it on his nose. Killua darts off again, kicking Netero on his leg.

Gon flinches at the sight "Ouch... Right on his pivot leg!" Killua jumps up, clutching his leg where he made contact with Netero's leg, screaming in agony.

Gon holds out his hand "Killua! Tag! Tag! It's my turn!" Killua hops over to Gon, tagging him in. Gon does some stretches before starting. "Okay!" Gon goes off on a flying start. Gon changes directions suddenly, going right up into the air. He hits his head on the roof, smashing it against a pole. The boy drops to the ground, clutching his head in agony as he two screams like Killua.

Killua yells at Gon "Idiot! We know that you can jump really high! Control your strength! For a moment, the old man relaxed his guard!" Gon slowly paces around Netero as he massages his head "I messed up there." After a few more attempts, Daniel holds out his hand "Oh, tag me in I want to try!"

Gon nods, tagging in Daniel next. Netero's eyes narrow, feeling a sense of Déjà vu hit him.  _He looks familiar... if he cuts his hair. Maybe-_  Daniel darts off quickly, giving no more time for Netero to ponder the thought.

Daniel charges in a straight line, going directly for Netero. As Netero smirks to pull back the ball, Daniel suddenly slides underneath him, jumping up onto his back next to pull on Netero's hair. Netero makes small grunts of complaints.

As Daniel tugs the hair, he stretches out his hand to grab the ball "Just a little further..." Netero holds the ball out of Daniel's gasp, moving in a way that forces Daniel to lose his give, which in-turn makes Netero look at Daniel with a smug look.  _Just like his father... except he gave me a wedgie..._

The three of them continue to switch out, alternating between each other to grab the ball.

Netero head butts Killua's face with the back of his head. As Killua drops to the floor, Netero muses "You boys aren't getting anywhere. Why not attack simultaneously?"

Killua growls in frustration "Why, you..." Daniel and Gon nod at each other as Gon states "Okay... I'll get you this time!"

They charge into the fray, attempting any chances to grab the ball. Netero always makes sure that the ball is out of everyone's grasp. "Here they come."

The three of them surround Netero, giving him no chance to escape. Netero darts out of the way, narrowly escaping the boys as they smash into each other, clasping their nose to massage it.

Gon kicks off the floor, kicking his shoe into Netero's face. During that time, Killua gets a good kick in the back of Netero's head. "A chance!" Killua smiles, going into grab the ball along with Daniel.

Netero reaches for the ball with his foot, pushing it out of Killua's and Daniel's reach. Smiling in glee, Netero makes an attempt to reach the ball. Gon kicks off his other shoe, kicking the ball out of Netero's reach "You and your little tricks!"

As Gon and Killua charge the ball, Daniel kicks Netero feet out from under him while his distracted, chasing after the ball alongside Gon and Killua. "It's mine!" All three of them smile with the ball inches from their hand.

Netero pivot's his body, turning to kick off the floor. He passes all three of them like a speeding bullet, grabbing onto the ball. Netero quickly slides to a stop as the three kids are sent to the floor, massaging the place where they hit the hardest.

Without breaking a sweat, Netero still holds the ball. "I commend you on your efforts."

Gon smiles the most, praising Netero "You're amazing, Netero-San! Really amazing!"

As Killua gets up, Daniel turns to see him complain "Forget it... I give up. I lose!"

Daniel looks at Killua in concern as Gon asks "Why? We still have time. And just now, we came really close."

Killua sighs as he turns to look at Gon "Jeez. You really have no clue, do you? The old man has barely used his right hand and his left leg."

"What?" Gon looks astonished at Killua.

"But we're still powerless against him. We could chase him around for a year, and never take the ball from him."

Netero smiles at Killua "Oh, you figured it out? And here, I thought I'd fooled you."

"So that's what he was doing." Gon looks at Netero confused.

Killua fakes a laugh "You really know how to piss me off, old man. Let's go, Gon! Daniel!"

"Oh, I'm gonna play a little longer." Gon points out out something, something Killua wasn't expecting. The boy runs back to the door in shock after walking away "Huh?"

He runs back in, yelling in Gon's face "Didn't you hear what I said?! It's useless! You won't be able to take the ball from him!"

Gon smiles at Killua unexpectedly "Yeah! I don't care about the ball."

Killua tilts his head back, taken back by Gon's statement.

"We've only used up half of the time limit. I'm gonna make Netero-San use his right hand before the time runs out."

Killua looks astonished at Gon "I see... Yeah, I got it. What about you, Daniel?" Killua turns to look at Daniel.

Daniel smiles "I'm staying I would like to see if I can help Gon out."

Killua sighs as he walks away "Good luck." He waves off to the two, leaving them behind. "I'm getting some sleep."

As Killua leaves, Gon turns to ask Netero "Say, Netero-San... How did Killua do that thing where he walked slowly, and it looked like there were a bunch of Killuas?"

Netero's eyes narrow "That technique is for those engaged in underground work. You have no need to learn it. In fact, you should not learn it."

"But it's an amazing technique, right?"

Netero sighs as he throws the ball up, catching it every few seconds. "It requires an intensive amount of training."

"Killua's really something! Right, Daniel?"

Daniel nods "He really is..."

Gon goes to grab the ball as Netero holds it up, looking down on Gon with a frown "You fool."

"~"

Standing before Killua is a tall slender girl with raging fire hair, tapping her arm impatiently. She looks at Killua sternly "You and I need to talk... Away from the pile of bodies you just created."

Killua grits his teeth "It depends... Who are you really?"

"My name is Zaikaria Vyner Darkscryer. And that boy is my brother, Daniel Darkscryer... Your dad must have complained about us once or twice..."

"That makes sense Vastorie Darkscryer the pain in dad's backside, as he calls him. None of them could beat each other. And Vastorie always stays on the defence."

"Good! That would make it easier, Killua Zoldyck."

Killua grits his teeth, staring at her intently "I know you saved his stupid ass once before, maybe twice. But I'm still going to say it. He's my brother, and without his father, I would still be in some pile of shit out on the streets. I owe him, and his family that much.  
If you ever hurt him... I'm coming for your head, regardless of Daniel's feelings!"

Killua walks past Zaikaria, peeved. He hated how she assumed all this without ever knowing him. She was a stranger, basing him of his family traditions and history "Like I would ever hurt him personally..."

As Killua reaches within arm's length of her, Zaikaria grabs Killua's shoulder "I'm deadly serious!"

Killua pulls his shoulder out of her grasp, continuing on his way "I'm not interested in you anyways..."  _Old hag! She doesn't know what she's saying anyway! We are friends... And I don't hurt friends!_

"Remember... You hurt him-"

Killua waves his hand "I won't!"

_He's a friend... he's my friend..._


	8. Phase Three X Tower X Trapdoors

Daniel was thoroughly impressed with Gon. He was getting stronger throughout the whole game with Netero. He only felt more and more useless as time passed by. Even though Gon never grabbed the ball in the end, he did managed to make Netero use his right hand.

He couldn't remember much after that. He found himself waking up next to his sister, sleeping off the exhaustion. When he woke, all he could hear was the sounds of snoring.

A loud sound vertebrated through the speakers to let the people know there's an announcement.

"I apologize for the long wait." Zaikaria starts to stir, lifting an eyebrow at the remaining announcement. "The airship will soon arrive at its destination."

Daniel turns to face his sister "Hmm... I wonder what the next third Phase will be..."

Zaikaria groggily replies "We'll find out once we get there."

"~"

Daniel looks around the place, seeing nothing but a large amount of space.

**What is this place?**

**There's nothing here.**

Bean speaks up to the group, drawing everyone's attention except Daniel, who's constantly looking in Killua's direction after spotting him. "Ahem... Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of trick tower."

"Trick tower?" a random candidate asks. Daniel doesn't even bother to look at him, still infatuated with Killua.

"To pass this place, you must reach the tower's base alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours. With that, we will now begin the Third Phase. I will pray for your success."

As Bean leaves, Killua glances in Daniel's direction noticing him staring at him as if he's checking him out, Killua blushes as he looks away.

Daniel looks around, wondering what he did wrong.

Zaikaria nudges her brother, peeved "It was the way you were looking... You were staring at him like Vastorie would look at Nathaniel when his not looking."

Daniel blushes as he too, turns away in embarrassment "Oh god..."

"Best of luck everyone!"

On that note, Daniel leaves his sister alone to apologise to Killua "I'm sorry Killua... I didn't realise I had that look on my face."

Killua nods his head "It- It's fine! Try not to do it again..."

Daniel smiles widely "Ok!"

Gon looks over the side as Daniel, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio join to look as well. Gon lets out a long noise of amazement.

Daniel looks down at the bottom of the tower, judging it to be too high to jump down.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio asks as Daniel looks towards him "Well, it's too far to jump..."

Kurapika sighs "Both of those ideas sound like suicide..."

A man laughs behind the group "Maybe for a normal person." Daniel and the others look at the man.

Eighty-six is the number on the man's brown shirt. He wears a utility belt above his navy blue jeans. One his hands he wears greenish-blue fingerless gloves and boots that give him better grip on the floor.

The man walks up to the side, climbing down it "But a top-class rock climber can handle this, no problem."

Killua exclaims with little to no enthusiasm "Wow..."

"He's going down pretty fast." Gon points out as Daniel murmurs "His like a... lizard..."

The sound of flapping wings echo in the distance, creating the sounds of an impending doom.

The man below starts to scream. Daniel looks down below seeing a couple of really ugly birds. They looking like monstrous sized babies with sharp teeth and wings attached to their back.

One of them grabs the man, flying away with its spoils as another three of the ugly baby birds chase after it, hoping to get a piece as well. Daniel gulps "Well..." Leorio finishes of his sentence "G- Guess we can't climb down the side..."

"Yup... That wipes climbing off the 'to-try' list..." Daniel nonchalantly states, as Kurapika murmurs in surprise soon after "Yeah."

"~"

Zaikaria and Daniel look around, trying to find an obvious exit. Gon suddenly screams out "Kurapika! Leorio! Daniel!" Daniel turns to look in Gon's direction "I wonder what Gon wants."

"There's only one way to find out." Daniel looks at his sister as she shrugs her own comment off. Daniel quickly runs up to check out what Gon wants before she could object.

As Daniel makes it in time for the beginning of the conversation, Kurapika is the first to ask "What is it, Gon?"

Gon kneels down, "Look. I found a hidden door." He pushes one of the blocks in a little, creating a small crack. Daniel looks in awe.  _Man... I must be blind as a bat. I didn't even notice any of the blocks..._

Kurapika smiles "I see now. So we can descend by flipping the stones."

Daniel turns to look at Leorio speak up next with a smile "Okay! Great job, Gon! Let's head on down!"

"But I'm confused."

Daniel tilt's his head at Gon.  _Confused?_

Leorio asks "About what?"

Gon lifts a finger pointing at the locations "There are also hidden doors here, there, over there, and over there, as well."

_So many doors in one small place..._

"~"

Zaikaria looks up after hearing Daniel's thought.

_**So many doors in one small place...** _

She grins, looking over to her brother, and his friends "A chance. I'll tap Gon and sees if this plan works."

"~"

Leorio silently whispers in confusion "That many?"

Kurapika raises a hand to his chin "Five hidden doors, located in the same area. It sounds suspicious to me. Some could be traps." Kurapika looks up, noticing Zaikaria walking in mid conversation, with a single tap to Gon's shoulder "What are you boys talking about?"

Killua shrugs his shoulders "Nothing that you need to worry about..."

Zaikaria shows a sign of irritation towards Killua "Is that so..."

Gon cuts Killua off, explaining even though the boy never wanted anything to be said "I was just pointing out that there were multiple doors in this area."

"Gon!" Killua whined, peeved that the boy would say that.

"How many?" She pushes her hair out of her eyes, from the sudden drop in height when looking at Gon.

"Five..." Gon sighs.

Killua whines for the second time "GON!"

Gon pouts "What~ there's no harm in telling her."

Killua sighs, giving into Gon's statement "Fine... but I wanted to tell only Daniel about the fifth spot." Daniel smiles inwardly at Killua's comment.

Zaikaria smirks "I'm sorry... but Daniel stays with me. I have a better judge of traps then Daniel..."

Daniel smiles sheepishly "Yeah... That's true..."

Killua raises an eyebrow, only to get shot down by Daniel shaking his hands to avoid answering the question.

Kurapika asks another question next "You think one of the trapdoors will be a trap?"

Zaikaria shakes her head "Unlikely, but below us, many traps will fill the areas..." Zaikaria thinks to herself.  _I'm trying to figure out if some areas will allow multiple people..._

Daniel nods his head, pointing at mostly Killua and the group his with "Can I take the trapdoor? Maybe you can get down with another one."

She raises her hand to object "I rather get stuck with you, if I can. Plus, I can make sure your safe and sound... you don't want me worrying about you the whole way down."

Daniel nods sheepishly "Yeah... and I did promise dad I'll stick to you like glue..."

Killua sighs. "Whatever... about earlier, it looks as though each door can only be used once..."

Leorio asks "Seriously?"

Killua nods "We tried opening a door someone else used, but it wouldn't budge."

Kurapika continues "Judging by the door's size, only one can fit at a time."

"In other words, only one person can use each door. We'll have to split up." Killua finishes, a smile widening across his face. As Killua is smiling, Daniel feels his heart begin to race. "Gon and I decided that we're each going to choose a door."

Gon looks up "No hard feelings if one of us springs a trap! What are you guys gonna do?"

Leorio smiles "I can live with that. Luck is part of the game..."

"I have no objects." Kurapika cuts in after Leorio.

Gon looks at Daniel and Zaikaria. Zaikaria holds up her hand to speak on behalf of Daniel and herself. "I'll try to find another two traps doors for us." Daniel nods, feeling a little crushed on the inside.

Kurapika smiles widely "Then that settles it." Leorio, Kurapika, Gon and Killua pick their own spot.

"Let's go, on the count of three." Leorio speaks to the rest of the group.

Gon smiles "I guess this is goodbye for now."

Kurapika speaks up next "We'll meet up again, at the tower's base."

Killua smiles widely "Let's go... Daniel, I'll see you down below."

Daniel nods as he gives thumbs up to Killua. Killua then looks down at the trap floor "One!"

Gon gets ready to trigger the door "Two!"

Together the four of them yell, jumping onto their trap door. "Three!" When the door triggers, sending them down below, Daniel feels a sense of loneliness again. He holds his chest, wondering to himself on why he feels like this.  _It's always when Gon and Killua leave... I feel so alone without them..._

When Daniel remembers Killua's last words to him, it brings a smile to his face.

**We'll meet up again, at the tower's base.**

"~"

Zaikaria waits for something to happen. Her smile soon dissipates when she loses her connection to Gon. Opting for a second chance, she activates her  _En_ , feeling four different presences down below. A smile graces her lips as she's walking towards Daniel. Thank you,  _En_. That does come in handy. _Now I know that there are rooms that allow multiple people._  Tapping Daniel's shoulder, Zaikaria motions in a certain direction "I found two trapdoors close to each other. And I thought we might try our luck."

Daniel raises an eyebrow at Zaikaria "And you tell me now... Man... I'm really blind." Zaikaria chuckles "If makes you feel any better, I scanned over them twice before realising not all is as it seems."

As Zaikaria motions to her brother to go to a certain spot, Daniel sighs "It does... Just a little..."  _Although, I wish I could be with Killua and Gon... maybe they got separated... I hope I do get to meet them down at the end of this exam..._

Daniel steps near the trapdoor, smiling widely.  _I will get to meet them again! I know it!_

Daniel and Zaikaria jump on their respective doors, falling to the level down below. Daniel rubs his butt when he lands, looking around the room. His surprised that Zaikaria is in the room with him.

He asks, unsure if that's really her "Zai?"

Zaikaria casually responds as she dusts her off "Yep! It's me alright." She looks around the room casually, spotting a pedestal with something on it. When she looks at what's on the bench, picking up one of the two watches on top of it up. A key dangles across the watch, surprised to see it's impossible to remove "I wonder what this is for..."

Daniel looks up, reading a plaque just above the stand "Welcome to the best friends forever. The two of you will be tested throughout this route, on how well you work as duo. One slip and you may end up going down together."

Daniel looks at Zaikaria in concern. She smiles, snapping the wrist watch on with the time. She picks up another watch, handing it to Daniel. With a smile he accepts the watch, snapping his on his own wrist as well as well.

Looking at the watch reveals that they had already lost forty-five minutes. "Hey Zai, do you think that if only one person got stuck her, they'll have to wait?"

"That is correct. My name is Lippo. I am the prison warden here, as well as the Third Phase examiner."

Daniel looks around spotting a speaker on the wall "We're in a prison?"

He continues on without answering the question "Multiple routes through this tower have been prepared. You have chosen the path of best friends forever rule. Survival will be the key, if you wish to clear this phase of the exam. You're both required to reach the end of each section at the same time. If one of you fails to be present at the next door, you'll fail. Each section requires two keys to open... and the key only work if the person is alive."

A door is revealed behind the two, locked like the examiner said. Two key holes are present, one for each key "You are free to start the Third Phase, best of luck."

When Zaikaria presses the key into the lock, she looks back at Daniel "I want you to trust me no matter what. I'll always protect you."

Daniel smiles at her, pressing his own key into the lock "I know you will!"

The two twist their wrist, the door opening like the examiner said it would.


	9. Phase Three X Tower X Traps

They traverse the tower with Zaikaria leading the way, seeing as she haves a better grip on her surroundings. She stops at a hallway, looking around for anything suspicious. As Daniel continues to walk, Zaikaria speaks up "Be careful. There are traps-"

Before she could even finish her statement, the sound of a trap being triggered echoes in the room. Zaikaria looks at Daniel with disinterest "Please tell me that wasn't you..." Daniel looks down at his foot "It was... But it doesn't seem to have triggered something."

She walks over to Daniel slowly, trying to avoid any traps "I think most of the traps here will be pressure plates. The ones where when you step off, the trap will be released." Daniel nods "Well, what type of trap did I trigger...?"

Zaikaria smiles "As soon as you step off... we are going to start running!"

Daniel nods, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. What if he stepped on a trap, dropping him to a new level, which in-turn split the two apart. Would that be the end of the event, making it impossible to proceed in this game? He could only hope that it wasn't a trap designed to split the two apart. He really hoped he could continue to be by Killua and Gon's side. As he steps off like Zaikaria predicted, a boulder falls down, rolling towards them.

Daniel's sister picks him up unexpectedly, slinging him over her shoulder "You are going to be running to slow!" Daniel frowns as Zaikaria bolts down the hallways, jumping to another corridor to avoid it.

When she turned the first corner, the bolder slammed into the wall and continued to follow her "SHIT! Its pin ball and the hallways are designed to make sure it continues to roll towards us..."

Daniel grits his teeth "Shit! Sorry, for triggering the trap..."

"It's all good," She smiles "it just means we have to keep going until we reach a corridor, that's small enough for us to squeeze through!"

Daniel nods. "In that case, put me down. I'll just slow you down and make you really tired." Zaikaria sighs "But, if you die, I'll raise you back from the dead, kill you, and then I'll revive you again."

Daniel tilts his head "Ok... keep living or I'll die more times than humanely possible..." The two of them bolt along the corridors as Zaikaria directs the other to best route. The hallways slowly beginning to decrease in size the further down they get. Zaikaria smiles when she turns another corner, the hallway narrow enough for the both of them to squeeze through without the boulder "Perfect! The hallway's too small for this bolder to get through."

Daniel nods as the two jumps in, barely avoiding getting crushed. Daniel breathes heavy; panting every few seconds "I... wish... we didn't... get chased for so long! And how can you keep running in high heels, my feet are killing me in these dress shoes..."

Zaikaria chuckles at Daniel "Girl Power! We're just that good!" Daniel sighs as he rolls his eyes at her. "Well? How far to go, you think?"

Zaikaria murmurs "After trying to outrun a bolder for..." She checks her watch "Eight hours straight... who knows. I'm not even sure if we going the right way..."

Daniel nods. He turns to look around the hallways as he catches his breath "I could run just fine in the swamp... but a boulder that gradually picks up speed the further down we go, managed to tire me out... go figure..."

Zaikaria murmurs "In that case, catch a breather. I'll see if there're anymore traps. I don't want another marathon run." Daniel nods as he sits down to rest.

"~"

Gon turns to Killua "Killua?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you think Daniel and Zaikaria-San are doing?"

Killua shrugs at Gon "I don't know... After 'meeting' Zaikaria, she doesn't seem as weak as she looks..."

Gon pouts "I think we would have had more fun with Daniel, Killua."

As Tonpa and Leorio get into another argument, Killua sighs "Yeah..."

_I wish he did come, maybe if I asked him questions... I could have figured out something cool about him... Although, I wonder why he thought we already met...?_

"~"

Daniel gets up after a short rest "OK, I'm ready to go." Zaikaria nods "Let's see how far we can get before-"

A loud click echoes throughout the hallways, alerting the two of another trap.

"YOU DID NOT JUST FUCKEN STEP ON ANOTHER TRAP!"

Daniel frowns "I did..." he fakes some tears.

Zaikaria pushes Daniel off the plate straight to the floor, quickly holding out her hands. "Bring it!"  ** _En_** _! Let's do this I'll set it to a meter or two. No point going all out at 40 meters plus._

The first arrow get's released from the wall, flying towards Zaikaria. She quickly catches it mid flight, letting it go to move on to catching the next. Daniel watches in awe as she doesn't stop for a second, catching every arrow. When she catches the last one, she turns to Daniel, breaking it in half.

"The next time you step on a trap, that's what's going to happen to you..."

Daniel gulps "Right... watch every step for now on!"

Zaikaria sighs "Can you just please be careful... I can't save you every time." He looks down, nodding.

"Thank you. Now let's go!" Zaikaria exclaims as she takes a couple of steps. She stops, taking a couple of steps to the side before continuing on "Almost hit a trap that time..."

Daniel raises an eyebrow as he follows her every move.

"~"

Hours fly by, many doors stopping them every so often. Behind one of the many doors, the two of them reach a large clearing, two figures standing still in the middle of the room. Daniel and Zaikaria step up to face them.

Daniel glances at both of them, unable to tell what they look like. They're both wearing a brown rugged garments and cloaks that covers most of their body, and their arms dangle in front of them, chained at the wrists.

One of them looks up, speaking to someone else. The cloaked man speaks up, a growl accompanied by a high pitched voice; sounding closer to a shriek "The applicants have arrived."

The other speaks up, a voice almost similar "Remove the shackles."

Both shackles drop to the floor with a large 'clank'. Almost in unison, both men throw off their cloak, revealing two disturbing looking men. They look like twins, which Daniel can tell that much for sure.

Both are pale white, their mouths are stitched shut, making Daniel question how they're were able to speak in the first place. Although they don't look strong, they don't look that easy to beat either in his eyes.

Their brown unwavering eye gives them a menacing look, disturbing Daniel the longer he looks at it.

If there was one thing that helped Daniel tell them apart, one of their eyes was stitched closed on the left while the other's right eye was stitched closed.

In his mind he named them 'Lefty' and 'Righty'.

Lefty speaks up "To get past us,"

Righty speaks next, the two of them completing or continuing after each other's sentences "you must beat us."

The two always managed to complete each other's sentences, even when introducing each other. It was weird, sicking to watch.

"He is Mi..."

"And he is Yu..."

Daniel snickers, making sure he cannot be heard laughing "Y _ou and me, huh?'_

Mi, named Lefty in Daniel's mind speaks up "This will be a fight till death or surrender."

Yu, known as Righty in Daniel's mind continues to explain "However, if we are both knocked out, you are free to pass."

"We won't go easy..."

"So prepare your last words for your tombstone."

Zaikaria and Daniel look at each other confused. A smile spreads across Zaikaria's lips "Can you hold a sec?"

"Why?"

"So that you can give up...?"

Zaikaria sighs, putting her bag on the floor "No... So that I don't get my bag damaged."

Daniel nods, taking of his vest "Yeah... I don't want to ruin my vest..."

Daniel places his vest and bag by his sister's, then turning to look at his enemies. He stands side-by-side with his sister.

Zaikaria asks one final time, to make sure she heard the rules correctly "So we have to kill, or knock you both out, correct?"

Yu speaks up, "Right!" as Mi follows "There's no other way!"

Together Mi and Yu hold out their hands back-to-back, showing their incredibly sharp nails.

Zaikaria gestures to Daniel, letting him know to watch out for their nails. With a nod, Daniel holds out his fists as Zaikaria prepares for an open guard. Mi and Yu charge off first, attacking together in sync.

Daniel slides out the way, narrowly avoiding Yu. Without even realising, Mi had already come from behind Yu, attacking straight after.

Zaikaria charges in pissed off that they both would target her brother first. Daniel ducks quickly, kicking Yu's foot so that he breaks Mi's attack. To his surprise, they both recover quickly continuing on with their attack.

Zaikaria grins, taking the chance while both are caught off guard. She grabs Mi's wrist, breaking his joint attack to throw him. Yu quickly turns around to attack her instead. Daniel kicks Yu's feet out again from under him as Zaikaria delivers a quick elbow into Yu's face, throwing Yu away from Mi's direction.

The two of them jump back to join each other's side peeved.

"They're a strong team."

"But together, we are still better."

Mi and Yu lunge again. Zaikaria grins as she holds out her arms, moving quickly to Mi's side as if she had just teleported. She grips Mi by the neck, slamming him into the ground.

Yu screams out to his twin as Daniel moves next, catching Yu off guard. Daniel delivers a quick elbow to his chest as Zaikaria moves impossibly fast, kicking Yu next with the back of her foot. Mi freaks out as Zaikaria picks him up, elbowing him in the direction of his twin Yu.

With a chuckle, Zaikaria speaks up, baiting the two "If that's the best you two can do, you'll never beat us!"

As Daniel smiles, he keeps quiet, leaving all the taunting to his sister.

Yu growls "With their age gap..."

"Those two should not be able to fight like that."

Zaikaria grins "You would be right in most case. But we are brother and sister, and we've trained together all his life. Our fighting styles may be different, but we get each other, just as good as any other twin."

As Daniel continues to smile, he nods at every word. Mi and Yu growl as they get up charging the two of them separately. Zaikaria grins as she breaks Yu's guard, knocking him off balance.

In that split second when Mi worries about Yu, Daniel kicks Mi's foot out from underneath him. Zaikaria turns, using Yu like a baseball bat to knock out Mi, sending them both to the ground with a thud.

She hides a smile from the two of them "I can read my brothers moves better than you two, that's all there is to it. You worry more about each other, than you do attacking together. That's why you got caught!" As the door to the next area is revealed, they pick up their gear, unlocking another door to a long hallway.

They reach another door that opens, leading them into another room, filled by other candidates in the room.

"Daniel, applicant #64. Zaikaria, applicant #65. Both arrived simultaneously. Total time, thirty hours and twelve minutes."

Daniel smiles as he looks around.

His smile faltering as he looks around. He saw neither Gon, nor Killua in the room. For the one time he should be happy, he felt a sense of dread wash over him.

Zaikaria smiles as she taps Daniel's shoulder "There are still another 41 hours and 47 minutes to go. They'll pass."

Daniel nods as he walks over to grab something to eat.


	10. Waiting X Perfect Timing X Stress

Time travelled by slowly; excruciatingly slow. With each hour passing by, Daniel got more and more depressed, hoping his friends would pop up at a moment.

All Daniel did was sit and watch, trying to figure out who was who, and their numbers as well, seeing as he had nothing better to do.

The first five already in the room were:

Hisoka the scary clown, whom, much to Daniel's dismay was strangely enough, good looking. Hisoka has fiery red hair combed up, flowing up erratically everywhere. He wore a pink skin tight suit that stopped half way at the arms. And wore a teal puffy shirt on the top of skin tight suit which still showed Hisoka's waist, with a purple club and spades suit. His teal pants were also puffy, like his shirt and had a yellow shawl holding up his pants, a pair of navy blue jester shoes, and the #44 badge on his shirt.

Pokkle is another examinee that Daniel looked at. He was wearing a light purple turban on top of his shoulder length brown hair, white pants, white shirt, yellow neckerchief, red vest, with a purple belt over the top of it and the #53 badge on his vest. The quiver of arrows across his back, suggest that he is either an archer of some kind.

Hanzo was one already in the room and Daniel noticed that he had the number #294 badge.

Geretta, the huntsman was another, with the #384 badge. He had an afro puff hairstyle and wore a heavy short-brimmed hat, sunglasses and a white ruff.

Gozu was a tall muscular man, with shoulder length brown hair and a Fu Manchu. His attire included; a blue sleeveless shirt with an orange sash along with purple pants, with a #371 badge on top. The large spear, and clothing suggested he was a warrior.

The last person in the room was disturbing, and made Daniel fear him for some reason... a reason he couldn't understand, yet... Although he didn't know the name of the person, he knew to stay as far away as possible from him. His teeth chattered constantly as if he was cold, and always smiling, in a creepy kind of way…

#301 was his number, and his attire was hard to digest. It had a green and dark green colour scheme with large golden pins in the vest and shoes.

Every time the door opens, Daniel would look up with a smile, hoping. But every time it happened, his smile would soon falter as soon as he saw who had entered. They were not the ones he was waiting for.

There was Bodoro the martial artist with the marked chin, moustache and the hair tied in a ponytail and #191 attached to his martial artist robes.

Ponzu, who wore a big yellow hat, salmon blouse and baggy pants and orange shoes without heels and #246 attached to her shirt.

Bourbon the snake charmer was another one. He had a large nose and wore a light blue and purple robe, tan turban and the #103 attached to his robes.

Kenmi #362 in the yellow and red martial arts garbs.

The Amori Brothers with the respective badges of #197, #198 and #199. They each wore plain clothing but he couldn't tell them apart until he learnt their name.

Agon the short swordsman, with bushy eyebrows and a large crooked nose. He has gray hair that kept in a ponytail, and outfit included; a blue cloak that covered his upper body and a blue dress beneath it. The #281 was displayed on his cloak.

Siper the marksman with the sniper rifle and #80 badge. She also wore sunglasses and had red hair that was tied at the back with a yellow bow tie, brown vest, navy shirt, grey pants, brown boots and grey gloves.

Sommy is a tall and slender man, with brown messy hair and thick eyebrows. He wears a black long sleeved shirt with tan pants. When the monkey walked in first, this made Daniel laugh, even if it was only for a second. He had the #118 badge.

Shishito who had the #89 badge, and had long dark blue hair that touched his shoulders.

Ryu the swordsman. He wore a green undershirt and dark blue over-shirt vest, brown pants, and silver boots. The #34 badge was displayed on his over-shirt.

Kyu was another one with the badge #105 and the sabre. He has maroon hair, which is cut short and red nose. His attire includes; a purple long sleeved shirt, brown jeans and grey shoes.

Kōrudo, the ninja girl in a red mini skirt. Her deep red hair colour was obviously dyed, as he could notice the black regrowth. She had a vest on that held eight knives, four on each side. She has the #299 badge.

Katsuo the wanna hero. He has light brown Pompadour and green eyes with a blue tint. He wore an all white army uniform which included a white biker jacket with the #153 badge displayed on it. His constant bantering screamed flamboyancy and was seen arguing with the cold Kōrudo almost all the time, or fixing his hair. He also has a pair of wooden nunchakus attached to the each side of his waist.

With three remaining minutes to go, an announcement is made to the group.

**Three minutes remain.**

The three brothers smile as the oldest comments "It's finally over..."

"Yeah, that took forever." The youngest of Amori bothers states.

Kōrudo in the back yells "Thank fucking Christ... This was too damn long! I should have taken my time..."

Daniel's face scrunches in irritation. _Out of all the people, she had to be one of the passing examinees…_

When a door opens, Daniel looks at it with hope. A man with the #283 badge steps out, groaning as he clutches his wounds "I... made it in time..."

As the man collapses to the floor, Daniel loses interest fast. The youngest of the Amori brother speaks up after checking the person out "He's dead."

"The fool." The oldest Amori continues to yell, "Better to live and try again, than to pass and die."

Daniel looks rather glumly at the floor as his sister speaks up "It will fine. They will come..."

"One minute remains." The second announcement is made.

"Looks like it'll just be the twenty-three here." The youngest Amori blurts out.

Another door opens again, this time Daniel looks up again, overcoming with joy for some reason. As Kurapika, Killua and Gon step out, an announcement is made.

**Kurapika, applicant #404, is the twenty-fourth to pass.**

**Killua, applicant #99, is the twenty-fifth to pass.**

**Gon, applicant #405, is the twenty-six to pass.**

**Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes.**

Killua whines "My butt hurts... I didn't expect a slide for the short and easy path."

Zaikaria laughs out loud after hearing Killua's comment.

Daniel gets up excitedly, running over to Kurapika, Killua and Gon, yelling to draw the three's attention "Killua! Gon! Kurapika!"

Gon and Killua turn to look in Daniel's direction, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Daniel!" Gon yells his name first.

Killua, however says Daniel's name more like it's a question "Daniel?"

Daniel frowns at Killua as he runs up to them "There's only one here..."

Killua chuckles "That's true."

**Thirty seconds remain.**

Gon smiles widely "That was really close."

Kurapika smiles softly "My hands are covered with blisters."

A man grumbles behind them "Same here."

Daniel looks up surprised to see Leorio with the man named Tonpa step through the door.

**Leorio, applicant #403, is the twenty-seventh to pass.**

**Tonpa, applicant #16, is the twenty-eighth to pass.**

**Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes.**

Leorio grumbles as he manages to squeeze out the door "My hands are blistered, but all five of us cleared the tower together." He ruffles Gon's hair next, "All thanks to Gon!"

As Gon smiles, Kurapika continues to explain the prior hour "We entered the long and difficult path. Then cut a hole in the wall, to sneak into the short and easy path."

Killua smiles at Gon "Man, I can't believe you actually came up with that idea on the spot."

Daniel frowns "I missed out on so much fun?!"

Gon smiles innocently "I realized that we could break the walls, using the weapons. But it took over fifty minutes."

Daniel whines from this information "All I got was getting chased by a giant bolder for eight hours, nearly getting skewered by arrows, and a fight with Mi and Yu!" He sighs in boredom at the last part.

Killua lifts an eyebrow "Mi and Yu?"

"Twins..." Daniel responds flatly.

A loud beep echoes throughout the room, letting the people know that the Phase is over.

**The Third Phase of the exam is over. Twenty-nine applicants have passed. One has died.**

When the final announcement is made, a door opens, flooding the room in a bright light. Daniel looks in awe, waiting for the next phase to begin.

After having Gon and Killua make it in time before the exam finishes, Daniel is filled with joy. He'll get to travel along Gon and Killua's side, a journey, he'd hoped would never end. _YES! I get to continue travelling by their side! I hope it's something fun that we will get to do together! Like... Um... find treasure together in groups... That will be awesome!_

"~"

The twenty-eight applicants, who had just passed the Third Phase, step outside to face their Third Phase examiner.

Lippo is a rather short man wearing dark grey and grey, with a tint of brown attire consisting of; plain shoes, pants, a jacket, large pair of glasses that covers most of his face. He has violet hair, spiked up into a Mohawk. He speaks up "Ladies and Gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower. Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain."

"Two more..." Hanzo almost, sighs in relief.

Lippo points to an island behind him. "The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let us proceed."

As he clicks his fingers, a bald man wheels in a small bin. "I will need you to draw lots."

Everyone looks confused as Geretta asks "Lots?"

Pokkle asks next "For what?"

Lippo grins slightly "To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted."

Murmurs echo throughout the group as Lippo holds out his hand to the bin "In here are twenty-eight numbered cards. In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards. Now, I need you to each draw a card, in order by which you exited the tower. Will the first person come forward?"

A sense of dread washes over Daniel as he feels as though that this could be another Phase he fails at. If he draws any of his friends or his sister, he wouldn't be able to pass the exam; unable to take the tag he needs in order to pass.

Everyone looks around as Hisoka is the first to step up. Hisoka pulls out a card, picking at it in his hand. The strange teeth chattering man steps up next, second at passing, and also the second to take his own card.

"Guess I'm next." Hanzo goes next.

Geretta goes next, follow by Pokkle soon after, but not before commenting "I'm next." After Gozu, Daniel takes a card followed by his sister. One after another, they everyone claims their own card.

When Kurapika goes next, Gon asks "Hey, Killua, and Daniel."

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

"He said something about hunting and being hunted. Does that mean we'll be fighting each other?"

Killua smiles "Yeah, probably."

Daniel's dread intensifies as he looks at the card, hoping that the number underneath it isn't one of his friends' or Zaikaria's. Killua steps up next to claim his own card as Zaikaria looks at Daniel in concern. _I hope for his sake, that he doesn't have to target a friend…_

Killua grabs a card, walking over to Daniel and Gon casually. He smirks as Gon leaves to take a number. Killua's smirk shifts into a smile, making Daniel feel butterflies in his chest. He's a little too happy, and for unknown reasons as well. What was this feeling pulling at his heart strings?

Gon takes a number, walking back to Killua and Daniel as Leorio takes one, followed by Tonpa.

"Everyone's taken a card? Then remove the seal from your card."

When Daniel removes the card, he smiles widely after seeing #198.

"The card indicates your target."

Mostly everyone exclaims in surprise as Daniel continues to smile at the card. _YES, I don't have to hunt any of my friends! And I believe this belongs to one of the Amori brothers... though I don't remember which one. They all look alike..._

Everyone except for a few cover their number. "This box has recorded which card each of you drew. This means that you're free to dispose of the cards if you wish. The objective is to steal your target's ID tag."

"Oh, so we don't need to kill each other." One of the Amori brothers sighs in relief.

"Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags." Lippo looks down with his eyes closed, attempting to hide a smirk "Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse."

Another Amori brother grins "That sounds like the fastest way."

"S- So that's what this is about?"

"Fool, there's nothing to be scared of."

"Listen carefully!" Lippo lifts his hand up, "Your target's ID tag is worth three points. Your own is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point. You need six points to advance to the final phase. So while on Zevil Island, you must gather enough ID tags to total six points. That is the condition for clearing the Hunter Exam's Fourth Phase."


	11. Phase Four X Zevil Island X Targets?

On the way to Zevil Island, Daniel pondered how he would steal his target's badge, or which of the brothers even had the number to begin with. They all looked alike, the height and figure was the only give away. He should have memorized to features as well during his wait.

The instructor introduces herself "I'd like to commend everyone on board for their excellent work during the Hunter Exam's Third Phase! I will serve as your guide. My name is Khara! It will take two hours for this boat to reach Zevil Island. All twenty-eight applicants remaining here are automatically qualified to take next year's exam! So if you fail this year, don't feel bad. Please try again next year..."

As Khara stops speaking, Daniel gets an unexpected visit from his sister.

"Damn... they all hid their tags like a bunch of pansies..." Zaikaria sighs to her little brother.

Daniel looks up "Who did you get?"

"#80..."

"It's the chick with red hair."

"You do realise there's three girls with red hair, including myself..."

Daniel chuckles "Your right." He looks around, trying to find the girl again "Red hair sunglasses and sniper rifle."

"Hmm... it's going to be a bitch to deal with long ranged... How did you know which one is which?"

"I got so bored I remembered numbers and faces... We had what, forty hours to kill...?"

Zaikaria nods "Did you get anyone important to you?" Daniel shakes his head "I'm all good. I don't know _which_ one is my target, seeing as they're triplets, or who I'm going to be targeted by. But, it should be easy once I find out..."

Zaikaria nods as she looks around "Since I know who my target is, I'll see if I can peg who's targeting me..." Daniel nods as he gets up "I'll go see Gon and Killua. I wonder who they got..."

Zaikaria nodded, each sibling walking away to deal with their own agenda.

Daniel walked around the boat slowly, while listening to Khara "Well, you're free to do as you like, for the next two hours. Please enjoy the boat ride."

Daniel spots Killua and Gon together alone on the boat. He continues to walk slowly towards them.

They look up together "Daniel?"

Daniel smiles as he walks over towards them "Gon. Killua, what's up?"

"Not much." Killua murmurs, he then sits down next to Gon. Daniel sits nearby, resting his head against the side of the boat. _I hope I'm none of their targets... The only question is how do I ask them?_

The three of them stand quietly, unsure how to broach the subject at hand. Killua speaks up after a long enduring silence, directing his question at his two friends "What number did you draw?"

Daniel stays quiet, wanting to say something witty, only to draw blanks.

Gon asks "How about you?"

Killua responds back "Secret."

They turn to Daniel, hoping he says something. "Nothing you're hoping for..."

Killua and Gon smile unexpectedly. Killua smiles "Don't worry. You two aren't my target."

"And my target isn't either of you." Gon smiles they turn to Daniel. He nods at them "Too high, and two low to be yours."

Killua ponders for a bit, looking at both Daniel and Gon expectedly "Show each other our numbers at the same time?"

Gon smiles widely "Okay!"

The three get up, getting ready to show their number to each other "Ready, and..."

They flip the cards, to each other. Gon's target is #44 and Killua's is #199. Daniel smiles, surprised to see Killua got one of the Amori brothers as well. He feels giddy, smiling at the fact he may get to meet Killua again. Killua looks in shock. "#44 is... seriously?"

Daniel looks down at the Gon's tag, freaking out silently. _HE GOT HISOKA?! His... his... I hope he doesn't do anything reckless..._

"You have really bad luck..." Killua states casually as Daniel nods.

Gon smiles awkwardly "You think so? Who's #199 and #198?"

Killua sighs at his number "You don't know, either?"

"Uh-uh." Gon sighs. They look at Daniel as he smiles "Ah... The Amori brothers... don't have a clue on which one's which though..."

Killua sighs "Damn... I didn't bother to memorize everyone's numbers... WAIT, how do you know who's which number?"

Daniel smiles weakly "I got so bored waiting for the Third Phase exam... I remembered faces and numbers..."

Killua sighs once again "I still have to guess which one has the number. Still... after the initial explanation, I started checking tags, but everyone had already removed them. That's so lame..."

Gon starts twitching. Daniel raises an eyebrow as Killua looks at Gon generally curious. "Gon..."

Gon looks at Killua in shock after hearing his own name "Huh? What?"

Killua blinks once before slowly smiling "Are you happy? Or scared?"

Daniel turns to Killua, raising his eyebrow higher. Gon turns to the side, pondering on the thought "Both, I guess... In a straight-up fight, I wouldn't stand a chance. But if I only need to steal his ID tag, then I have a real shot."

_Are you kidding me...? You're talking about that scary clown named Hisoka..._

Killua murmurs "Yeah."

Gon looks ahead "Right now, I might actually have a chance."

_A chance of dying...? Sure..._

"That scares me a little..." Gon clasps his hands, controlling his nerves of steel. "But I think it's worth it."

Killua smiles "I see."

Daniel glances at Killua, watching him get up. He grabs his skateboard before leaving "Well, let's do our best." Killua walks a couple of steps before walking away "Make sure you stay alive, Gon, Daniel."

Gon nods "Uh-huh, you, too." He gives thumbs up as Daniel smiles "I will too..."

"~"

Zaikaria walks slowly past people, bumping into the ones that give her curious glances. When she bumps into them, she apologises immediately. Every bump, followed by an apology, decreases the guessing range to who is targeting her.

When she bumps into Kōrudo, she smiles inwardly. Found you!

**_I can't believe this bitch, bumping into people! She's probably hoping to pickpocket their tag before it starts. Though, she'll never find mine hidden in-between my cleavage._ **

_Oh... I'm so taking you down first! Lucky for me, you go before #80. I'll take you down first and hmm... I have the perfect plan to fuck you over and your smug look!_

**_She's an easy target alright. I can hit her from at least ten meters without her realising!_ **

Zaikaria grin widens at this new information. _Ten meters, huh? That makes it easier for me to take you out... This is going to be so easy..._

She chuckles for a bit, retreating into the boat to make her plans.

"~"

As the boat lands on Zevil Island, Khara explains what is going to happen "Thanks for your patience, everyone. We've finally arrived at Zevil Island! Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase."

Leorio grumbles "Tsk... this again."

"After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn."

Killua sighs "That means we'll be waiting here a while."

Gon nods with his mouth open "Yeah."

Daniel nods "Yup. Fifty-six minutes... almost an hour..."

"You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here. Alright then, the first person may start!"

Hisoka walks off first, casually strolling through the forest, and taking all the time in the world.

Kurapika murmurs "I understand... Those who disembark earlier hold the advantage."

"Yeah," Leorio sighs "they can hide and monitor their target's movements."

"Two minutes have passed. The second person may start!"

The creepy guy with pins goes next, freaking out Khara in the process.

"The third person may start."

Hanzo goes third, exclaiming in the process "Yeah!"

Next up was Gozu and then Pokkle.

"The sixth person may start."

Daniel steps up, walking into the forest slowly "Zai, don't follow me, I want to do this on my own..."

Zaikaria nods, yelling out to her kid brother "Don't get yourself killed!"

Daniel sits down in a tree, unsure where, and how far in his in on Zevil Island "Now I have to wait for my target to step off..." Daniel lays down to rest "This will take a while..."

"~"

Zaikaria watches Daniel leave with a smug look. _I could find you easily... But you know what? I'll let you go this time. I have a bitch by the name of_ ** _Kōrudo_** _to deal with!_

Two minutes pass by as Khara speaks up "The seventh person may start."

Zaikaria walks into the forest. When she's hidden, she darts off, making sure to leave foot prints "I'll screw you over hard, skank!" When she reaches a landing, she sits down, resting her hands together.

_En!_

Zaikaria pushes her aura out, resting it at twelve meters. She takes a deep breath, relaxing her body. "Come get me, Kōrudo!"

"~"

Zaikaria waited, waiting for the time when she would meet Kōrudo. Time flew by as something, pinged her _En_. A cold depressing aura radiated nearby as Zaikaria acted naturally, egging the person to relax their guard.

During Zaikaria's wait, she moved to a tree, making it seem like she's more relaxed than waiting.

Kōrudo watches Zaikaria curiously, seeing her look as though she was fast asleep. As Zaikaria breathes in and out slowly, Kōrudo grabs a knife from her vest, grinning slyly. _Easiest Phase ever! But damn, I have to wait another six, almost seven days! And still may have to deal with my own target._

Kōrudo readies the blade, aiming it with deadly precision. In a split second, she releases the knife, throwing at Zaikaria.

Zaikaria catches the knife mid flight, slowly opening her eyes with a huge smirk "I know you're there~" Kōrudo grabs another four, getting ready to throw them. Zaikaria aims, throwing it in Kōrudo's direction.

Kōrudo dodge's the knife as it plunges into the tree behind her. _There's no way the bitch could find me that easily!_

Zaikaria sighs "I think I missed..." Zaikaria moves her weight to one side, scanning the area. "Where did you go and hide...?" When she turns, Kōrudo releases her blades at Zaikaria.

Zaikaria jumps into the air, avoiding the knives "You decided to stay in one spot... bad move, Kōrudo!"

Kōrudo begins to freak out as beads of sweat slide down her forehead. _There's no way that she could know it's me! I gave her no hints on the boat when she walked past. I-_

"Found you!" Kōrudo freaks out as Zaikaria hits her out of the tree, jumping down to meet her.

"Predictable!" Kōrudo huffs out as she pulls out her three remaining knives "How did you figure it out?!"

A smirk widens across Zaikaria's lips "Are you sure you want to find out the answer to that question?"

Kōrudo releases her blades, throwing it at Zaikaria in a flurry of rage.

Zaikaria catches them with ease, dropping them to the floor "Nice try... But you've left yourself wide open now, knife girl!"

Kōrudo smirks as she holds up her guards "Bring it on... bitch~!"

Kōrudo jumps towards Zaikaria, aiming to deliver a quick kick. As she's blocked by Zaikaria, she aims for another attack, this time a backhand.

Zaikaria ducks, muttering out loud "Left backhand followed by, a right roundhouse!"

Kōrudo stops her kick, jumping back in anger "How did you know?!"

"It's a skill I learnt... And it's way too difficult to explain! Care for another shot?"

Kōrudo attacks Zaikaria aggressively, the girl dodging every move, dictating the very moves being thrown in her direction "Right punch, left jab, right knee, oh~ fancy a left ankle grapple!"

Kōrudo screams in anger as Zaikaria continues to break her piece by piece, making her more beastly by the second.

In one final attack, Kōrudo is caught off guard when she's blocked by Zaikaria holding both of her hands. When Kōrudo kicks Zaikaria next, she twists her body, sliding a hand between Kōrudo's boobs.

Kōrudo yells aggressively "HEY! What are you doing?!"

Zaikaria chuckles as she pulls out the girl's badge "#299, never, EVER hide things in-between there. Especially, when fighting a girl because we all do it!" Zaikaria holds out one hand "Remember that one next year."

Before Kōrudo knew what was happening, Zaikaria delivered a quick chop to the back of her neck. "Good luck trying to find me..." Zaikaria leaves quickly, chasing after her target "Time to find #80. I'll hit her before she can find her target."

"~"

Daniel got up after resting for an hour, looking around casually "Now... where to go..." He walks off slowly, trying to figure out where to go next. Daniel walks off slowly, scanning the trees and plants for any movement.

A tall man with an all white uniform steps out the bushes, looking around. When his eyes fall on Daniel, he immediately jumps back, freaking out I the process "GAH! Don't sneak up on a _man_ like that!"

Daniel pouts as he points to himself "I was walking causally here!" He moves on, resting both hands on his hips as he intensifies his frown "You're the one that snuck up on me!"

The man relaxes for a moment "Jeez... kids these days..."

Daniel huffs as he crosses his arms "Adults these days, doing whatever they please..."

The man lifts and eyebrow "Well anyways kid, sorry to burst your bubble but you're... my... target...?" During the time the man was talking, Daniel had already started to walk away.

"Hey! Get back here..."

"Huh?" Daniel turns to look at the stranger.

The man huffs "It's rude to ignore people when they are talking to you!"

Daniel frowns "But... you're boring... Everyone knows kids have a short attention span..."

The man gawks at the kid in front of him, unsure on how to react. He pulls out his nunchakus, swinging them around before holding them together "Do I have you attention now?"

Daniel claps "Yes! That's cool, Katsuo!"

Katsuo blinks in surprise, wondering how on earth Daniel knew his name "How did you know my name?"

"They announced it when you passed the last Phase... I remember really weird and stupid stuff..."

"I'm not stupid, or weird for that matter! I'm gonna be a Hero and become a black list Hunter taking down or the evil doers..."

Daniel huffs "Weirdo..."

"I'm not WEIRD! Anyways, I-" Daniel starts to walk away again as Katsuo yells "Will you stop doing that!"

Daniel stops for the last time, holding out his fist "My dad said I should never pick a fight... but if I must..."

Katsuo grins smugly as he wipes a finger across his nose "I'm feeling generous right now... So I'll give you the first hit, seeing as you're a kid." Daniel rolls his eyes, preparing to dash like how he saw Gon do in the game with Netero.

Daniel kicks off the floor, dashing towards a surprised Katsuo. Katsuo freaks out from the sudden speed "Whoa, who is this-" Daniel smacks Katsuo's hand, breaking the man's own weapon.

The man continues to look shocked as Daniel elbows Katsuo next in the chin. Daniel lifts a finger, speaking as though he's was professional instructor "As my dad always says, do not judge a book by their cover, especial Manga!"

Daniel searches Katsuo as he's still in shock, twitching constantly.

He finds the badge in one of Katsuo pockets, holding it up to his face "#153... Two more points I guess... if I can't find my target."

Looking around, Daniel feels something pull at his heart. He continues to look around, wondering where the feeling is coming from. "This feeling... as if..."

Daniel blushes when he remembers what his sister said.

**"It's probably just your heart calling out for attention..."**

He rests his hand on his chest, continuing to follow his heart "Where are you leading me...?"

"~"

Zaikaria travels around the island, looking for her target. She manages to find Siper, looking for something through her sniper rifle, hiding in some bushes.

Zaikaria runs up behind Siper, resting her hand on Siper's forehead "Don't move!" Siper freezes as Zaikaria runs along her jacket, pulling out her tag "I'll be taking this..."

Siper continues to stay frozen "How were you able to move around so quietly?"

Zaikaria leans down, whispering into her ear as she slips #299 badge into the same pocket she stole Siper's from. "I just slipped the #299 badge into your pocket. You're going to forget this encounter, go back on your merry way... target whoever you targeting. The badge I placed in your pocket is your own, so nothing will seem out of order."

Siper unconsciously nods as Zaikaria smirks "Good, now what number is in your pocket?"

"#80..."

Zaikaria nods as she lets go, jumping away to hide in the shadows _'_ _ **Endless Noise: Memory**_ _. Her memories have been successfully changed. And now all that's remaining is to hide for another six days...'_

"~"

After Killua gets kicked to the floor, he gets up casually, pulling a tag out of his pocket "#198, huh?" _This is Daniel's number..._ Killua thinks to himself as the Amori brother in a blue shirt looks confused, searching his pockets frantically "What? No way..."

Killua smirks, catching it constantly in one hand "Since it's only a number off I'm after, maybe #199 IS in fact one of your two buddies?"

_Tch... I can't believe Daniel was right! Maybe I'll keep this tag for him..._

Killua looks at them slyly as they whisper to themselves. The Amori brother in a yellow shirt blurts out "Time to get serious. This is no ordinary kid." The Amori brothers move to surround Killua.

"~"

Daniel walked slowly, having the feeling grow stronger after so many days of constant walking. He forgot about time, ignoring it as it meant nothing to him, pushing that very feeling of tiredness to the back of his mind.

When Daniel felt the feeling at its strongest, he jumped up into the trees to see what was drawing him to the place. When his eyes scanned the area, he saw the white fluffy hair he recognised, oh so well.

Eyes widening at the sight of his friend "Killua..." Anger bubbled into his chest when had saw Killua surrounded by the Amori brothers. He stood up, jumping to the next tree. He saw a bald man, his eyebrows rising in suspicion. W _hat's baldy doing here... oh no! He's Killua's target... wait... then why are the Amori brothers surrounding him...? Maybe he stole one of their tags? I wonder which one though?_

Killua suddenly moves, appearing behind the middle Amori brother in the red sweater, holding his nails to the man's neck "Don't move. My fingers are sharper than knives."

Daniel drops down, revealing himself to the group with a loud whine "Killua!"

Killua looks incredulously at Daniel "How long have you been there?" Daniel shrugs "Uh... a minute or two..."

Killua sighs as he pulls out the badge from the Amori brother's back pocket "Huh? You're #197? I'm so bad at guessing these things..."

Daniel whines to Killua "Killua, have you already stolen #198?"

Killua flashes Daniel a smirk, showing the badge to Daniel "I have..." Daniel's heart beats faster in his chest from Killua's smirk.

He wonders to himself if it's because he's really tired, or because of something else. Killua tilts his head slightly from Daniel's dumb folded face "Are you ok?"

Daniel nods excessively "Y- Yeah..."

Killua sighs as he slots #198 into his pocket "You can grab it from me later," Killua flashes another smirk at Daniel "If you can catch me..." Killua turns to look at the man in the yellow shirt "Hey. Are you #199?"

The man nods slightly in fear "Yeah..."

"Hand it over."

Killua holds out his hand as the man pulls his badge out, taking one final look at it before chucking it to Killua.

"Thanks." As Killua smiles widely, Daniel's chest starts to bubble again, weird sensations filling his chest. Killua holds up the tag, #197 to his face "Now, for the tag I don't need..."

Daniel stops him with a wide grin "Killua, can I throw it?"

Killua looks at Daniel incredulously "Sure..." He then throws the tag to Daniel.

Daniel catches it, performing a quick sleight of hand, changing the #197 badge with the #153 badge in one fluid movement.

He then takes one step, throwing the badge with all his might. Killua smirks "You still have three days. Good luck finding that."

Daniel's eyes widen. _I've been walking for four days straight?!_

Killua smiles widely "See ya." He turns to Daniel next, keeping his smile up "Can you run fast?"

Daniel nods his head, still in shock from earlier though and Killua smile "S- Sure."

"Come let's go." Killua darts away as Daniel follows after him.

After running for a while, Killua slows to a stop, walking slowly as he flicks #198 up in the air "Man... that was boring. Whose number did you throw?"

"#153..."

"~"

Hanzo grabs the badge mid flight, dropping to the floor with a huge smirk "#197 was always accompanied by #199..." He flicks the badge up constantly "I didn't expect that little kid to deal with them for me. Then that other kid showed up. It was a good thing I watched from the shadows. His got one heck of a throwing arm... Still made it easy to grab the tag... I... wanted...?"

He looks down at the tag, eyes widening in shock. One eye starts to twitch as Hanzo freaks out "#153... WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?"

Hanzo eyes widen further, remembering who exactly threw it "That kid noticed I was there... but... how... did I fail...?"

"~"

Killua laughs hard as he flicks #198 to Daniel "The look on his face when he finds out!"

"That's right!" Daniel ear's perk up, passing the old number #197 to Killua "You throw it."

Killua grins as he turns around, throwing the badge as hard as he can "They won't find that." Killua slowly loses his smile, tossing his tag up in the air "Wonder what Gon's doing..."

Daniel shrugs at Killua, slowly closing his eyes as the sleep gets to him "Probably doing something crazy..."

Killua murmurs "Probably..."

Daniel gestures to Killua "Can we sit down for a bit?"

Killua raises an eyebrow at the question before muttering "Sure..."

Daniel smiles softly as he sits down next to Killua "I thought you were pretty cool... You moved so fast that my eyes barely kept up with you..."

Killua turns away with apparent blush, hiding his embarrassment between his words "Yeah..."

"Killua...?"

"Hmm...?"

"Don't move..."

Killua turns to look at Daniel, curiosity and confusion crossing his features "What? Why?"

Daniel fails to answer his question when his head drops on Killua's lap, snoring softly.

Killua's eyes widen "HUH?! What are you... doing...?" When Killua sees Daniel fast asleep on his lap, he looks away with flustered cheeks "He just had to fall asleep on my lap... didn't he!"

Taking a deep breath, he continues to look away with neon cheeks, whispering softly to Daniel "Idiot..." Killua lifts one hand, experimentally stroking Daniel's hair "This is too weird..."


	12. Time off X Questions X Answers

Daniel slowly begins to stir, groggy, but otherwise still waking up slowly. He feels rather refreshed, even happy after a long deserved sleep. He needed that sleep so badly, however, much to the boy's dismay; he woke up staring at pair of dark purple shorts. Daniel attempts to force his body to wake up immediately, embarrassment, and staring deeply into Killua smile.

Killua was staring at the boy with a cheeky grin "Look who decided to wake up!"

"S- Sorry, Killua... didn't mean to do that..." Daniel's eyes drop to the floor as he flicks his eyes to look up at Killua before looking down at the floor again.

Killua chuckles "Its fine... Really..."

Daniel looks up at Killua, looking deep into the boy's eyes.

Killua starts to realise his uncomfortable, too close Daniel's face. As Daniel eyes flutter slowly open and close, showing signs that his still drowsy, Killua looks for a distraction.

He scoots away from Daniel, pointing at his hair "What happened to your hair?" When Daniel leans back, a tuff of hair falls down in front of him, covering half of his face.

Killua covers his face, trying not to laugh when Daniel blows the hair out of his face, only to have it fall back down to the same place. At that very moment, Killua laughs at Daniel.

Daniel tilts his head to the side, blinking himself wide awake when he realises what Killua has been laughing at.

Daniel quickly grabs his hair, pushing it out of his face and forcing it into his usual messy pattern. After a few minutes of morning hair management, he leans in close to Killua with a deadly look "My hair's funny, huh?"

Killua pushes Daniel's face away, still laughing too hard to respond. Daniel raises an eyebrow at Killua, bringing his face much closer "What's funny?" Killua slowly calms down, looking at Daniel seriously.

As the two of them looked in others eyes, time freezes between them.

Daniel's thoughts begin to wander around, thinking of a situation that caught him off guard. The thought of running his hand behind Killua's hair, leaning into a kiss with the boy; the thought alone makes Daniel turn away, blushing madly in embarrassment.

Killua in-turn looks away, getting up with flustered cheek "Ah... we probably should go... you been asleep a while..."

"How long?" Daniel asks, hoping that his cheeks will return to a normal colour when he looks back towards Killua.

"Two days... at least..." Killua murmurs.

Daniel's eyes widen in shock when hears those words hit the back of his mind "WHY DIDN'T YOU KICK ME AWAKE?"

Killua freaks out in embarrassment "B- BECAUSE! I couldn't hit a friend..." Killua drops his head in embarrassment this time as Daniel looks away "Thanks... for thinking ahead for me..."

Killua nods in response, still otherwise embarrassed from the situation "No problems... We... should probably leave..."

Killua get's up, patting his butt down. When Killua's done, Daniel follows him from behind, watching Killua intently. Thoughts lingered in his mind, making him wonder, what did Killua do the whole time he was sleep?

Daniel was grateful to have Killua watch him the whole time, but, he can't help but feel he missed something important. Glancing at Killua from behind, he noticed a faint blush across his cheeks.

_What exactly happened, Killua?_

_Killua stroked Daniel's hair, wondering what exactly could have tired him out. Being an assassin, he was trained to stay wide awake for days if he needed to. Killua gasped when Daniel moved. His eyes darted down to the boy, seeing him sound asleep._

_The boy tilted his head, attempting to get a better look at Daniel. He blushed at the peaceful face, turning to look away._ _**He's an idiot!** _ _Killua thought as he turned to look at Daniel once again "Who sleeps peacefully on another guys lap?"_

_Killua brushed a few strands away, failing to notice he was smiling. He sighed, looking back up to the sky "How can you sleep so peacefully... in the arms of a killer?" When Killua looked down, Daniel had moved, holding Killua, tightly with a warm smile._

_He instantly blushed, forcing himself to look away "He's... happy to be near me?"_

_The boy turns to look at Daniel again, seeing himself staring intently at Daniel. His cheeks flair up as he turned to look away, turning away to taunt to himself._ _**Idiot! Don't look so peaceful and cute when you sleep near me...** _

"~"

A boat sounds off, an announcement being made to notify others that it's the end of Phase Four.

**The Fourth Phase of the exam has just ended. Will the applicants please return to the starting point at once? You will be given one hour of extra time. If you do not return during this time, you will fail the exam.**

Killua looked around, motioning to Daniel to keep following him.

**Furthermore, you are not allowed to exchange tags after reaching the starting point. Anyone caught swapping tags will be disqualified.**

Daniel stood nearby Killua, waiting for the boat to land. A quick scan of the area left Daniel feeling a little sad. Gon was nowhere to see in sight. Even Killua looked a little distraught, after seeing Gon wasn't in the finishing area.

As Zaikaria shuffled out of the bushes, she saw Daniel standing by Killua. She smiled instantly even though Daniel was nearby the white-haired assassin.

Running a hand of Daniel shoulder, he looked up at her with a smile "Hey!"

Killua let out a small grunt of distaste after seeing her, eyes burning brightly; she chose to ignore Killua's grunts of disapproval "Did you get your target?"

Daniel nodded with a smile "Yeah. And my target found me?"

"What did you do with him?" Zaikaria asked, peaking Killua's interest in the process.

"Well... he was boring me so I broke his guard like dad-"

"Nathaniel?"

"-yes, taught me and I left him hanging god knows where... though, not before stealing his tag. I used it to fool one of the other candidates."

Zaikaria looked up; she scanned the area for which candidate he may have fooled. She notices Hanzo standing a few feet away, signs of irritation painted all over his poker face.

As the boat lands, Khara get off the boat, holding up her checklist "Then we will now check the tags of everyone here!"

Hisoka flashed his tags at Khara, revealing his hand consisting of #384, #299, #281 and #118 "#44 Hisoka-San."

Zaikaria's eyes narrowed, noticing Hisoka holding the badge #299. She began to wonder how exactly the man came across the tag. Though that thought was short-lived when Hisoka glanced towards her, a sadistic smile coming across his features. She turned away, refusing to look at that tainted smile.

Pokkle showed his hand next, revealing the numbers #53 and #105 "#53, Pokkle-San."

Daniel went next, showing his two numbers #64 and #198 "#64, Daniel-San."

Zaikaria flashed her hand, showing #65 and #80 "#65, Zaikaria-San."

Without smiling, Killua showed his numbers #99 and #199 "#99, Killua-san."

The scary looking guy with pins in his head shows his hand next with the numbers #301 and #371 "#301, Gittarackur-San."

 _Gittarackur, huh...?_ Daniel thought, dreading a scenario where he ran into that nightmare in a dark alleyway. Though, listening to the sounds of the man's creaking, constant shaking would be more terrifying. That sound, would be the last thing you hear before total darkness.

Bodoro goes next with #191 and #34 "#191, Bodoro-San."

Hanzo smile while showing his hand #294, #153, #362 and #89 "#294, Hanzo-San."

Khara notes down the passing candidates without looking at her board "So eight applicants have passed? Oh?" She looks in surprise when she sees others come out of the bushes.

Killua looks up with a huge smile, making Daniel jealous in the process "Gon."

"Ah, three more arrive at the last second." As Khara quickly jots down some notes with a smile, Killua gave Gon a thumbs up. Daniel soon started to smile, happy to see that Gon had passed as well. Though, he was still jealous for some reason when Killua smiled from the boy's arrival.

"Killua... Daniel..." Gon smiles widens after seeing the two; though the boy soon freaks out when he lays eyes on Hisoka.

Khara turns to look back up at the three "And now for the last few members..."

Looking at Killua first, #404 and #16 are revealed "#404, Kurapika-San."

Leorio is next with the numbers #403 and #246 "#403, Leorio-San."

"And finally" Gon shows his hand with the numbers #405 and #44 "#405, Gon-San."

Daniel looks surprised when he notices Gon holding the #44 badge in his hand. _How did Gon manage to snag that piece?_ Hisoka wasn't exactly weak, and he wasn't distant enough to no notice his badge had gone missing. Was there a circumstance that allowed Gon to get away with the badge? The boy could only ponder, wondering if he got a chance to hear the story behind that achievement.

"These eleven applicants have passed the Fourth Phase of the Exam!"

"~"

Killua and Daniel stayed in the dinner halls, grabbing a bite to eat. A quick announcement is made, making the two look up.

**I have an announcement for all applicants. The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates.**

Daniel looks confused at Killua "Interview?"

Killua shrugs at the question, being just as confused as Daniel.

**When your number is called, please come to the first reception room, on the second floor. Then we will start with #44, Hisoka-Sama.**

Daniel is one of the first to get called, way before Killua, with a wave of his hand, he promises to meet with Killua later and at worst case scenario, during the next Phase.

When Daniel walks in the room, he's greeted by Netero "Well, have a seat."

He plonks his butt on the pillow in front of Netero, smiling gleefully "Is this about the Final phase?"

"It is..." Netero smiles as he lays some photos out "I'll just be asking a few questions to satisfy my curiosity." Netero says as he gets out a piece of paper and brush, dabbing the tool in black ink. Was the last Phase an interview, or was it the predecessor to a larger goal?

"First, why do you want to become a Hunter?"

Daniel smiles, happy to tell his story; at first he would have said he was looking for something, something nagging at the back of his mind. But now, after travelling with his sister... Gon... Killua, he found the end goal. That was to seek comfort in the hands of friends, ones he didn't feel the need to hide himself... to pretend he's someone his not "Well, I wanted to find something I'm looking for..."

"Looking for?" Netero asks curiously.

"More like something hidden in the back of my mind... And I believe I found it by being here. Friendship, well, more like friends I want to be around..."

Netero chuckles, a warm, tender smile growing across his face "That's good to hear. I'll move on to the next question. Which of the other ten applicants are you keeping an eye on?"

Daniel smiles "#99 Killua, #405 Gon and #65 Zaikaria, cause she's my sister... I kind have to..."

"One last question. Which of the other eight applicants would you least want to fight?"

Daniel scrunches his face "Killua, Gon or Zaikaria would be the ones I would least likely want to fight."

Netero writes on his pad, noting down the boy's choices "Yep, nice job. You're excused."

"~"

"First, why do you want to become a Hunter?"

Zaikaria murmurs "To be honest... it wasn't on my to-do-list. I'm here because of my little brother #64, Daniel. But, if I do become a hunter, I hope to find my birth mother."

"Oh, which of the other ten applicants are you keeping an eye on?"

"Again, my brother, #99 and #301 cause he looks creepy... who wouldn't? Also #44, he looks like someone who would love to play games."

Netero chuckles at Zaikaria's response "One last question. Which of the other eight applicants would you least want to fight?"

"#64, again, because he's my brother... And maybe #99 and definitely #301"

"~"

"Which of the other ten applicants are you keeping an eye on?"

Killua scratches his chin before muttering out loud "Has to be Gon and Daniel, since, we're the same age."

"Which of the other eight applicants would you least want to fight?"

"I don't want to fight #53 I don't think it'd be a very interesting fight. And #65... she's annoying!"

"~"

Daniel scrunches his face as he waits for Killua. _I wonder what's taking Killua so long..._ The boy's eyes fall on the table, wondering why he feels so alone. He noticed whenever Killua or Gon's around him, he feels happy, happy to be around them.

Although for some reason, he feels complete around Killua. It scares him to think that someone he just _met_ could even make him feel this way.

The way Killua's smile jump starts his heart like a car...

The way Killua protected him when he was a sleep, even though Killua had ample opportunity to just ditch him...

But there's some more, something stronger, hidden deep within his chest. A feeling that draws him to Killua... back on Zevil Island, he was drawn to Killua... He didn't know why, but his heart wanted him to be there...

Daniel glanced at the clock again, thinking out loud "Why do I want to be around you so much, Killua..."

At that very moment, Killua had walked in. He blushed madly from Daniel's words, distraught at his timing... his impeccable timing "IDIOT! Who says stuff like that...?"

The boy turned to Killua, smiling widely. He completely ignored his own last few words and Killua's embarrassment "Killua!" Daniel get's up, running to Killua to hug him "I've missed you!"

Killua turns into a flustering mess. He tried hard, very hard lever Daniel off himself as he willed the red cheeks away "I- I- IDIOT! You don't say such embarrassing stuff out loud!"


	13. Final Phase X Battle Royal X Lop-Sided?

Daniel stood in a group with the eleven remaining candidates, as well as all the prior examiners from the past phase to this point, stood off to the side alongside Bean. And another ten men in black suits were off to the opposite side.

The room was quite large and could've easily held hundreds of people for a banquette.

Netero stood in front of the group, smiling widely as he speaks to the remaining candidates "Well, gentlemen. Did you get plenty of rest?" Without allowing anyone to answer, Netero continues on "This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee. The place is all yours until the battles have concluded."

Another man in a black suit comes in, wheeling in a panel covered by a sheet next to Netero. "For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament."

When Netero pulls the sheets back, everyone looks in shock. On the board was a tournament sheet that was very favourable to anyone on the right bracket.

Leorio asks in a seriously confused voice "So only the last person standing passes?"

Netero shakes his head "No. One win is all you need to pass." he lifts one finger as he speaks firmly.

Gon asks more confused than he was earlier "One win?"

"Then, in this tournament..." Leorio tries to find the words he needs, failing to think of one because of Netero's interruption "The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket." He taps the top of the board "In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Does everyone understand now?"

Hanzo the ninja asks "So you're saying that only one person will fail."

"Exactly."

 _I wonder how that works..._ Daniel thought to himself while looking at the board. Some clearly had more opportunities than others. "And here is the bracket." Netero removes the sheet of paper, revealing the faces that belong to lines. A quick scan showed that Zaikaria had more opportunities than him.

"~"

**Round 1**

294 VS 405

404 VS 44

**Round 2**

294/405 VS 53

404/44 VS 65

**Round 3**

294/405/53 VS 99

404/44/65 VS 191

**Round 3**

294/405/53/99 VS 301

404/44/65/191 VS 64

**Round 4**

404/44/65/191/64 VS 403

**Round 5**

294/405/53/99/301 VS 404/44/65/191/64/403

"~"

Daniel noticed that Zaikaria's first enemy was going to be either Hisoka or Kurapika. Looking at the list again he could have Hisoka, Kurapika, Zaikaria or Bodoro.

"Impressive, right?" Netero asked, glancing at everyone's face for some kind of reaction "After all, everyone has at least two chances to win."

"But some people, like #294, #405, #404 and #44 get five chances."

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" Bodoro asked sullenly.

"Hmm..." Netero murmurs, "A question that must be on everyone's mind. This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam."

_Sadly, I saw that coming. Zaikaria is indeed better than me..._

"Those who performed better received more chances." A little to his right, Daniel noticed Killua surprised "That doesn't sound right." Netero focuses on Killua after his sudden outburst. "Can you explain how you scored our performances?"

Netero smirks slightly at the question, taking his challenge head on. Instead of the right approach of telling the details, Netero takes the childish approach. He shakes his head side to side, screaming loudly "No!" as his eyes widens, looking in every direction except at Killua.

"Why not?" Killua retorted back at the man's childish behaviour. Netero regains his composure back quickly, making it rival even the best poker faces around the world.

Netero chuckles "Your scores are classified information. So I can't tell you everything. But I can explain our methods." Netero says as he shares glances between everyone in the group.

Groans are emitted by everyone as Netero continues, choosing to ignore the groans of frustration "First, we consider three major criteria:" three fingers are lifted at the mention of three by Netero "Physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. For mental strength, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgement, and creativity. However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were strong enough to advance to the Final Phase. However, we are most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned."

 ** _Nen_** _, most likely..._ Zaikaria thinks to herself.

"You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter."

_Or not..._

"And we also incorporate the opinions of your peers. That was our process."

Daniel taps his chin as he thinks. _Man... Hardly anyone must have thought about me in that case..._

"The battle rules are quite simple. Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. HOWEVER! If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass and the exam will end. Are we clear?"

 _Crystal!_ Daniel yelled in his mind.

Silence, was the only answer given to Netero for his question.

The man who wheeled in the board speaks up "Then, we shall begin the exam's Final Phase."

"~"

Everyone prepared themselves mentally, getting ready to try predicting who would win out of Hanzo and Gon. Daniel mentally fist pumped. _You can do it Gon! If you can take Hisoka's badge, which, I'm yet to find out how you did it... I'm sure you can take down baldy._

The man in the suit that's acting as a referee announces "The first match is Hanzo versus Gon. Please step forward." Gon and Hanzo stepped onto invisible ring, getting ready to begin the battle.

The acting referee spoke again once Gon and Hanzo were in place "I will serve as the referee. My name is Masta. Best of luck."

Hanzo turns to Masta, speaking as though they've been friends for a long time "Hey, good to see you again." As Masta is surprised by the sudden outburst, Hanzo continues "You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase."

Daniel noticed Gon's surprise. What was Gon exactly surprised about? That he knew Masta was tailing him?

"You noticed?"

"Naturally... I'm assuming that each applicant was assigned an examiner for the Fourth Phase. Well, I'm sure everyone else noticed."

"We were?" Daniel gawks in surprise. Zaikaria slaps Daniel across the back of the head "They stood out like a sore thumb! So sore, that I would have attacked mine if it weren't for my patience... to lure out the person targeting me... What were you doing? Dazing around...?"

"You could say that..." Daniel smiles sheepishly. _I spent four days straight following my heart... turns out I walked into Killua and my target..._

Zaikaria's eyes narrow "You and I are having a long training session when we get back! Seriously, I though Nathaniel would have taught you better..." Daniel huffs "I think he was more interested in breaking a few bones... He wanted to make sure that I learnt how to dodge and block effectively. Not to be interested in my surroundings..."

Zaikaria sighs "You should have been trained by Vastorie. He's the complete opposite... Wanting you focus on your surroundings, because what may sneak up on you... could be your downfall..."

Killua raises an eyebrow at the information. _Their parents are weird..._

Kurapika looks at Leorio "I thought it wasn't worth mentioning."

"Y- Yeah..."

Hanzo continues talking with a smug look, once the arguments died down "You have my thanks. My rank was higher because your reports on me were accurate. Though, the outcome was never in doubt!"

"Y- Yes..."

Gon blinks slowly as he drinks in the information.

"Moving on," Hanzo looks back at Masta, pointing at him in the face "I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"We only win if our opponent surrenders, correct? It doesn't count if we knock them unconscious. No TKOs allowed, either."

"Yes, that is correct."

Hanzo looks down on Gon due to his height "I _see_."

Masta steps back to begin the fight "Now then, it's time to begin."

Hanzo stands there like a statue, moving only slightly as Gon steps back to move on the word 'go'.

"Begin!" Masta waves his hands, crossing them as he yelled out the word. As the fight begins, Gon darts off running straight past Hanzo. Although Gon was fast, he isn't as fast as Hanzo who appeared in front of him, almost instantly "You must be confident in your legs. You have my respect."

A swift chop to the back of Gon's neck instantly knocks him out "You did well for a kid." Daniel grits his teeth, prepared to yell out at Hanzo. The problem was nothing came to his mind in what he wants to yell out.

"Well, this would already be over if it were a normal fight..."

Hanzo moves Gon, leaning the boy's back into his knee "Here, wake up." Gon grits his teeth in pain as Hanzo continues to torture Gon "You must feel terrible. I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me?"

_Before or after you knock him out from boredom? Seriously, you have a hint of 'why am I even here for?' in your voice..._

"Might as well give up now..."

"No way..." Gon growls back still in pain.

Hanzo smacks Gon across the head, torturing him even further. "Think about it. If you surrender now, you'll still be in decent shape for your next fight. There's no reason to be stubborn."

_That's true... he could easily win against that Pokkle guy..._

"Just surrender." Hanzo says the words so casually; it could even put a crying baby to sleep. Daniel glances at Gon, waiting to see how he plans on winning, or what his going to do.

"Never gonna happen!"

A quick kick to the boy's chest sends Gon grovelling on the floor.

"Surrender..."

Without saying a word, Gon forces himself up. Hanzo looks up with a sigh. He quickly punches Gon in the gut, making Gon clutch his chest as he struggles to stand.

As Gon fall back on the floor once again, Leorio yells "Gon! Don't be silly! You'll still have another chance! You should..."

"Shut up!" Zaikaria interrupts Leorio at the same time as Kurapika yells his name. One quick glance at each other and both Zaikaria and Kurapika knew, they were thinking the same thing.

Zaikaria chooses to speak "Gon's so stubborn, his dedicated to winning this..."

Kurapika nods "If you were in Gon's position, would you surrender?"

"Hell, no!" Leorio argues back, turning to look back at the fight "That guy thinks he's hot stuff..."

"Gon feels the same way!"

Zaikaria points out "Gon's more focused on wiping that smug look off his face..."

"I know! I know that..." Leorio growls at Zaikaria and Kurapika, "But there isn't any other choice!"

"You're contradicting yourself, but I understand how you feel!" Kurapika retorts back.

Zaikaria stands still, analysing Hanzo as if she's trying to figure out how he works. During that moment, Hanzo kicks Gon like a football across the floor.

The fight continues on as Daniel forces himself to look away. Time after time again, whenever Gon tries to get up again, Hanzo beats him down into submission.

Three hours later, and the fight is still going on. Bodoro complains "There's nothing left for him to vomit."

Hanzo growls "Get up."

Leorio yells "Enough, already... I'm gonna kill you! I'll fight you in his place!" Hanzo turns to look at Leorio in irritation "If you can't take it, leave. It's only going to get worse."

"What was that?!" Men in suits block Leorio off from interrupting the fight as Masta interjects "No one may interfere in a one-on-one match. And if you step in, Gon will be the one disqualified!"

Leorio shows a face of mortification at the referee.

Daniel forces himself to look at Gon when he hears Gon speak up "It's okay... Leorio. This is... nothing... I- I can still fight..." When Gon looks up, Daniel sees the raging fire in his eyes, his unwavering determination to win.

Hanzo trips Gon in irritation, dropping him to the floor again. While Gon's down on the floor, Hanzo grapples Gon's arm, resting it against Gon's back "I'm going to break your arm."

Daniel's eye twitches slightly. _Don't you dare! Can't you see his suffered enough already?!_

"I'm not joking around, so give up. Surrender..."

"NEVER!"

The sound of bones breaking echoes amongst the silence, resonating around the room. Daniel closes his eyes, looking away for the second time that day. _Stop... He's hurting enough as it is! Please... just stop already..._

"There you go. You can't use your left arm anymore."

"Kurapika, don't try to stop me. If that bastard does anything else to Gon... Sorry, Gon, but I can't stop myself."

"Me? Stop you? Don't worry. There's no chance of that happening, Leorio."

Hanzo sighs "I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out." Daniel opens his eyes to see what's going on. Hanzo does a handstand on one hand "I am descended from the shinobi, a clan of covert agents. From the day I was born, I was forced to endure harsh training in order to master the art of ninpo. For eighteen years, I have trained my body and technique, without rest. By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man."

 _At least you didn't accidently walk in on your parents_ _**doing it** _ _... not that I'm going to say this out loud anyways... it's not like anyone can hear me..._

Zaikaria looks in surprise at Daniel from hearing those thoughts _'Death and Sex are two different things... Oh, I bet you Vastorie spoke to you. God, I hope Nathaniel had the talk and not Vastorie. TMI is not in Vastorie's dictionary..._

Hanzo moves his hand; pushing him up so his onto his fingers instead "At this point in time," he moves his hand so his balancing on two fingers "you cannot defeat me in combat." he moves onto one next "I'm trying to be nice. Admit defeat-"

During the whole speech, Gon had gotten up, delivering a kick to Hanzo's face. Immediately after the kick, Gon drops to the floor again like a sack of potatoes. "Ow..." Gon forces himself back up into a sitting position while he groans in pain "Damn it!"

While Gon clutches his arm, he yells in annoyance "My head's cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation."

Leorio cheers on after hearing that "YES! Gon, go! Kick him while he's down!" Leorio yells as Gon pushes himself up to stand again.

"If you're eighteen, you're only six years older than I am. Besides, this isn't a battle to see who's stronger. It's to see who's willing to surrender first."

Hanzo stand up with a stoic expression, blood splattered on his nose "I let you kick me on purpose."

"Lair!" Leorio yells first, followed by Daniel "Bullshit!"

"You don't understand..." Hanzo wipes the blood off his nose with his arm band. He continues "This isn't a warning. It's an ultimatum. Was it too hard for you to understand? Then I'll make it easier for you."

After finishing his speech, Hanzo pulls out a hidden blade "I'll cut off your legs, so that they can't be reattached." Hanzo pauses to give a couple of swings of his hidden blade. "A permanent injury should help to wake you up. But first, I'll ask you once more. Surrender..."

Hanzo grins while he holds the blade up to his face. Gon stays silent, as if his weighting his options. Much to Daniel's surprise, he yells out loud "I won't accept that!"

Everyone looks at Gon with an utterly confused, inexpressive face. "I don't want my legs cut off, but I don't want to surrender. So let's find a different way to fight!"

Hanzo is flabbergasted at Gon, completely lost for words. He yells back in anger at Gon "Hey... Do you understand your situation?!"

The group starts to laugh at Hanzo's reaction to Gon's statement. Zaikaria smiles, not wanting to laugh out of fear that she'll do her stupid laugh.

"You don't get to make demands! Are you trying to insult me?! I'm seriously gonna cut off your legs!"

Gon retorts back "But I will not surrender." He quickly changes to a face of pure stupidity soon after "Besides, if you do that, I'll bleed to death." Daniel almost loses it, covering his face so he doesn't laugh like a hyena or seal. Peering to the side, Gon looks at the referee "He'll be disqualified if that happens, right?"

"Oh, yes." Masta responds casually.

"See?" Gon whines as Hanzo grits his teeth. "Neither of us wants that to happen. So let's think of a better way."

As Daniel chuckles, Kurapika points out "I think he's okay now. Gon's taken control..."

"He's so self-centred..." Leorio blinks in surprise.

"Self-centred...?" Zaikaria asks "That, my friend... is one stubborn kid."

Kurapika smirks "But he's succeeded in convincing Hanzo and the rest of us. Honestly..."

When Daniel turns to look at Killua to say something, his smile falters a little bit. Killua looked upset, most likely from everyone's reactions.

"~"

 _What is this?_ While looking around, Killua sees everyone laughing and smiling. _The situation hasn't changed. Gon hasn't gotten stronger than his opponent. His-_ When Killua looks at Daniel he sees his smile, faltering a little bit, but, otherwise Daniel was looking at him in concern.

With a blush, Killua turns to look somewhere else. _The idiot is looking at me in CONCERN? He should be looking at Gon like that! Gon's arm is still BROKEN and Daniel is looking at me in concern?! Idiot! But why... why is the brutal atmosphere from before suddenly so much lighter...?_

Hanzo grits his teeth, attempting to return to his normal demeanour. When Killua turns his head to look at Hanzo after making a sound, he sees Hanzo aiming his blade at Gon's forehead, just barely piercing the skin.

By that time, Hanzo had already regained his composure "You really don't get it... If you die, you'll never get another chance. If I kill you here, I need only try again next year. We are not on equal footing!"

_He's right, Gon. You can try all you want to talk your way out of this, but he's far stronger than you. That isn't something you can neutralize on the spot. It all comes down to power._

When Killua turns his head, he still sees Daniel watching him intently. _IDIOT! LOOK. AT. GON. NOT. ME..._ As Daniel turns to look at something else, Killua sighs in relief. _Finally..._

"~"

Daniel turns to look at Leorio tensing at the fight. Daniel then moves on, turning to look at the fight, seeing Hanzo holding out the blade to Gon's forehead. Daniel clenches his knuckles, hoping Gon will either win or walk out of this fight ok at least.

"Why won't you concede?" Hanzo asks as he sweats "It's easy to do. You can try again next year." Zaikaria smirks, when Hanzo starts to yell "You value your pride more than your own life?! You're really willing to die for your pride?!"

As silence envelopes the room, Zaikaria whispers "You've been in Hanzo's position before... who's going to win?"

Daniel frowns as he lifts an eyebrow "Gon's won..."

"How do you know?" Killua asks. As Daniel remembers all the times he's lost to Vastorie, Daniel sighs "I've been in Hanzo's position multiple times... I always lose..."

Gon speaks up "I'm going to find my dad."

Daniel blinks in surprise as Leorio, Kurapika and Killua are caught off guard.

"Your dad?" Hanzo asked as he continues to sweat.

"My dad is a Hunter. So I'm going to become a Hunter and find him! I believe that I'll find him one day... But I have a feeling that if I give up now, I'll never find him! So I won't surrender."

"If you don't yield, you'll die..." Hanzo pushes the blade forward only to have Gon push back. Hanzo pulls the weapon back, returning it to its sheath. "I give up. You win." Leorio's and Kurapika's jaw drop.

Daniel sighs "That's happened so many times to me before..."

As Killua's eyes widen in shock, Hanzo speaks up "I can't kill you." Hanzo turns to look at Gon and wave him off "But I can't think of a way to make you surrender." He turns to look back in front with a sigh "I'll take this loss and take my chances in the next Battle!"

"I can't accept that. That's not fair!" Gon points at Hanzo in anger.

"WHAT?!" Daniel freaks out, seeing Hanzo more irritated than in-shock.

"We both have to think of a way to settle this fight!"

Hanzo fakes laughter "Heh, I knew you would say that." Running back up to Gon, Hanzo puts his finger in Gon's face, starting an argument with him as Daniel stares dumb folded at the two arguing.

"You fool! There's no point, because you'll never surrender!"

"But I don't want to win like this!"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"We can work together to figure it out!"

Hanzo stands up straight, his eye twitching in irritation. "In other words, I've already given up on this match, but you want me to try win again, while helping you determine a way to make you feel good about your victory! Is that right?"

"Uh-huh!" Gon smiles widely.

"You're kidding..." Daniel looks at Gon in dismay.

Hanzo yells as he uppercuts Gon in the face, knocking Gon out instantly "You moron!"

"Hey," Hanzo turns to look at the Masta "ref. I lose. Let's move on to the next match."

"Understood."

"When he wakes up, he'll probably refuse his license."

Leorio frowns "That sounds like something Gon word do."

As Masta takes Gon away, Hanzo continues "Only one person will fail this round, right? If Gon fails, wouldn't that make the rest of our fights meaningless?"

Netero looks at Hanzo seriously, responding in a stern voice "Don't worry. Gon has passed. Nothing he says can change that."

Kurapika and Leorio sigh in relief as Daniel smiles "His passed... that's good!"

"If Gon were to throw a fit and kill me, we still wouldn't be able to revoke his license."

"Very well." Hanzo uncrosses his arms, walking away to the sidelines.

"Why did you let him win?" Killua asks. Daniel raises an eyebrow at Killua, questioning his motives. _Why would he ask a question like that...? Gon won from sheer mental fortitude. No matter what Hanzo did, he wouldn't win! Believe me... I've tried... you don't win against people like Vastorie and Gon with cunning strength alone..._

Hanzo stops to the side of Killua, then turning to face Killua with a sigh "Let him win?"

"I'm sure you knew how to make Gon surrender without killing him, given your skills."

_ARE YOU CRAZY?! You wanted to see Gon lose? Or... are you asking for other reasons...?_

Closing his eyes, Hanzo gives Killua his complete attention by facing him "When I torture someone, I expect that person to hate me for the rest of their life. It's more effective and less stressful."

Daniel looks at Killua, seeing his mouth dropped into a permanent frown.

Hanzo opens his eyes, looking sternly at Killua "When someone is in pain, their eyes show a gleam of hostility toward the one responsible for that pain. Even with extensive training, it is difficult to suppress that gleam of hate and rage. But there was no gleam in Gon's eyes. Can you believe it? I had just broken his arm. But his eyes had already forgotten about that."

Killua's eyes widen in shock, mouth open wide after hearing that.

 _See Killua... Gon is... awesome!_ Daniel smiles as Hanzo continues "I guess you could say that he won me over. If you need a reason, there you go."

Killua stares in shock as if everything he's learnt has meant nothing to him now.


	14. Final Phase X Battle Royal X Cheating

"The second match is Kurapika versus Hisoka. Begin!" Masta waves for the fight to begin.

The fight was hard and furious. Even though they were easily matched, Hisoka had one thing that Kurapika didn't. And that... was his **creepiness**. The faces Hisoka pulled, terrified Daniel to no end.

Hisoka had a face, which looked like he was enjoying himself more than he should be. A quick blow to Kurapika's chest which Kurapika blocked was also the cause of Kurapika's down fall. Hisoka snuck in to whisper into Kurapika's ears.

After whispering something, Hisoka smirked as he walked away from the battle "I lose."

"Huh?" Masta looks confused, leaving a few to raise an eyebrow. Kurapika won that round, meaning it was Zaikaria verses Hisoka after the next battle.

The third match ended twice as fast with Hanzo taking the win from Pokkle.

"~"

Zaikaria smiles as she moves her hips, resting the weight onto one side "Please go easy on me..."

"I can't guarantee that..." Hisoka waves innocently to Zaikaria, a terrifying grin widening across the man's face.

"The fourth match Hisoka versus Zaikaria. Begin!"

When the match begun, both kick off the ground and tried landing the first strike. While Hisoka is trying to land a hit, Zaikaria tries to grapple Hisoka at least once. She manages to grab him, throwing Hisoka away quickly. Hisoka clenches his fist twice, feeling a little different somehow.

 _Let's see what secrets you've been hiding, Hisoka! Shit! His ability is Bungee Gum?! It's a good thing he didn't use it... or did he...?_ Zaikaria blinks, doing a quick scan of her body as Daniel looks funny at her. _What on earth is she doing?_

A wide smirk crosses Hisoka's face as he looks at her. **_She's used Nen on me... I wonder what?_**

Zaikaria looks up as Hisoka attacks her. She dodges the strike easily, moving in to get one her own strikes in. As Hisoka moves to dodge it, she moves her body, landing a strike on his cheek.

Hisoka wipes a bit of the blood off, licking it off his finger soon after. **_It was if she anticipated my movements..._**

Zaikaria smirked at the man's thought. _Close, but no cigar..._

Hisoka turns to Zaikaria, smiling widely. **_A new toy to play with. I wonder... will the little boy she was travelling with, will be just as fun to play with?_**

Zaikaria's eye twitches in irritation as she raises a hand "I lose. The man's creeping me out..."

She walks away, seeing her brother frown. _I'm sorry... I won't let him fight against you!_

**_It's as if she could read minds... I can't wait to play with her again!_ **

_Shit!_

Daniel goes to open his mouth, only to be shut down by Zaikaria with a tap to Daniel's shoulder "NOPE! You were right... he is creepy..."

Daniel looks at Killua only to see him shrug in a nonchalant manner.

"~"

The fifth match ended with Killua waving Pokkle off, giving him the win instantly "Sorry, but I'm not interested in fighting you."

Zaikaria steps up again. She prepares to fight Bodoro, glaring at him furiously. _I don't want to fight Daniel next round! I have to win no matter what!_

"The fourth match Zaikaria versus Bodoro. Begin!" Masta waves to begin the fight.

Without giving any time for Bodoro to move, she releases an endless barrage of strikes, chaining one after another; a punch to the right cheek, kick to the left leg, right hook to the chest, elbow to the chin, left kick to the right side.

She continues to release endless flurry of strikes, allowing Bodoro no time to recover.

"Give up! You can't beat me..."

"I refuse!" Bodoro attempts to strike Zaikaria. She grits her teeth, dodging his strike to force him in the floor, holding him against it "Surrender!"

Bodoro refuses for a second time. After smiling to learn something new, she leans down to Bodoro's ear "The next round is my brother... are you sure you want me to fight him? I won't go easy on him... I'm actually against him becoming a Hunter..."

Bodoro's eyes widen as she leans up to finish her sentence "I will have to fight my brother. And I'll make sure not to go easy on him... are you sure you won't surrender now?"

"I surrender..." Zaikaria smiles, patting Bodoro on the head "Thank you... Now I won't have to fight him..."

Daniel frowns after hearing those words "You were kidding about that... right?"

"NOPE! I would have really beaten your ass into the pavement... I'm not making it easy for you! Just. Because. You're my little brother..."

Daniel sighs "I would have walked home with a limp... But did you really have to give me a better chance?"

Zaikaria taps his shoulder "Daniel, I wasn't making it easy for you! He wouldn't surrender..."

"~"

Next match, Killua verses #301, the creepy pin head. Daniel clenches his fist. _You can do this Killua! Beat that strange man... thing...?_

"Begin!"

Killua takes his hands out of his pockets, getting himself prepped up for battle. Killua prowls towards Gittarackur. Gittarackur speaks up in a rather calm tone for battle "It's been too long, Kil."

Gittarackur proceeds to remove the pins, while Killua has stopped in confusion. Gittarackur's face morphs into the face of a much younger and flawless skinned man, with dull black eyes and emotionless stare.

The boy's eyes widen as the young man's black hair floats down to his side.

"Brother..." Killua freaks out.

"Illumi Zoldyck..." Zaikaria grits her teeth.

"Old boyfriend?" Daniel asked, immediately regretting it soon after. "Old?! I wouldn't go near that thing with a ten-foot-pole!"

"Hi, Zai... Long time no see..."

"If only it was longer..."

Illumi turns back to Killua with cold dead eyes, radiating nothing but a blank stare "Hey."

"Killua's brother?" Leorio asks as both he and Kurapika look stunned.

"He used those needles to change the shape of his face?!" Kurapika asks confused.

"I hear that you cut up Mom and Milluki."

Killua continues to sweat at his encounter "I guess."

"Mom was crying." Illumi tilts his head, showing no emotions whatsoever.

Leorio growls "Anyone would cry if their son did that to them."

"Tears of joy" As Illumi finishes his sentence, Leorio fall over like he had been hit with a heavy rock.

Daniel stays indifferent as he continues to listen to Illumi, feeling more furious with each passing word.

"She was so happy to see that you'd grown up. But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked me to check up on you. What a coincidence. I didn't know you wanted to be a Hunter. I'm trying to get a licence for my next job."

"I don't really want to be a Hunter. I just felt like taking the exam."

Daniel's head drops at the mentioning of Killua's words. _Why...?_

"I see..." Illumi's emotionless behaviour makes Daniel tense up, feeling darkness reach out from Illumi towards Killua "That's a relief. Then I have some advice for you. You're not cut out to be a Hunter."

Killua freaks out at those words as Illumi continues "You were born to be... a killer."

_You're wrong!_

"You're a puppet of darkness, without passion."

_YOU'RE WRONG!_

"You don't want anything or wish for anything."

**_YOU'RE WRONG!_ **

"As one who lives in the shadows, you can only feel pleasure when people die."

**_YOU'RE WRONG!_ **

"That's how Dad and I raised you. What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?"

**_'ANYTHING HE SO DESIRES!'_ **

"True," Daniel looks up in hope as Killua continues "I don't desire to become a Hunter."

Daniel's head drops again, lifting up again when he hears Killua isn't done with his speech "But... I do have something I want..."

 _I knew it!_ Daniel smiles widely.

"I do have something I want..."

"You don't."

As Daniel clenches his teeth, Killua yells "I do! There something I really want!"

"Hmm..." Illumi acts indifferent "Tell me what you want."

Killua opens his mouth to say something, only to close it shut again.

"What's wrong? There's nothing you really want, is there?"

"That's not it!" Killua retorts back, looking as though his weighing his options "I want to become friends with Gon... and continue to stay friends with Daniel... I'm sick of killing people... I want to become friends with Gon and Daniel, and live a normal life..."

"That's impossible." Illumi retorts back, looking otherwise uninvested in the topic. "You'll never be able to make friends. And I highly doubt this Daniel kid wants to be friends with you."

Killua looks up as if his dreams have been crushed. Daniel holds his tongue back, waiting to say something in disgust, but, something at the back of his mind stops him from saying anything.

"Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon because he's too dazzling for your eyes. You don't actually want to become friends with him."

"You're wrong..." Killua looks distraught at Illumi, having his feeling crushed from repair. "If you stay with them, you'll end up wanting to kill them one day. You'll get the urge to see if you can kill them or not, because you have the soul of a killer."

"YOUR WRONG!" Daniel interrupts; making sure Illumi is looking at him before he says anything else. As Daniel feels his own _Ten_ flux, he takes a quick breath to calm himself down "You know absolutely nothing about your little brother and his feelings... I can't say anything for Gon because I haven't known him long enough to say anything... but with me... you're beyond wrong." _I lo-like Killua as a best friend!_

Daniel feels a weird vibe from the sudden thought, feeling as though he was better off with the first selection. Swallowing his thoughts, he finishes his small pathetic speech "You don't even know your brother, if you can't accept his feelings... especially when being slapped in the face with them..."

"Yeah!" Daniel looks surprised at Leorio sudden outburst, watching Illumi look between the Daniel and Leorio with little interest. Leorio continues "Killua! I don't give a damn if he's your brother. He's a worthless piece of crap! Don't listen to him! Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! You want to become friends with Gon? Are you daft?"

Leorio lifts a finger, yelling with a deadly lash of his tongue "You are already friends!"

Illumi gawks in surprise, somehow without being surprised.

"I'm sure that's how Gon feels!"

Illumi asks casually "Really?"

Leorio lifts a fist at Illumi in shock "Hell, yeah, idiot!"

"You too, Daniel...?"

Daniel nods "We're already friends as well..."

Illumi lifts a hand to his lips, pondering his own thoughts "Really... That's no good. Both consider Kil a friend." Looking up casually, Illumi lifts a finger "Okay, I'll kill Daniel and Gon."

As Illumi turns to look at Daniel, Daniel flinches in fear. Zaikaria steps in front of Daniel to defend him before retorting back with a deadly tongue "Touch him... and I'll rip of your arm off and beat the shit out of you with it..."

"On second thought, it'll be easier to take down Gon... dealing with you is too much work."

Hisoka looks briefly in Zaikaria's direction, before turning back to look back in Illumi's.

Illumi holds a couple of pins in his hand, continuing on to lecture Killua "A killer doesn't need any friends. They'll only slow you down." Killua shakes frantically as Illumi turns. "Where is he?"

Killua looks up, frozen to the spot as one of the men in suits try to stop Illumi "P- Please wait! The match is still..." Illumi cuts the man off by throwing pins at him "Where is he?"

"The waiting room over there..."

"Thank you."

Daniel attempts to run to the door to try block off Illumi. Instead, Zaikaria grabs him, holding him back "Where do you think you're going Mr?"

"I want to protect Gon!"

"Sorry to say this... but you couldn't protect Gon because you're also his target... he could be trying to draw you out and kill two birds with one stone."

"But... Gon..."

During the time Daniel had be arguing with his sister; Leorio, Hanzo and Kurapika had stepped up to Illumi's challenge, stopping him from preceding any closer to Gon. "This won't do." Illumi says calmly. "I need a Hunter license to do my job... But if I kill them, I'll fail, and Kil will pass automatically."

Illumi comes to a sudden realisation "Oh, darn. The same thing will happen if I kill Gon." he says as he pokes his head, while trying to think of the best method. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Gon."

Daniel grits his teeth, prepared to yell only to have his mouth covered by his sister "You don't argue with brick walls... you'll get nowhere with him..."

Illumi turns to Netero while ignoring Zaikaria's comment "If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?"

"Yes, according to the rules."

"Did you hear that, Kil?" Illumi turns to face Killua, "You have to beat me if you want to save Gon." Illumi steps towards Killua slowly. "Will you fight me for your friend's sake? You can't do it. Because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me."

When Killua freaks out, Daniel eyes widen.

"And you already have your answer:  
**I'm not strong enough to beat my brother.**  
Never fight an enemy you can't beat.  
I drilled that into you..." Illumi reaches out to Killua with those very words, attempting to grab hold of Killua.

Daniel can only watch, held by the very hands that have protected him for so long. He cannot move, but, his body desire to push Killua out of the way, to save him from the darkness of his brother that's reaching out to him.

"Don't move! If you move an inch, I'll assume that the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, that will also mean the fight has begun. There's only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don't forget... If you don't fight me, your dear Gon will die."

Daniel wiggles around, only to restrict his movements further. The grip Zaikaria holds onto him with, is not one you break out of easily, it's the one she uses, to make sure that no one escapes... alive.

Daniel couldn't possibly know the reason why she's using it on him, but he also knows... she doesn't want him to move... at all.

"Take him out, Killua!" Leorio yells in frustration, "We won't let him kill you or Gon! We'll stop him, whatever it takes! Let him have it!"

"I surrender. I lose..." Killua drops his head in shame at those words.

The words linger in the air like a stale stench of defeat, rotting the fresh air around Daniel. Daniel doesn't know why he feels like shit, or why everything around him stinks. But, he knows, something doesn't feel right.  
A nagging feeling at the back of his mind...  
Screaming words of silent...  
Why wouldn't his mind remember, what it tries so hard to remember?

"Oh, that's good!" Illumi smacks his hands together in praise "Then the battle's over."

Illumi leans down, patting Killua on the shoulder like he did something good "I lied, Kil. I was lying about killing Gon. That was just a little test. But now I have my answer."

Daniel forces his ears to listen to what Illumi says in Killua's ear "You don't have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me, and do your 'job' as you always have. When the time comes, I'll tell you to take the Hunter Exam. You don't need a license yet."

Daniel forces himself out of Zaikaria's hands "Illumi..." Daniel releases a small trace of bloodlust as Illumi looks to him.

"I'll make you eat those words one day... Like a shadow, I'll watch over him, and protect him from you... starting from when I get my Hunter's licence!"

"~"

In round six, Daniel forces himself into a darken state, forcing his feelings to hide deep into his mind. _Bodoro looks easy... in his puffed out state... I say a minute or more to make him give up..._

As the match starts, Daniel forces himself to run towards a stoic Bodoro "I sur-"

The words are cut off when a hand is rammed through Bodoro's chest, splattering blood in the area in front of him. As Bodoro slumps to the ground, Daniel sees Killua covered in blood behind him.

The words **you've failed** runs in the back of Daniel mind over, and over again. Only emptiness runs in Killua's eyes, leaving him as nothing, but a husk of his former strength. As Killua turns around to walk away, Daniel forces his legs to move after Killua.

His stopped my Zaikaria's hold, this time, unable to break out. Tears stricken down his face as he tries to call out to Killua, only to come out as a muffled scream.

**You've failed... and all you can do now is watch Killua from a far...**


	15. Dreams X Departure X A longing

Daniel spends most of his time during the orientation, glaring at the back of Illumi's head, ignoring everything around him. Even though he promised his sister he'll be good, he cannot help but look pissed at Illumi.

_This bastard...! I can't believe he did... whatever he did to Killua! Killua wouldn't even listen to me when he left out the front door... not that he could with Zaikaria's hand on my mouth, muffling every word!_

Zaikaria sighs at Daniel's thoughts. _Give it a rest Daniel... seriously!_

Daniel started to fume, anger radiating off his body. He hated Illumi with every ounce of his body, wishing he could undo Illumi's spell. _Just wait until you're alone Illumi... I'll beat the shit out of you!_

"For _god's_ sake...!" Zaikaria stands up, slamming the desk to grab her little bodther's attention "Would you stop pouting like a loser!"

"Loser? Pouting? I'm doing none of those things!"

"It's written all over you face! Can you just stop day dreaming and listen-"

The door getting kicked open startles Daniel. The boy turns, looking to see who's at the door. "Gon...?" Daniel asked, unsure who the boy's looking for. He's in distress, wondering why Gon would be here even with his broken arm.

Gon eyes down every the table, looking to see who is in the room; he's like a hawk, searching for his prey from the sky. After finding the person, he makes his way over, stopping off to the side of Illumi "Apologize to Killua!" Gon demands to Illumi, waiting for him to speak.

_Why would Illumi even apologize... look at him... the bastard probably doesn't even know why, or what he's apologizing for!_

Illumi turns to look at Gon, clearly voided from any form or emotion, or what Gon's even talking about. "Apologize...? For what...?"

"You don't know what you did wrong?"

_Why, am I not surprised...?_

Illumi shakes his head "Nope."

Gon clenches his hand, changing the flow of the conversation "You don't have the right to be his brother."

"Must I earn the right to be his brother?"

Daniel slams his hand on the desk, accidently dinting the desk "I'll... pay for that later... Anyways, while you must not earn the RIGHT, to be his brother, you never once treated him like your brother... you treated him as a toy!"

"Toy...?" Illumi turns around, speaking as though his confused, yet, showing no signs that he even is even confused.

"YES, a toy! You spat in his face at his dreams and ideals... you did... whatever the hell you did to him! Look at Zaikaria for example!"

"ME...?" Zaikaria sputters from being caught off guard. She had no idea why Daniel decided to bring her in to the conversation, or even heard the thought cross her brother's mind. For once in her life, Daniel's thoughts caught her off guard without any preparation "Where you going with this?!"

Daniel refuses to answer Zaikaria's question, instead bring the example out for Illumi to listen to "She isn't even blood related to me, and, she does what an older brother or sister should doing, protecting me... from my stupidity!"

Zaikaria blushes "Where is this even coming from?!" She coughs to regain her composure "I mean... Big sister here... someone's gotta protect the younger... dumber, sibling!"

"Right," Daniel nods "I mean no!"

Zaikaria snickers at Daniel, hiding her smile behind her hand.

Gon refuses to listen to Daniel and Zaikaria's comments, choosing to instead, grab onto Illumi's arm. He lifts Illumi out of the chair, holding him up in the air with his bear strength.

Everyone, including Daniel and Zaikaria looked shocked at Gon's feat. Illumi forces his body to stand gracefully behind Gon, completely unfazed from Gon's strength.

"He doesn't need to earn the right to be my friend. Or anyone's friend for that matter!" Gon clenches his hand, getting a reaction out of Illumi other than his pure emotionless demeanour.

Gon takes a few steps down the steps, standing one step below the man, yet somehow also managing to stand on the higher ground "Don't bother apologizing. Just take me to see Killua."

"I'm coming too!" Daniel demands, only to be cut off by Zaikaria "Oh, no! You're not mister! You're coming home with me..."

"I-"

"What will you two do then?" Illumi asks curiously, making Zaikaria fume from being denied.

"That should be obvious... I'm-we are gonna rescue Killua!"

"You make it sound as though I kidnapped him... He walked away on his own."

"But it wasn't by choice." Gon growls back, while Daniel yells the same line at the same time. Daniel looks surprised at Gon from thinking the same thing as Gon. However, Gon continues, ignoring the echo from Daniel "He was being manipulated by you people. It's the same thing as kidnapping him!"

Netero steps up "We happened to be discussing this very subject, Gon."

"We were?" Daniel asks in surprise, only to cough and change his earlier comment "I mean we totally were..."

"Liar..." Zaikaria narrows her eyes at him.

"Kurapika, Leorio and Daniel have all lodged complaints. The committee has been discussing the fairness of Killua's disqualification."

Kurapika stands up, cutting off Netero "Killua had been behaving in a strange manner during and after his battle with the man who called himself Gittarackur! I believe that he was hypnotized into committing murder. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to use hypnosis to induce a person to kill."

Daniel clenches his fist at Kurapika's next few words "However, as Killua was raised in a family of assassins, murder was a part of his daily life, so it's natural that he would lack the ethical restraint of most!"

"That's right..." Daniel interjects "He was..."

Leorio stands up to point out "Either way, the attack happened during the match between Bodoro and Daniel. It's possible that he was trying to help Daniel."

"Helping him?" Zaikaria speaks up.

"I could handle Bodoro on my own!"

"Idiot..." Zaikaria sighs, "Bodoro looked about ready to give up..."

"WHAT FOR...?"

"It's a hunch..."

"Given that," Leorio cuts in "the one who should technically be disqualified is Daniel..."

"Why should I be disqualified?" Daniel demands, only to be cut off by Zaikaria soon after "At least someone agrees with me..."

"IN ANY CASE," Kurapika cuts in after Zaikaria, "Killua was not in control of his own actions. Thus, he should not have been disqualified!"

Netero sighs "That is mere speculation." He turns to look at the group "There is no proof. There were no clear signs of manipulation. In fact, I would question the claim he was hypnotized. I agree that the incident occurred after the battle between Daniel and Bodoro had begun. At that point, both fighters were evenly matched."

"EVENLY MATCHED?!" Daniel freaks out.

Netero lifts a finger "For the fight after... Bodoro doesn't fight kids."

As Daniel sneers at Zaikaria, she rolls her eyes.

"Bodoro had more experience. But in terms of raw combat ability, Leorio was the stronger one. There was no need for Killua to interfere with Daniel's fight, and there wouldn't have been a reason for him to interfere in the fight after either."

"There was some other funny business happening." Pokkle speaks up, turning to face Kurapika as he leans against the table "Like when you fought Hisoka. Back then, what did he say to you? Neither of you seemed particularly tired. But Hisoka whispered something in your ear, right before conceding. That's pretty strange. I'd understand surrendering after your opponent whispers something to you, as happened with Hanzo and me, or Bodoro and Zaikaria. Because we were under considerable pressure. But in your case, the exact opposite happened. I wonder if you struck some sort of bargain. If you're going to question anything that seems odd, your own victory was quite odd, indeed. If you have nothing to hide, you should tell us what he said. Right now."

"I have no obligation to tell you."

"Maybe not, but I believe you owe it to us."

"Not really."

"That's right!" Daniel growls at Pokkle "What Hisoka and Kurapika whispered to each other concerns them both. If you want to point fingers... point at yourself! You practically got a free ticket from Killua!"

"Agreed," Kurapika nods, "a victory by default would be equally odd."

Pokkle stands up, yelling at both Daniel and Kurapika "WHAT?"

"None of that matters..." Gon speaks up, almost whispering.

"Come on..." Hanzo groans, "I want to get this lecture over with so I can leave."

"Why...? You have a haircut to go to baldy?" Zaikaria smirks.

Hanzo fumes, glaring daggers at Zaikaria.

"NONE OF THAT MATTERS!" Gon yells, making sure to disrupt everyone's petty arguments. "It's pointless to argue over whether someone should have passed. If you aren't happy about passing, keep working until you're satisfied. If Killua retakes the Hunter Exam, he'll definitely pass! It's unfortunate that he failed this time, but it is what it is. What does matter..."

As if Daniel was reading Gon's mind he continues in an aggressive tone "If you've been forcing Killua to kill, like he is your own personal puppet..."

"I'll make you pay!"

" _WE_... will make you pay!" Daniel corrects Gon, turning to continue glaring at Illumi.

"Both of you... will make me pay?" Illumi asks curiously as he shares a glance between them. "What, exactly, will you two do?"

Daniel asks confused "Ahh, right now?"

Illumi nods at Daniel. As Daniel tries to think of something, Gon cuts his train of thought off "We won't do anything. Only, once we rescue Killua, we'll never let you see him again!"

"Right," Daniel nods "I will make sure your eyes never see Killua again!"

As Illumi reaches out to touch Gon, Gon jumps back. Illumi raises an eye in suspicion at Gon's reaction.

Netero coughs to grab everyone's attention "Ahem. Is everyone finished? Gon is absolutely correct. You must decide for yourselves if you were worthy of passing. You may complain about the results all you like, but we will not be changing our minds. Killua has been disqualified. And the rest of you have passed the exam."

As bean and Netero share a nod, Bean continues the lecture "Okay, then I shall continue the orientation." As Daniel sighs, while sitting back down in his seat, Bean raises a Hunter's Licence "The cards I've passed out are your Hunter Licenses. This card allows you to enter 90% of the countries that limit immigration, as well as 75% of the restricted area in the world."

"Crazy..." Hanzo looks impressed at his Licence.

"You also can get discounts with this... as long as you know how to use it!" Zaikaria hums as she looks at her own.

Bean nods "Also, this card also provides free access to 95% of public facilities, and a line of credit that rivals large corporations. If you sell the card, you'll have enough money to last seven lifetimes. And if you keep it, you'll still be living in comfort. So take extra care that your license isn't lost or stolen. You won't receive a replacement. According to our estimates, one in five Hunters loses their card within a year of receiving it. As a Hunter, your first challenge is to protect your card. The rest is up to you. Rise above challenges, believe in your own strength, and fulfil your dreams."

"Then," Netero decides to finish the speech, "we now declare the nine members here to be new Hunters!"

Once the lecture was finished, Daniel ran to Gon's side, joining him to tackle down Illumi before his sister could object. _One problem after another... When they've dealt with Illumi, I'll deal with him next!_

"~"

"Gittarackur..." Gon speaks up to Illumi outside the room, making sure he turns to look at him. Daniel and Gon walk up to Illumi determined, with Gon leading the conversation "Tell us where Killua is."

"Are you really going to take him away?"

"Yes!" Daniel responds sternly, "You don't deserve him! We are taking **my Angel** -" Daniel blushes, " **THE ANG** \- Our friend, away from you...!"

"I think that's a bad idea."

"Illumi, 'Bad ideas' is my middle name!" Daniel growls back as Gon yells "I don't care what you think!" He stands up straight, looking Illumi in the eyes "Killua is my friend. I'm taking him with us."

Illumi looks up "Do they feel the same way?" Daniel and Gon turn to look behind them.

A glimmer of hope shines behind Daniel eyes as he turns to look behind him; he is immediately destroyed by who is behind him. He wasn't destroyed by the fact that Leorio and Kurapika was he behind him, he was destroyed, knowing that Zaikaria wasn't behind his back to help him out this time.

Was she not happy that he wanted to protect someone...?  
Was it because it was a Zoldyck?  
Or was it because it was Killua?  
Why didn't she like Killua from the get go?

Multiple questions lingered in the boy's mind as Leorio answered for Gon, Daniel and Kurapika "You bet."

Sharing a glance between Kurapika and Leorio, Gon smiles widely.

Illumi looks up, thinking of ways to probably get rid of them. He looks back down at the group "Fine. I doubt you'll be able to make it there anyway. Killua went home."

Gon asked confused "Home?"

"Which is where...?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Kukuroo Mountain. Our family lives at the very top."

Leorio whispers the words loudly, trying to see if he knows where it is "Kukuroo Mountain?"

"Got it. Thanks."

"~"

Zaikaria walks up to Hisoka and Illumi, looking at Illumi distastefully. "Illumi Zoldyck... Hisoka!" She smiles at the later "Hi~"

"What do you want, Zai?" Illumi glances at Zaikaria, still showing no emotional emotion "Would it kill you to show just a single emotion... No? Ok, I continue on then. Answer me honestly! What was going through your mind when you choose, to possibly use your ability, on Killua?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Illumi blinks in confusion.

"Subtle... I know we can all use _Nen_ here... including you, Hisoka."

"Oh..." Hisoka licks his lips at Zaikaria "Another treat...?"

"Hugh, I think I vomited in my mouth a little... Illumi," Zaikaria stares at Illumi, hoping to get an emotion out of him other than stone cold oblivious "he's remembering pieces of Killua... from the past as if they happened in the present!"

Illumi's eyes widen a tiny bit "Really...? I'll have to kill him then!" Hisoka and Zaikaria death stare him.

"Over my cold dead body..." staring at Hisoka one final time, Zaikaria leaves their presence. _Seriously, Vastorie... as usual your predictions are correct... time to give Daniel his_ _ **present**_ _... and then stop him from pursuing Killua!_ She smiles gleefully at the thought, ideas of how to end the boy's mission running through her mind. _I'm not going to let you get a one up on me!_

As Zaikaria left, Hisoka turned to Illumi "I'm curious~, what is her _Nen_ ability?"

"Don't bother Hisoka." Illumi turns to face Hisoka with disinterested eyes "Her ability is to read minds, making it harder to actually land a hit."

"Ohh~ sounds like fun!" Hisoka licks his lips, eyes gleaming in delight from the thoughts of what he would do to Zaikaria. She was a worthy enemy, one he would love to end as slowly as possible...

"~"

"Kukuroo Mountain" Leorio asked again, hoping that either; Gon, Kurapika or Daniel would know where it is.

"Kukuroo Mountain..." Daniel chants "One of the many times I didn't payed attention to my dad's... many lectures... it's somewhere that starts with 'P', I think... or was it an 'R'...?" Daniel hums as he looks at Leorio, hoping his face will make him remember.

Daniel sighs in agony "I can't remember!"

"Your dad knows Killua?"

Daniel shakes his head, lifting a hand to hold out two fingers "Plural, two... I have two dads..."

"Right... two..."

"He knows Killua's father... apparently..."

Leorio sighs "Well, I never heard of Kukroo Mountain before." Leorio turns to look down "Kurapika, do you know where it is?" Leorio yells this time, hoping to grab the boy's attention "Hey, Kurapika!"

"Huh?" Kurapika looks up at Leorio startled. "Oh, what is it?"

"The mountain! He said something about Kukuroo Mountain. Do you know where it might be?"

"No," Kurapika massages his chin "I don't... We can look it up online."

Hanzo steps towards the group, breaking into the boy's conversation "Yo!"

"OH, HANZO-SAN!" Gon smiles widely as he waves at the tall bald man.

"I'm going back to my country. It was a short, yet seemingly long acquaintance, but I had fun."

"So did I" Gon exclaims with a huge smile.

"If you ever visit my country, let me know. I can show you the best tourist spots!" Hanzo pulls out a couple of cards, giving them to Kurapika. "See ya!" Hanzo smiles as he walks off.

"Bye!"

Daniel looks at the card "Who knew... even Ninjas have email addresses..."

Kurapika freaks out in surprise "A shinobi who tries to leave an impression..."

"Hey!" Pokkle startles the group this time. "Sorry about getting so excited back there."

"No, I also lost control. Forgive me." Kurapika bows slightly towards Pokkle.

Daniel waves his hand at Pokkle "No problems!" As Gon nudges Daniel, Daniel glances at Gon "Oh, right! I'm sorry also... kinda went super defensive with Killua, I guess..."

Pokkle nods at Daniel, turning to address Kurapika's comment "No, I only got mad because you were right. I was using you to take out my frustration for winning by default. But I'm over that now." Pokkle smiles, "Since I passed, I'm going to make the best of it!"

Pokkle gets close to the boys "The question is what to do next."

"Yes, you're right." Kurapika glances at Pokkle.

"I'm going to travel the world, gathering information and discovering new species, as an **Exotic Game Hunter**."

" **Exotic Game Hunter**...?" Daniel asks curiously, running a few ideas through his head to try figure what exactly it is.

"Hey, what's that?" Gon points at a device Pokkle is carrying.

Pokkle holds out the device "Oh, this? You can use this to obtain all kinds of information."

Gon smiles widely at "Is there anything you'd like to know? I can look it up on the spot."

 _Killua's location...?_ Daniel thought to himself, pondering whether or not to say it out loud.

"Oh..." Gon hums, "Can you look up a Hunter named Ging? Ging Freecss." Gon exclaims loudly, probably making everyone in the vicinity hear it.

"Sure, hold on..." after searching around, Pokkle speaks up in surprise "Hey, who is this Ging guy?"

"Huh?"

"All information related to him is behind a tight security system that requires a bunch of different accesses."

_Ah... the modern day Wally..._

"He has some serious influence even at the nation level."

The guys freak out as Daniel stays rather calm, too busy trying to figure out what Ging looks like.

"Huh? Really?" Gon freaks out the most after hearing this information. "Forget it, then..."

Pokkle sighs as he closes his device, pulling out a couple of cards "Okay, let me know if anything comes up. This is my email address. Bye." Pokkle smiles as he runs off, waving good bye.

"Bye!" Gon waves goodbye. Daniel looks at Gon seriously "Do you make friends with everyone, seriously?"

Gon smiles innocently as he scratches the back of his head. Leorio freaks out, remembering something, his body drops, leaning closer to the floor "We should have asked him to look up Kukuroo Mountain."

"That's right" Gon smiles from forgetting to ask about that, feeling a little stupid for actually forgetting to ask that first. Daniel glances at Kurapika after he spoke up "It's okay. As chairman Netero was saying, we are all Hunters now. It's a bad idea to let other Hunters know what you're doing. We can look it up ourselves."

As Gon and Leorio chuckle from that idea, Satotz's voice startles the group "Gon-Kun."

"SATOTZ-SAN" Gon runs up to him after saying his name, smiling widely.

"Gon-Kun, you forgot this." Satotz hands Gon his orientation book. Gon looks surprised to see the book. "Oh, right..." As Gon takes the book in his hand, he looks up at Satotz to thank him "Thanks!"

"And do you have a moment?" Gon looks at the others, wanting to know if it's ok.

"We'll be waiting in the lobby." Kurapika points out as Leorio waves to Gon goodbye.

As they take their leave, Daniel joins Kurapika and Leorio, also waving goodbye to Gon. Gon waves to the three of them "Okay!"

As the three of them are walking, Zaikaria stops them with a raised eyebrow "Can I steal you for a minute?"

Daniel looks at the two of them, leaving them behind to join Zaikaria, after waving goodbye to them.

"~"

"Are you ready to leave?" Zaikaria asks curiously.

"No. I want to help Killua..."

"What for...? You barely know the kid, and our families aren't exactly in good terms with each other..."

"I don't care! I want to save him... I want to..."

Zaikaria sighs, turning to look at a wall "So you're gonna skip out on Vastorie's training?"

Daniel nods. "At least... At least until I save Killua..."

"Then you'll come home, right?"

"Maybe..."

Zaikaria grips Daniel's shoulder "Please... come home after this..."

"Why won't you come with me?"

"I... I don't believe I should come..."

"Why?"

"Some things are hidden in the shadows..." Zaikaria turns to face Daniel. Daniel looks away destroyed "Zai... Thank you, thank you for helping me get to this point... I think I found what I've been trying to look for all my life..."

"Oh, what's that?" Zaikaria asks with a grin, while thinking. _He broke through the barrier... Didn't he...?_

"I want to stay by Killua and Gon's side... I... I feel like I want to be around them..."

Zaikaria's smile softens "Your heart calls out to them... Go... have fun... BUT, if I find out that you put yourself in serious danger, I will drag you home... no questions asked! Understand?"

Daniel nods, hugging his sister "I do! Thank you again..."

Zaikaria looks up with a smile as she hugs Daniel back. _FUCK! There goes 100,000 Jenny... I'm never gambling with Vastorie again!_


	16. Wolfbane X Promises X Dreams

Zaikaria pushes Daniel away, smiling for a moment. Immediately, she remembered her deal with Vastorie "Oh! Before I forget..."

While rummaging through her bag, Daniel raises an eyebrow at her "Forget what?"

Without answering Daniel, she held out something wrapped in cloth "Take it." As Daniel takes it, Zaikaria continues "Dad, flirtatious dad, said to give it to you if you passed the exam."

Daniel nods, unwrapping the piece of cloth to reveal a black blade.

"He calls it Wolfbane."

"Wolfbane...?" Daniel asks as he peers at the blade, eyeing down the workmanship. The blade is designed to be a miniature Scythe or a large sickle. The handle looks the weirdest, and misplaced to the boy. It was right at the bottom of the weapon, wrapped in a blue bind, with a blue eye which stood out.

The shaft was made up of eight individual pieces that looked like a large spine, the top piece being connected to the blade itself. The blade was made from two distinct designs.

The blade of the scythe was shaped like a dragon or demon wing, with three small horns on the top of the wings. The inside of the wings had a deep red colour hue, which melded with the dark metal.

The blade connected to the head of the weapon, which had six visible spikes. The spikes gave Daniel the idea that it could be doubled as a grappling hook if he practiced. On the head, it had six blood red eyes on it, looking as though they were staring at their surroundings. Three of the eyes were near the spikes on the top of the blade, one was in the middle and the other two were at the bottom, closer to the shaft

At the bottom of the head connected to the shaft was a spike protruding out of it.

Zaikaria smiled "The 'eye' at the bottom is a button. It releases the spines, turning it into a long to mid ranged weapon. He said that you would like it, going from Nathanial's training... He watched from the sidelines..."

Daniel rolls his eyes at Zaikaria "More like watching someone else..."

"Daniel, he was watching you train, because he wanted an idea of what type of weapon you would like..."

"Did you get one as well?" Daniel asked curiously.

Zaikaria shook her head "You're more like Nathaniel. Weapons, is **your** preferred style. I stick to my hands. So with Vastorie's help, he trained me in multiple grappling styles. Including, Judo."

"Why did he do it...?" Daniel asked as he tested the weapons handling.

"Well the obvious answer is because he wanted the spoil you..."

"And the less obvious...?"

Zaikaria looked away with a smile "Not telling you... unless, you want to hear a really embarrassing statement?"

"I'm good... weight and materials it's made of?"

"100 kg and... A special metal alloy..."

"Which is...?"

"He wouldn't say..."

"Great! Thanks... I will cherish it."

"One more thing... Well a few..." Zaikaria mutters out loud before whispering into Daniel's ear "You are to train _Ten_ , for two hours per day. Train for one hour in the morning and another at night."

Daniel groans "Lovely..."

"AND, if anyone asks, you are to not say anything about _Nen_ , or _Ten_! Play dumb and if anyone asks what you're doing during training, your-"

"Meditating...?"

"Yep...! Be safe and..." Zaikaria pulls her brother in for a hug, refusing to let go in her mind. She didn't want to let him go, afraid that he'll do something he regrets later on "don't do anything reckless."

Daniel nods into her chest "I got it!" Taking the sheath that came with Wolfbane, he clipped the weapon to his belt, hiding Wolfbane behind his back.

With one quick wave he ran off to join the others.

Zaikaria sighs as he watches Daniel leave. _There goes my money..._

She picks up her phone dialling her father's number "Vastorie, I swear... you just sent me broke!"

"Gambling is a part of my ploy. So, is he aware of his feelings?"

"No, actually, sort of yes... He's drawn to Killua, but, he's not aware of how deeply he cares about him. Remember, March the 7th! I might get my money back..."

"We'll see! You're yet to compete on my level, head back home and I'll see if I can pull any strings for you."

Zaikaria hangs up the phone, looking in the direction that Daniel had left. _You should find someone who makes you happy... not the other way around. But, who am I to judge anyway? Stupid_ _ **Nen**_ _ability..._

"~"

Daniel managed to find Kurapika and Leorio, but, it looked like Gon had beaten him to the punch. From all the information they gathered, Kukuroo Mountain was 3,722 meters high, and in the Dentora region of the Republic of Padokea.

From there, they had found out that the Republic of Padokea was a stable country, and that they could travel there just fine. The air ship was going to be a long journey, taking three days to get there.

Daniel hardly spoke; feeling excited from knowing that he's on his way to save Killua. He couldn't really describe his feeling, or why he was even excited to see Killua again. All he knew, is for some reason, he was drawn to Killua, and even Gon. And he wanted to know why.

While on the airship as Daniel's eyes glanced at Gon, he saw him staring at the city below "The view is awesome. Remember..." Gon looks up confused at Daniel, waiting for him to continue "Remember Killua saying that at the Hunter's Exam?"

"Yeah... I was just remembering about Killua talking about his family..."

"Assassins..." Daniel looked out the window glumly. "Just because the mother and father is one, doesn't mean the sons have to follow in their footsteps..."

Gon nods with a huge smile "That's right," Gon pauses for a second before asking "Daniel...?"

Daniel focuses on Gon "Yes?"

"What was your reason for becoming a Hunter?"

"Searching for my dreams... I guess..."

"Well," Gon props both of his hands on his knees, swinging his feet under the chair "What is your dream?"

"Honestly?" Gon nods at Daniel's words, eager to hear him. "I guess you could say my current dream is to help Killua... after that... I don't know... maybe return home, travel the world... I don't know exactly..."

"Why did you call Killua **'My Angel'** , in front of Gittarackur?"

Daniel turns bright red at Gon's words "I DID NOT! And it's Illumi... not Gittarackur..." He yells back, hoping to change the topic.

"You did!"

"DID NOT...!"

"Did too-"

Gon was silence from a chip being rammed into his mouth. "I don't know what you two are arguing so late at night, but, it looks like it was embarrassing from Daniel's face." Leorio flashed Daniel a grin.

Daniel turned to look outside with flushed cheeks "It wasn't... it's just the words that flew out of Gon's mouth freely, made it embarrassing..."

Leorio blinked a few times before turning to look at Gon "What did you say?"

"I was asking, why did Daniel call Killua his-"

Daniel turned to look at Gon seriously "Finish that sentence... and you'll be flying head first, off this airship! I didn't say that! You were just hearing things..."

"Wow... it must have been really embarrassing..." Leorio muses as he's handing Daniel a drink.

Kurapika held out his hand as he took a seat, pointing out an aspect of what's about to come "We'll be in the Republic of Padokea by morning. So, you two will see Killua soon enough."

Gon smiles widely, "Yep!" eating the chip that was still in his mouth.

Daniel nods at Kurapika "Yeah..."

As Leorio was eating, he prompted Daniel a question "Where did that come from?" he gestures at the weapon in Daniel's lap.

"Yeah," Gon spoke up "I was wondering where that came from."

"A gift from Zai... and my father..."

"Which one...?" Leorio asked.

"Vastorie... for some reason he likes to spoil me... a lot..."

As Gon smiled brightly, he looked out the window. Daniel joins Gon in looking out the window "I want to pay back Killua..."

Gon looks at Daniel "Hmm?"

When Daniel didn't respond to Gon, the boy chose to continue looking back out the window. Closing his eyes slowly, Daniel had one last thought. _Killua helped me... and I want to help him. It's the least I could do after having Killua look after me during the third phase..._

"~"

Upon reaching the Republic of Padokea, it was decided that they would gather as much information they can on how to get to Killua's house. From a lady in town, they had learned in order to get to Kukuroo Mountain; there was a bus tour that visited the Mountain every day.

As Daniel looked out the window, the bus tour was mildly interesting. The trees flew past as tour guide spoke. Words fell on Daniel's deaf ears as he thought to himself.  
_Every few minutes, a nagging feeling run in the back of my mind..._  
A screaming in the silence... why...?  
Why is my mind acting up again?  
What exactly is my mind trying to remember?  
I don't think I have forgotten something recently...  
I just want to help Killua. He helped me, so, now I must return the favour...  
It's the least I can do...

Turning to look at the others, Daniel's eyes focus on the two suspicious figures in the back. _They don't look like they're here for the tour..._

Daniel turns to look back outside. _Killua's home... I can't wait to see you again... Killua..._

"~"

The tour was long and draining, to the point Daniel nearly fell asleep, if it weren't for the fact he could make out the massive gate in the distance, letting him know they were nearing their destination.

The bus came to a stop, allowing everyone to get off. Everyone looked in awe at the gate as Daniel though out loud "Damn... that's one big gate..."

"That IS really something..." Leorio mutters out loud as he holds his hand above his eyes, to block the sun's glare.

"This is the front gate of the Zoldyck estate. Also known as the Door to Hades because no one's who's entered has ever returned alive. To enter, you must pass through the door beside the security checkpoint. But the area beyond the gate is private property, so we can't proceed."

"Hold on!" Leorio freaks out at the tour guides last words, "This is the front gate? The mountain's all the way over there!"

"Correct... The Zoldycks own Kukuroo Mountain, as well as the surrounding land."

Daniel whistles at that piece of information "Talk about loaded..."

"This whole area is their backyard?" Leorio looks depressed at the gate after hearing the tour guide.

"Hey, guide..." Gon speaks up as he looks at Tour guide.

"Yes?"

"What do we have to do to get inside?"

"Little boy, were you listening to my explanation?"

"Uh-huh. But..."

"If you go inside, you'll never get out alive! Assassins live inside."

"Yeah," Daniel turns to look at the tour guide "But... there's someone we want to see inside..."

"It's all a shame." One of the suspicious punks on the bus speaks up. Daniel turns to the punk as he walks past, holding a large sword over his shoulder. His wavy black hair is combed back and sporting; a green v-neck shoulder length jacket, a brown under shirt, navy blue jeans and brown army boots.

The second suspicious punk continues "A family of assassins that no one's ever seen." he has orangey-yellow hair and a rough five o'clock shadow, wearing; a brown jacket with a white fur inside, a black belt is slung over his shoulder attached to a pair of stick type weapons at his waist height, light blue jeans and a pair of black shoes.

_Huh... I kinda let loose that there's someone inside that I wanted to see... they must have missed it._

"Just a photo of their faces is worth a hundred million."

Leorio yells after hearing that "SERIOUSLY?! Damn!" Leorio clicks his fingers, "I should have taken a picture of Killua!"

Daniel rolls his eyes at Leorio. _Seriously... you wanted to have a photo of Killua in your pocket? Pervert..._

"It's just another case of rampant rumours masking a mundane truth." The first punk taunts back to Leorio.

Ripping off the door to the Security guard, the second punk grabs the guard, pulling him out of his booth "Open the gate!"

"I- I cannot do that. The master would not be pleased."

The first punk grins "Don't worry. We're going to kill your master."

The security guard sighs as he pulls out a key to the door.

The second punk throws the Security guard on the floor, discarding the man as if he was rubbish.

"Ouch..." The security guard repeatedly groans as he's getting up. Gon runs to his side, resting a hand on the man "Are you okay?"

Daniel joins Gon as well.

"Yes, I'm fine." As the door is closed shut, the guard sighs "Man... now Mike's going to end up eating between meals again."

Daniel peers at the door confused. _Who's Mike?_

A pair of man screaming catches both Gon and Daniel off guard. They turn their head to look at the door, waiting in silence to see what happens next.

As everyone is watching the door intently, it opens slowly, revealing a pair of skeletons wearing the same clothes as the punks that had ran inside along with a large purple hand with sharp nails.

The bones crumble to pieces as the hand drops them to the floor. As the tour guide screams in terror after having the hand drop them, she runs back in the bus yelling.

The security guard sighs "Please... He's only supposed to eat at assigned times." pressing his hand to the side of his mouth, he continues to yell "Mike! Don't blame me if you get fat!"

"What was that?" Kurapika whispers, hoping someone would know.

"A really large dog..." Daniel whispers to Kurapika.

The tour guide yells "Hey, boys! Get on the bus!"

As the four boys look back at the lady, Gon yells back "You can leave. We're staying here."

She freaks out at those words, turning to the bus driver to tell him to get out of there, quickly.

The group of boys sat down, introducing themselves to the guard, and they had also told the security guard they were friends of Killua. As the security guard poured some tea for everyone, the boys had also learned the security guard's name was Zebro.

"I see." Zebro muses, "So you're young Killua's friends. I'm happy to hear that." Zebro says as he continues to pour some tea for Gon, "I've worked here for twenty years, but this is the first time any friends have come to visit."

Zebro hands some tea to Gon before sitting down in his chair. Daniel looked at his warm tea, tempted to take a sip. But Daniel's brain was going into overdrive, making his self conscious side kick in. _I'll feel bad for drinking this... but then again... I'll feel bad for wasting it..._

As Daniel took a sip from his tea, Zebro continued "Since I work here, I shouldn't say this, but the place is rather lonely. No one ever visits. Though," Zebro points at the trash can behind him "we do see a lot of those... Well," Zebro sighed as he put his hand back on his lap "a family of assassins is pretty unusual."

 _Killua isn't an assassin..._ Daniel retorted in his mind as he took another sip.

"So I suppose it's the price they have to pay. Anyway, I'm glad you're here." Zebro bowed, "Thank you."

Leorio held out his hand, feeling a little bad from Zebro bowing to them "Don't mention it."

"However..." looking back up, Zebro's eyes looked seriously at the four boys "I cannot let you inside."


	17. Testing Gate X Weakness X Training

Daniel's eyes twitched at Zebro's response, while trying to figure out whether he was there to stop them, or to save them.

"Didn't you see the large arm of the creature? Its name is Mike. It serves as the Zoldyck family watch dog. It only obeys family, and will take out anyone else. The beast still follows the order its master gave it ten years ago..." Zebro pauses for a dramatic effect, "To kill every single intruder."

While scratching the back of his head, Zebro sighs "But technically, he isn't following the order. Because he keeps eating them... anyway, I can't let you inside. I wouldn't want to reduce young Killua's friends to Skeletons." As Zebro finishes, he takes a sip from he's tea.

"Sir, how is it that you're safe?" Kurapika asked.

Zebro makes a small noise, letting Kurapika know he's caught his attention.

"You go inside, correct? If you never needed to enter, you wouldn't have a key."

Zebro chuckled for a moment before speaking "Quite perceptive of you. But you're only half right. I require no key to get inside. This key is for intruders."

Leorio's eyebrows furrow questioning Zebro's response "A key for intruders?"

"For some reason, eighty to ninety percent of intruders attempt to use the front gate. If I don't open the gate for them, they'll try to break it down. Such trouble makers... So we added a locked door to one side. The intruders take the key from the helpless guard, and then Mike eats them."

"That's it!" Kurapika blurts out loud.

Zebro nods "As you just realized, I'm not a guard. I merely clean up after Mike."

Daniel mutters out loud "The front gate is unlocked, correct?"

"Exactly..."

Leorio freaks out, turning to face the gate "What?"

 _I thought the gate wasn't there for good looks..._ Daniel thinks to himself as he joins the others in looking at the gate.

"~"

Leorio loosened his arms up before pressing against the door hard. When nothing happened at all, Leorio retorted to pulling on the door instead. He managed to achieve the same as first time, nothing. Since Leorio failed again, he tried forcing the door open from the side, switching from the left to the right side.

Daniel blinks at Leorio. _Seriously, if the first time didn't work, I don't think pushing at different angles will help..._

"I've tried pushing and pulling, but it won't budge! Are you sure it isn't locked?"

"You just aren't strong enough."

"That's absurd! I've been using all of my strength!"

As Zebro goes to take off his jacket, Daniel smiles "In that case let me try."

Zebro raises an eyebrow at Daniel as Leorio laughs "If I couldn't do it, how are you going to?"

Daniel continued to smile as he waved Leorio out of the way "Watch me..."

Leorio stepped out of the way as Daniel pushed against the door. "Arrgh..."

"See?"

"Give me a sec..." Daniel pushed harder, using all his strength. The door begins to part, only opening a couple of centimetres "Come ON!" Forcing all his strength, he managed to push the door half a meter open before it slammed shut on him "Seriously! How much does this thing weigh...?"

Leorio freaks out as he points at Daniel "How did you do that?"

"I pushed... harder..." Daniel says as he rolls his eyes at Leorio.

Sighing, Zebro stepped up. "Almost..."

Taking a deep breath, Zebro stood at the door. "This gate's official name is the Testing Gate. Anyone who cannot open this gate is unqualified to enter the Zoldyck estate." Zebro pushed the door hard, opening the first door with ease.

As he lets go of the door, it closes shut after a few seconds. "As you just saw," Zebro turns to face the group "the door closes automatically, so you'll want to run in, the second it opens. You don't need to worry about Mike. He has orders not to attack any who enter through the Testing Gate. Still," Zebro wipes the sweat off his forehead, "this is getting tougher as I age..."

 _I'm still too weak to be in Killua's vicinity, let alone protect him..._ Daniel looks at the gate, worried for Killua.

"But they'll fire me if I can't open the gate, so I need to keep in shape. I should mention that each of gate one's doors weigh two tons."

"Seriously, two tons? You're not supposed to be able to open that!" Leorio waves his hand, before turning to look at Daniel. "And you managed to push it a meter open?"

"Half a meter and I'm still not strong enough."

Leorio then turned to Zebro after realising something "Wait, what did you say, earlier? Gate one?"

"Yes, have a look. There are seven gates. When you go up a gate, the weight doubles..."

"DOUBLES?"

"The number of gates that open depends on the amount of strength you use."

Daniel raises a finger as he smiles "The maximum weight I can lift is 500 kilograms..."

"SERIOUSLY...?" Leorio freaks out after hearing that information.

"If lucky..." Daniel responded back calmly.

"Incidentally, when young Killua returned, he opened gates one through three."

"Seriously...?" Daniel freaks out after hearing that information. _Killua could probably kill me with his pinkie... A reminder to self, I must not get pinched by him..._

"Gate three?" Gon asked, mentally doing the maths. "That would be twelve tons!"

"Sixteen, actually..." Daniel says flatly. "It's doubled each time so four, eight, and then sixteen... not four, eight, and twelve..."

As Gon's eyes blink in surprise, Gon raises his hand to the back of his head, smiling while he laughs in embarrassment.

"Do you understand now? This is what's required just to get in the door. They live in a completely different world."

"Hmm, I don't like it."

 _I agree. It makes me feel, weaker..._ Daniel sighed out loud as he thought to himself.

"Mister, lend me the key." Gon says as he turns to Zebro.

"Yeah..." Daniel agrees with Gon, while only half listening. He then looked at Gon, incredulously and half shocked "Wait, what? Why you want the key to the door?"

Gon turns to Daniel "I came here to see my friend, not be tested. You can consider me an intruder. So let me borrow the key." Gon held his hand out to Zebro, waiting for the key "I'll use the intruder's door."

"Gon!"

"Hey..."

Raising an eyebrow, Daniel tested Gon "You rather run from a dog, who's possibly three meters tall and five meters long...?"

"Uh-huh." Gon nods.

 _I admire his tenacity... Seriously Gon... you remind me of my father, Nathaniel... except younger, shorter... and your hairs different, eyes, clothing style... ok, only your strength reminds me of him..._ Daniel thought to himself, unable to say it out loud.

Gon then turns to look back at Zebro "It doesn't matter if you won't loan me the key. I'll just climb the wall, if that's what it takes."

"Don't be stupid, Gon!" Leorio yells at Gon, continuing to lecture him as he flicks a finger at him, "Didn't you see that monster? Its arm was bigger than your entire body!"

Gon yells "I won't accept this! -"

_Maybe it should be personality instead... Nathaniel was stubborn, when he wanted things his way... Then again, he did put me ahead of himself at times..._

"- Why would you test your friends...? I'll never enter through that door."

"You are absolutely right." Zebro sighed, massaging the back of his head "However, forcing your way through is impossible. Mike will kill you."

"I agree. We have plenty of time. Let's figure out a way to enter through gate one."

"I agree..." Daniel nods to Kurapika's agreement. _Wouldn't Killua be upset if we forced our way into his mansion, only to die before we even get there...?_

"If we combined our strength with Daniel's own, surely we'll be able to enter one day."

Daniel scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. _Me, strong...? My sister is light years ahead of me in strength! She's strong... not me..._

Gon raises his hand, while ignoring Kurapika's pleas.

Leorio motions to Kurapika and Daniel, telling them to get in close so he can whisper something. "It's no use. He's not gonna change his mind."

"Indeed..."

"I sadly agree... if he's stubborn like Nathaniel... surely... he's going to walk into his own grave, on his own terms..."

Zebro sighs as he looks down at the floor "Unfortunately, I cannot lend you this key." Zebro looks back up; focusing on Gon's eyes "I will not feed young Killua's friends to Mike. Well, please wait here for a minute."

Gon blinks in surprise as Zebro starts walking towards his security booth. Dialling the number to whom the boys would assume a butler in the house, Zebro starts to speak "Hello? This is Zebro. Four of young Killua's friends are here to see him?" Zebro glances at the four boys. "Yes." Zebro turns around, holding the phone close to his ear "Yes, I'm sorry. Yes. Yes. Yes, I understand. Yes. I'm very sorry. I apologize for disturbing you."

Zebro runs a hand through his balding hair, after hanging up the phone "Yep, I got in trouble."

"You called the mansion?" Gon asked, unsure of the answer.

"No," Zebro glances in Gon's direction, "I was speaking with the Zoldyck family butler. All communication with the mansion must go through the butler."

Daniel sighs "I was afraid of that..."

Zebro nods "It's very difficult to reach any of the family members."

"Could you call him again? I'll talk to him this time."

Daniel raises an eyebrow at Gon's question, unsure of what he plans to say.

"Sure, I guess... But you won't enjoy the experience." Zebro dials the number handing it to Gon. Being the curious kid, Daniel presses his ear against the phone, hoping to hear what the guy or girl has to say.

**"Yes, this is the butler's office."**

"I'm Gon, one of Killua-Kun's friends. Is Killua-Kun there?"

 **"Killua-Sama has no friends."** After Daniel hears the end call tone, he takes his ear off the phone "That's rude... he could have just asked questions to see if we _WERE_ in fact he's friends..."

Gon hangs up the phone, taking it back off to dial the number again. When the person answers again, Gon immediately starts to yell "HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW THAT?! PUT KILLUA ON THE PHONE!"

Daniel jumps back in surprise, rubbing his ears from the sudden outburst. _Ow... my ears... he could have warned me._

"Yeah." Gon paused, listening to the person. "If you put Killua on the phone, he'll recognize me!"

Gon pauses again, listening. His eyes go wide when he hears something. Continuing to listen in surprise, Gon stays silent, hanging up the phone once the person had finished talking.

As Gon stomps out the room, Leorio looks at Gon in concern "Hey! Gon!"

Daniel followed him, deep in thought. _I wonder what that man said to Gon to make him so surprised... and peeved... or is he pissed...?_

Gon throw the hook of the wall, tugging it a few times. "Seriously?! Think this through..." Daniel tries to reason with him "Sure... he may have said some nasty things... I think..."

Gon turns to Daniel, fuming "He told me I could be a fake trying to impersonate a friend, so that I could hurt Killua, or lead him to someone else so they can hurt him..."

Gon tugs a few more times as Daniel muses "Seriously... He has a higher chance of hurting us... especially seeing as he can open three doors... which weighs about 16 tons..."

"Well, I'm going to see Killua. You three wait here. I'll go by myself."

Daniel fumes at Gon "I don't wanna wait here! I wanna see Killua too... just as much as you!"

"Well then you can climb up after me..."

Daniel frowns at Gon, allowing him to continue up the wall. Leorio runs to the two's side, hoping to persuade Gon into stopping this ridiculous plan of his "I can't let you do that!"

"I'll be fine!"

"No, you won't!"

"Both of you should calm down!" Kurapika steps in composed.

"I'm perfectly calm!" Leorio retorts back, shooting Kurapika an intense glare. He turns back to Gon to continue yelling "Come down here, Gon!"

"Don't be stupid."

"You won't be able to convince him, he's being stubborn about this!"

Zebro steps into the conversation, hoping to persuade Gon this time "Gon-Kun, I'll give you the key. You can go through the door."

"Seriously..." Daniel looked at Zebro, eyes widening "You should be persuading him not to be reckless..." Leorio frowns at Daniel for a moment, before turning to look at Zebro "Hold on, pops! We can convince Gon to stop!"

"Before or after Gon scales the wall... he's already past door one... there's only six more to go..."

"Are you sure? He appears to be a stubborn boy. To make amends, I'll accompany you through the door."

"Huh?" Gon stops, turning to face Zebro.

"It's possible that Mike may recognize me and decide not to attack. Though, I'm a hundred percent certain that he'll kill us all."

 _Yeah... I'm gonna stay right here... I don't want to die before seeing cute- KILLUA! KILLUA... why the hell did I just think he was cute...? Sure he has the whole cute face, white hair... blue eyes..._ Daniel slaps his cheeks together, hoping to will his embarrassing thoughts away.

Gon drops down, looking at Daniel in concern "Are you ok...?"

"Weird thoughts... I MEAN YES... I'm good." Daniel faked a smile, hoping to persuade everyone. Gon smiled widely "Ok." He looked over to Zebro in concern next "You can't do that. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"No, I'm coming with you. The result will be the same if I stay behind. If I send young Killua's friends to their deaths, I'd never be able to face him again. If you die, I will also die." Zebro eyes narrowed on Gon, making sure that his point got across to Gon.

Gon looks down, deep in thought. He looks back up, flicking his rod so that the line comes back down. "I understand now. I didn't stop to consider your situation. Sorry."

Daniel sighs in relief. _That's good to hear... though it would have been nicer a little earlier. If Gon had died, I don't know what I would do... I'll probably try to kill the dog... and I'll probably be killed by said dog in the process..._

"You must like animals, Gon-Kun."

Daniel glanced at Zebro, really unsure where this was heading.

"Yeah."

"Just as I thought. Did you grow up playing in the countryside?"

"Yep! How did you know?"

"Gon-Kun, I'm going to open the Testing Gate again. I want you to see Mike for yourself."

Zebro opened the door, allowing the four boys to enter.

"Hey..." Leorio started to speak up, "is it really okay for us to come in?"

"Yes," Zebro glanced in Leorio's direction, giving him a sideways nod "you'll be safe because you entered through the Testing Gate."

Daniel stayed calm, curiously watching the surrounding area as Zebro called for Mike. A low growl, immediately, made Daniel think of a terrifying moment in the past. "That didn't sound so good."

The whole group turned in the direction of growl, waiting for Mike's arrival. Mike stood over Gon and the others, staring down at them in a similar fashion Illumi looks down on others. The cold hard stare was threatening to say in the least, but, to Daniel it reminded him so much of his father, before, his morning coffee.

"He's bigger than I had anticipated... around five meters tall and at least seven meters long."

Daniel turns to Gon, seeing him shiver in fear.

"Gon-kun, do you understand now? This is a trained hunting dog. It's nothing like the wild animals you're accustomed to. You must have expected to be able to communicate with him. Until, you saw his eyes. Mike is currently memorizing the appearances and scents of humans he's never seen. There's nothing else on his mind. He's like a machine. Gon-Kun, could you fight him?"

Gon shook his head at the question "No, I'm scared. I don't want to fight him!"

"I could..." Everyone shared a sideways glance at Daniel as he continued. "But I'd probably die... Actually, I will die..."

Daniel held out a hand experimentally to Mike. Mike looked at it, but didn't move or flinch at the offered hand. Mike chose to ignore Daniel's hand only watching the four boys intently.

Zebro raised an eyebrow at Daniel, before turning to look Gon with a smile "Well, how long will you be here?"

"Until we meet Killua!" Gon turns to Zebro, continuing to speak with a firm attitude, "We won't leave before then!"

Zebro chuckled lightly before holding his hand to gesture to a path "Then please, come this way."


	18. Testing Gate X Training X Ten

The group stood outside a small house, making Daniel wonder. _Even the groundkeeper's quarters are... lavish..._

"Here are the servants' quarters." Zebro pointed out as he extends a hand to the building. The three story building had lights on the first and second floor, lighting up the teal and navy blue coloured building. "It's getting late. So, you can stay here tonight."

Zebro pushed the door open, making it drag across the floor as the heavy door's weight was moved.

Daniel winced at the noise. _Great... I can't practice outside where I can be alone, without, making a noise..._

Looking down, he noticed the dark scuff marks. _That's... a heavy door..._

"Please come in."

The group walks in as Daniel eyes down the scenery, noting down where everything is.

"Hey, I'm back!"

As a tall slender man smoking a cigarette comes down from the second floor, he complains "Oh, you rarely bring guests."

The man wore a black shirt with a blue button at the top, a brown jacket with a fur covering, pale brown pants and dark green shoes. He also had a moustache, and brown spiky hair which stayed unwavering, held up by the white headband he wore. All his black eyes did, was watch the four boys with a seriously disinterested attitude.

"This is Seaquant. He works with me here."

"Good evening." Gon smiled widely.

Seaquant eyes closed as he huffed at the four boys "If you managed to win over Zebro, you must be special. Well," He waved the four boys off as he walked towards another room "make yourselves at home. Though, it won't be easy here."

_Easy...? Seriously, my dad was a nightmare before his coffee... this... this place is placid compared to his morning mood swings._

As the group told Seaquant of their reasoning for being here, Zebro poured them each a drink. Daniel watched Zebro pour himself tea last,wondering why the green mug was different when compared to the four boys' mugs.

"You want to see young Killua?" Seaquant asked, laughing freely, once he saw the boy's expression change.

Daniel turned to look at him, wondering what was so funny.

"That's a riot!"

"It's not funny..." Daniel bared his teeth almost like a wolf, while he clutched the mug in his hands tightly "It's the truth!"

"Agreed, we're dead serious." Leorio draws Seaquant's attention.

"Then let me give you a warning: Give up, and go home."

"What was that?!"

Daniel clutches the cup tighter. _I'll sooner be dead then give up!_

"Zebro told you about the Testing Gate, right? That should give you an idea of what this place is like."

As Gon speaks up, the group turns to listen to Gon. "We understand that it won't be easy. But I'm not leaving. Not until I see Killua! When Killua was in trouble, I wasn't there for him."

Daniel bit his lip at Gon's statement, the words hitting him hard. Even when he was there, he still couldn't help thanks to his sister overprotective nature. _I was there... and I still couldn't do anything for him..._

"If I had been there, I could have stopped Killua! Killua is my close friend!"

Zebro laughs lightly, not from thinking what Gon said was a funny joke. The bold statement had impressed him.

Daniel chose to speak his mind this time, although, every word he spoke, he wasn't even listening to himself. Every word flowed freely past his lips, his filter detached from his own voice "We aren't weak because of our own strengths... Strength isn't measured by how easily you can open a jar, or whether or not you can push a four ton door open... It's measured by how far you're willing to push yourself, to protect the people you like, friends, best friends, families, a goal you wish to fulfil... or even... the ones you love..."

Daniel felt the room quieten, unsure of which part of what he said would make the room like that. His cheeks slowly started to turn red, making him feel hotter than the temperature in room, when he remembers his very last words.

**The ones you love...**

_OH DEAR GOD, did I just say that out loud...? I would have been giving live ammunition for my father... If he was here right now..._

With a wide grin, Gon smiled "That's right! We're here to stay until we save Killua, no matter our strengths, we'll save him!"

_Thanks Gon... for making it feel less embarrassing than it originally was..._

"We understand." Zebro smiled. "Then why not do some training here?"

"Training...?" Gon looked funny at Zebro, unsure what he meant by training.

"Hey, Zebro..."

"Listen to me," Zebro looked at Gon and Daniel "Gon-Kun, Daniel-Kun. You four are allowed to work together to-"

"No..." Daniel spoke firmly. Zebro raised an eyebrow at Daniel, waiting for his reason. "I want to be able to open the doors by myself, when the three of them are able to tackle a door on their own... I just... want to be able to pull my own strength..." S _o that I can protect Gon, Killua... with my own two hands..._ Daniel thought to himself, unable to say that out loud.

With a small nod, Zebro smiled "In that case, the three of you are allowed to work together to open the door. With a little training, it should be possible. How about it...?"

Gon frowned slightly "I don't like the idea of being tested..." Gon looked over to Kurapika, who continued off of him "But if there is no other way..."

"We'll just have to do it!" Leorio stated casually.

Gon smiled "Yep!"

A small smile cracked on Daniel's face, showing of his trademark toothy grin "Let's prove to the Zoldycks, that we deserve to be friends with Killua!"

"Then I'll need you to put these on."

Zebro got up, handing each of the boys a weighted vest.

"How is this so heavy...?" Leorio dropped to the floor, groaning in agony as he tried to push himself back up.

Daniel lifted his up with ease, while frowning slightly. "How much does this weigh..."

"It weighs fifty Kilograms." Zebro responded calmly, bringing another few more with him. "Here you go Daniel-Kun." Daniel grabbed the new vest Zebro handed him, almost toppling over to the floor. "Ok... that's a little too heavy..."

"Well," Zebro resting his fists on his sides "you don't-"

"I like it!" Daniel smiled widely.

Zebro nodded with a smile, dropping his hands down from his sides "Please wear it at all times, except while you sleep. I'll make it heavier as you get used to it."

Taking a seat at the table, Zebro poured each of the boys a new mug, boiled tea "Please have some tea."

"The cups weigh twenty kilograms. This teapot weighs forty kilograms. All furniture and utensils in this house weigh over twenty kilograms apiece."

"I see..." Kurapika continued to struggle lifting his mug "So this will serve as training."

"It's useless." Seaquant walked into the room with a huff. "They'll give up in two or three days."

"What was that?" Leorio demanded.

Daniel lifted his mug with great difficulty, taking a small sip before he was forced to put it back down. As Seaquant looked astonished at Daniel, generally surprised, Zebro smiled "His currently carrying two-hundred and fifty kilograms on him."

"Three-hundred and fifty," Daniel corrected him with a smile, "my weapon weighs a hundred kilograms alone."

Seaquant looked smugly at Daniel "Looks like we have someone who may be competent."

Daniel looked a Seaquant with a darkened smile "Oh... should I take that as a compliment, or an insult...?" Daniel's unwavering smile looked at Seaquant like a cat looks at his prey. He didn't know why he did it, but, he felt like he needed to prove a point.

"Seaquant, I believe that your shift has already started."

"Oh, that's right..." Seaquant walked of, ignoring the fact that he just insulted four guys. When Seaquant closed the door behind him, Zebro spoke up again "Sorry about that. He isn't bad person."

"By the way," Leorio struggled to get up "where's the bathroom?"

"Through that door," Zebro pointed at the door "over there."

Leorio's eyes looked at the door in distress "I'm guessing that the door also..."

"Yes, it weighs five hundred kilograms."

Leorio faints upon hearing that "Five hundred? What?! Get out! I can't hold it in!"

The night ends on that note, Zebro having to help Leorio go to the toilet. However, it was a onetime deal, and next time, Leorio had to open the door.

Daniel quietly listened to everyone sleeping before getting up. He walked quietly to look out the window "Killua..." Daniel quietly whispers, while clenching his fist. He looked at the others before standing, to practice training his _'Ten'_.

Daniel opened his aura nodes, controlling the flow of his aura. A warm feeling shrouds around Daniel as only thoughts of Killua hugging him flood his mind. He has no idea why those thoughts fill his mind but the constant fidgeting disturbs Gon, cutting Daniel's training session short.

"Daniel...?" Daniel turns to look at Gon, seeing him rub the sleep from his eyes. "Are you ok?"

Daniel simply nods in Gon's direction, trying not to give away anything "Yeah, just thinking of Killua... and what his doing right now..."

Gon nodded back, humming a small acknowledgement. "So, what were you doing?"

"Hmm...?"

"You were standing at the window, deep in thought..."

"That was exactly what I was doing... Over thinking things through... with Killua..."

"Really...?"

"Yeah, but, just over thinking..."

"Do you like Killua?"

"Of course...!" Daniel huffed out in annoyance.

"Not like, I mean _like_..."

Daniel turned around, giving Gon a quizzical look "What makes you think that?"

"Well..." Gon hummed as he sat up right "You called him your **Angel**..."

"I didn't... you were hearing things!"

"You're worried about Killua."

"Like a friend should be...!"

"I mean _really_ worried... do you perhaps, _love_ Killua?"

Daniel sputters, caught off guard by Gon's forwardness "You think... I'm... for Killua?"

"No," Gon shakes his hands "I'm not judging you for that! It's just... I notice you smile whenever Killua's name pops up... and you get sad whenever you're worried about him... that's all..."

Daniel sighed in annoyance "I... I'm tired... can we save this discussion for another time..."

Gon nodded "Sure... I expect an answer from you next time!" Gon fell back asleep almost instantly, snoring ever so softly.

Daniel rests his head on his pillow, closing his eyes. _I don't love Killua... I care about him... but... isn't that the same?_ Before he could finish answering his question, he had already fallen asleep.

"~"

After the first morning of wearing the heavy weights, the trial had began. Gon was the first to step up, wanting to try opening the gate. He's stopped by Leorio "Wait, Gon! You just watch."

"Huh? Why?"

Daniel points out "You need two hands to open the door..."

Kurapika nods at Daniel's word "I agree. You need to let your arm heal first."

"As long as Kurapika and I can open it, it doesn't matter."

Daniel smiled "Or, if I open it before you."

"Right..." Leorio rolled his eyebrows at Daniel. "We know who would open the door first..." Leorio turned to Gon with a large smile "Let us handle this!"

Gon nodded sternly "Okay."

Kurapika and Leorio pressed their hands against the door as Leorio hyped up Kurapika. "Let's do this, Kurapika!"

"Yeah" Kurapika shouted back.

Daniel and Gon watched Kurapika and Leorio struggle to push open the door.

"It's impossible..." Daniel overhead Seaquant say.

Daniel frowned at Seaquant's words. _NOTHING, beats determination! They will open the door, I can guarantee it..._

"No use..." As Kurapika and Leorio collapsed to the floor, Kurapika continued to speak "It won't budge an inch."

"Damn! But we just started our training. If we work hard enough, we can do it!"

"I wish I could share your optimism."

Daniel turned to Gon to say something, only to see the boy looking down at his own arm in regret. He wanted to help them open the door; Daniel knew that much from Gon's expression.

And from that point, training had begun, whenever Daniel manages to get time off, he would practice _Ten_ alone, without watchful eyes. Every now and then, Gon would try to pry the answer from Daniel, from his earlier question. And every time that question came up, Daniel was unable to answer. Apart of his mind screamed that he did, in fact love Killua. But, every time that voice spoke, when Daniel tried to speak his mind, no words came out as if something was stopping him.

With a shake of his head, the training continued like always, every hour with the same routine.

Daniel found his spot from watchful eyes, briefly seeing Gon in his side-view vision. Whenever Daniel saw Gon training by himself, a part of him smiled. Gon was determined to be of some help, some day.

Daniel acted as Gon's alibi whenever Gon trained in secret. Apart of him was happy to see Gon training, to gain the strength to save Killua. He couldn't fathom the reason to why Leorio and Kurapika were upset, whenever they caught Gon training.

Gon wanted to help, why shouldn't they let him? Sure, one of Gon's arms was broken. But, why should that stop him from training?

On Daniel's training period, he would whip around his blade, practicing to whip it around corners without getting it caught, or brushing against something. He could tell Gon was impressed, but a part of him knew it wasn't impressive at all. Gon had taken Hisoka's badge; surely, that feat was more impressive than swinging a blade constantly, while trying to avoid things.

All Daniel did was switch the blade from short to long range, and if quick enough from short to medium and then to long range. But whatever Daniel was doing, it was drawing Gon's attention to him.

"~"

On day two, it started just like the first day, attempting to open the gate. When Leorio and Kurapika failed the second day attempt, Seaquant stepped up "This will never work. You kids need to wake up."

"In that case," Leorio argued "you should quit watching us and do your job!"

Seaquant 'tched', rolling his eyes at Leorio as Kurapika started to argue "Gon and Daniel are one of us. And they wish to see their friend. It's only right that we should help them."

Daniel saw Gon's eyes waver for a moment. He was almost brought to tears of happiness. A warm smile breaks across Daniel's lips, as he whispered to Gon "Gon, you're so lucky to have friends like this for you."

Gon frowned at Daniel's words "They're your friends too!" With a small nod, Daniel turned to look at the other's getting back up. _Even though they're closer to you, than they are to me... they're awesome friends!_

"Okay, let's give it another shot!"

"Yeah...!"

Seaquant sighed "Man, you can't just mindlessly push. Match you timing." He started to storm off, marching towards the security booth "You have to push both doors, with all your strength, simultaneously. Or the gate won't ever open."

As Gon smiled in Seaquant's direction, Daniel whispered "Gon, you and your friends are amazing."

"Our!" Gon corrected Daniel once again.

With a nod, Daniel re-corrected his last statement "Our friends are pretty amazing."

Leorio and Kurapika tried one last time, this time with Seaquant's advice. "Match our timing..." Leorio commented as Kurapika followed through "And push both doors with all our strength simultaneously..."

"Okay! One!"

"Two!"

"Three!" The two adults exclaimed together, as they pushed against the door simultaneously. As the door parted, all four looked surprised. When they were caught off guard, the door swung back closed, knocking both Leorio and Kurapika to the ground.

"Leorio! Kurapika!" Gon yelled as he ran up to them to check and see if they were ok. Daniel followed behind, smiling ever so softly at the two. He knew determination what was drove people's strength up, but he didn't expect to see the effects to be seen so soon. _They really are something..._

Leorio grinned at the two younger boys, flashing a smile "It moved."

Gon soon began to smile widely, happy, that the day might be soon coming with meeting Killua.

"~"

A few days later, it was now time for a true test of how well their strength has improved.

As Kurapika and Leorio were doing some stretches, Zebro pointed out "Hey, why don't you try removing those vests today?"

"Oh?" Leorio smiled widely at those words "Music to my ears!" The two of them dropped their vests onto the floor, creating a small sink hole in the process. Leorio yells as he winds up his arm, removing the stiffness from them "Yeah! Without them, we can definitely open the gate now."

Leorio and Kurapika pressed their hands firmly against to Testing gate

"Let's do this, Kurapika!"

"Yeah...!"

"One... Two..."

"Three!" On the word 'three', both boys pushed against the door hard. As the door begun to crack, they continued to open the door, slowly. Seaquant was surprised.

When Daniel looked at the door, he noticed that they had roughly opened the door to the same spot as Daniel's first try. _WHAT?! It's already opened that far...? Granted, it's taking two people but still..._

Daniel let out a small sigh, drawing Gon's attention "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... It's just... it took a whole year to get to the same level as they are. Not that I was training as hard as I am now... It was for only an hour a day..."

Gon raked his mind "It took you two hundred and eighty-four hours to get that strong?"

"Three hundred and sixty-five," Daniel corrected Gon "But, I was never training as hard as I was now. Nathaniel was... cautious... on how hard he pushed me..."

Gon nodded in understanding.

"Damn it... It won't move any farther."

Gon started to undo his arm rest, raising Daniel's concern "Are you sure?"

Gon nodded "I'm not letting them do this alone!"

"One last spurt, Leorio..."

"Got it!"

Daniel watched Gon run up behind them, pressing his hands against the door with a huge smile.

"Gon..." Kurapika was freaking out as Daniel sat down, wanting to enjoy the show.

"Why are you using your left arm?" Leorio asked in concern. Gon refused to back down, explaining his reasons with a simple answer, "It's okay. My arm's healed now."

"Healed?"

"Are you sure, Gon?"

"Yep! Anyway, we have to push this together, right?"

After Leorio let out a grunt of understanding, Kurapika followed through with his own statement "Right, let's push!"

"Here we go!"

"One...!"

"Two...!"

"Three...!" As Gon yelled, the three of them together pushed against the door, opening it with ease. The door parted as Seaquant freaked out in surprise "It's opening..."

Gon fell through the crack in the door, hitting the dirt, face first "Ow..." Gon rubbed his nose, looking back at the others who still clung to the door.

Daniel got up; walking up to the others with a huge smile.

"It opened." Gon looked surprised at their strength.

"Determination... beats everything!" Daniel clapped his hands together. The boy soon followed through with a huge smile at the three boys achievements.

"Yes!" Leorio cheered in excitement from being able to open the door.

"We did it, Gon!"

"Uh-huh!" Gon smile widened from cheek to cheek.

"Now," Daniel grinned, "let's put my strength to the test!"

As Gon came back to the other side, both Leorio and Kurapika let go of the door, resetting it back to its normal level.

Daniel clenched his hands together; breathing in slowly to take a deep breath; he pressed his hands against the door. _Let's do this! I want to prove, that I can be as strong as Killua!_ Using all his strength, slowly by slowly, Daniel pushed as hard as he can.

Daniel forced the door the open.

In the end, Daniel managed to get the door open; the only problem was as he was pushing the door open, his hand slipped, making him stumble through the half open door, rolling face first onto the ground, just as the Testing Gate slammed shut behind him.

"Daniel!"

"That's embarrassing..." Daniel casually blurted out as he dusted himself off, while he was getting up. _I still got the door open... but only the first door. I'm still not strong enough!_

The door opened, followed by Leorio, Kurapika and Gon running through.

"Daniel!" The three yelled as Gon followed through "Are you ok?"

Daniel nodded "My hand slipped, and I fell though the door..." he let out a soft laugh, hoping to hide his embarrassment.

Gon smiled widely, shaking his head from side to side. "But you opened the door by yourself."

Daniel smiled, hiding his true feelings. _I'm still not strong enough... to be by Killua's side._  
Do I love him...?  
Or do I just want to protect him...?  
I don't know! But, right now, all I want... is the strength to stand by Killua's side and protect him!'

A wide grin plastered across Daniel's face as a huge idea passed through his mind "Hey, Gon...?"

Gon blinked at Daniel "Yeah...?"

"What would you say to a challenge?"

Gon blinked again in surprise "Challenge...?" A wide smirk started to spread across his cheeks "I'll win this!"

Daniel started to snicker "Gon, I've already won then!"

Gon pouted "Ehh...? That's cheating!"

Daniel shook his head at Gon, widening his smile so that a small tooth showed "We have up to a month, right? Let's keep going until all of us can open the door on our own!"

Daniel secretly said that for his own gain. He wanted to keep going until he had the same amount of strength Killua had. He wanted... to be strong enough to stand beside Killua.

Gon nodded, adding to the challenge "And when the last person whose able to open the door passes, that's when we each have to see how stronger we've gotten!"

Daniel's smile spread even wider "That's the plan!"  
_Yes, I've gotten a second chance! I'm coming for you Killua! I want to be just as strong as you!_  
The deal began, and the trails of the four boys continued.  
Whoever was last... didn't matter at all.  
What mattered... is how strong everyone was by the end!


	19. Jokes X Determination X A game?

Days flew by. And by the twentieth day, everyone was able to open the Testing Gate.

Daniel was able to open the first door by day five. Although, it was technically on day four seeing as he accidentally slipped on his first attempt. Leorio was the second member able to open the first door by the tenth day, followed by Kurapika being the third on day fifteen. And Gon was the last to open the first gate on the twentieth day.

The only noticeable changes on day twenty, was between Daniel and Leorio, they both could open gate two. Although, Daniel was secretly yelling at himself. He was frustrated, having learned he could not open gate three. The very same gate Killua could open with ease.

Leorio casually laughs at Daniel "You could only open up to gate two, even though you could open gate one on day five."

Daniel pouts, turning to face Leorio "That's right, Rolo! Your strength is equal to that of a child."

Leorio stopped laughing. He frowned at the boy's words, and glare followed soon after "What?! But, I never thought of that... AND MY NAME IS LEORIO!"

"~"

Zebro had lead the boys to a path, pointing out the long trail they had to head down "Follow the path, and head for the mountain. The mansion should be somewhere up there." Zebro dropped his hands, and then moved them to behind his back. "I'm ashamed to admit that even though I've worked here for twenty years, I've never been up the mountain. Sorry that I couldn't be any help."

"No," Gon shook his head with a huge smile "that isn't true. You've both been a huge help." Gon then bowed his head to Zebro. "Thank you for everything!"

When Gon left to join the other two, Daniel parted a few words of his own to Zebro, his smile faltering slowly. "Thank you Zebro... It was an honour training here."

When Daniel turned to join the others, his stopped by Zebro's hand "Daniel-Kun, if you're worried about not being strong enough, you were able to open the second gate, not an easy feat in just twenty days."

Daniel slowly smiled "Thanks..." Daniel then ran to join Gon and the others, hoping to see Killua by the end of the night.

As Daniel left Zebro's sight, Zebro spoke "Those kids are really something. They might be able to make it to the mansion."

Seaquant raised a lighter to the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it with a chuckle "Won't happen. They'll just get themselves killed."

"Speaking from your experience three years ago?" Zebro grinned.

"We were wiped out by an apprentice butler. That made it painfully clear that I wasn't on their level."

"So you decided to work here."

"Sorry... But the masters and servants are all monsters. Once you step into their territory..."

With a simple nod from Zebro, he continued to branch out the conversation. He felt the need to touch on an interesting topic, one he wanted Seaquant's opinion on "Did you see what Mike was doing?"

The man shook his head in response to Zebro's question "No, why?"

"Something about Daniel-Kun, made him sit and watch for hours..."

"That hound will watch anything for entertainment these days."

With a simple nod, Zebro thought to himself. _He watched him as is he was one of his masters though... Yet, he didn't move away when Daniel told him to shoo. It was interesting..._

"~"

The four boys stopped at a pass, from a girl standing at the only entrance to continue on their way.

The girl spoke firmly, without emotional attachment to every word "Leave."

"Why? We just got here!" Daniel growled back.

"You're trespassing on private property. I cannot allow you to pass without permission."

Daniel lets out a noise of disgust.

Gon frowned slightly, choosing to argue with the young butler "We called ahead. And we came though the Testing Gate."

"The butlers did not give you permission to enter."

Gon lifted a finger, continuing to yell at the girl in anger "What do we need to do get permission? I said I was Killua's friend, but they wouldn't put him on."

The girl's expressionless eyes didn't falter at Gon's words; she spoke back calmly "I wouldn't know. Because no one has ever received permission."

Gon puffed up his cheeks in anger.

 _You look funny Gon, but, the more I look at you, the more I see my father, Nathaniel, in you. You're both SO stubborn, it's not funny._ Daniel silently snickered from Gon's cheeks.

"Then we'll have to trespass!" Gon growled in an aggressive tone.

"I suppose so. In any case," The girl pulled a rod from behind her back, drawing a line on the floor in front of her between the pillars to her sides "this is where I draw the line." Slamming her rod down on the middle of the line, she continued "If you take one step beyond this line, I'll remove you by force."

Daniel smiled gleefully, pulling out the weapon from behind his back. Gon raised his hand, stopping the others, including Daniel. As Daniel raised a quizzical eye at Gon, the boy chose to turn around; shaking his head at the others.

Daniel nodded silently, putting his weapon back in its sheath.

One step at a time, Gon made his way over to the girl. As he crossed the line, the girl hit Gon in the face, knocking him back to the spot he first started walking from. Daniel grits his teeth as he turned to face Gon.

_How dare she?!_

Daniel reached around for his weapon again as Leorio yelled Gon's name, trying to figure out if the boy was ok. "Damn it!" As Leorio pulled out his Tantō, Kurapika pulled out his pair of bokken swords.

Daniel was about to unclip his weapon again,only to be stopped by Gon's voice "Leorio! Kurapika! Daniel! Don't interfere." As Daniel frowned from hearing that, he dropped his hand to the side "I can take her..."

"Let me handle this. Ow..." A drop of blood parted from Gon's nose as he wiped the rest on his sleeve. "We don't intend to fight you. We just want to see Killua."

_I will fight, if it gets out of hand...!_

"It doesn't matter what your motives are." The girl bowed slightly, spinning the rod in-between her hands "I'm simply following my orders."

Gon nodded as he dropped his bag on the floor. With a groan of frustration Daniel stood to the side watching every one of Gon's moves.

"You can try all you want. I'll never let you pass."

"I will pass... I'm going to see Killua!"

Time after time again, the girl knocked Gon to the ground every time he passed the line.

Daniel rage was filling to the top of his cup, threatening to spill over.

"Stop it." The girl's words linger in the air, snapping Daniel out of his thoughts of rage. _Did she say to stop?_

"Stay away!" The girl demands once again. "Cut it out!" for the first time, Daniel watched the girl throw a tantrum, showing an emotion other than a pure, poker face. "Don't you realise how futile this is?! Why won't you stop him? Aren't you his friends?"

She cuts herself short from the look of the three boys in the back, freaking out from there unwavering postures.

"Heh," Daniel lets out a small short laugh "I'm about to join him, but, I know he wouldn't like that..."

Gon lets out a small huff in Daniel direction "You're right about that!" He then turns to look back at the girl "What's the problem?" Gon takes a small step towards the girl as he raised his clenched fist in anger "I'm just here to see my friend. I'm just here to see Killua!" Gon reels his fist back, bringing it towards the girl's direction "Why do I have to do this?!"

In a fit of fury, Gon had destroyed the pillar to left of the girl's side, wiping off the top half. "Hey."

"Huh?"

"I crossed the line. Aren't you supposed to hit me?"

The girl raised her weapon, but was unable to deliver another blow.

"You're different from Mike."

 _You can say that again..._ Daniel hummed to himself. _She's shorter and less hairy._

"You may try to hide your feelings, but you have a heart. When I mentioned Killua, your eyes softened for a moment."

The girl's eyes widen in shock from hearing that. Daniel raised his hands in an open gesture, while slowly walking towards her "Please... just let us see Killua."

Tears stricken the girl's face, dropping every so often on to her hands "Please... Help Killua-Sama-" something fast came out of nowhere, striking the girl on left side of her face.

Daniel turned quickly, eyes darting all over the place. His eyes eventually found an older woman in a purple Victorian era dress. She wore a visor and the bottom of her face was covered by bandages, giving away the fact that she was Killua's mother.

"Honestly... What was that servant babbling about?" The woman complained dryly. "She made it sound like we're being mean to Killua."

While the others went to check on the girl, Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the sizzling fan the woman held, wondering what exactly, did she fire at the girl? Within another few passing seconds, Daniel had realised another person was beside Killua's mother.

The child had purple eyes and black medium length hair and sporting; a long black Kimono decorated with purple and white strokes, and orange flowers near the bottom of the dress and sleeves, a yellow obi tied around the waist and wore a pair of Japanese sandals, most likely a pair of Zōri on her feet.

_Maybe that's Killua's younger sister..._

"A worthless apprentice had the nerve to insult us!" The lady stepped up, smiling at Gon "You must be Gon." She then turned to look at Daniel, sniffing her nose in disgust at him "And you're Daniel. You look exactly like your father."

"Except four times younger and nothing like him...!" Daniel chimed with a smile. _Don't you dare compare me to my dad!_ I'm nothing like him _!_

"I heard about both of you from Illumi. Killua knows that you're here."

"Great!" Daniel's smile widened "Send him over..."

The lady frowned at Daniel's forward nature, a bad trait passed on by his father "I have a message for both of you from Kil... **Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it. But I can't see you right now. Sorry.** "

 _I believe it when I hear it from Killua's lips..._ Daniel wanted to say that out loud, but he couldn't speak the words on his mind.

Gon spoke quietly to Leorio "Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She's only unconscious."

Killua's mother continued after a brief moment of silence "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Killua's mother, Kikyo. This is Kalluto."

_OH SHIT! Isn't Kalluto a boy's name... that must mean he's Killua younger brother... whoops, my bad..._

"Why can't Killua come see us?" Gon demanded from Kikyo.

_He has more balls than me right now..._

Kikyo calmly speaks back, a soft smile contradicting her words "Because he's in solitary confinement."

The three boys behind Daniel ask in confusion "Solitary confinement?"

Daniel asked a question next, wanting to know why this has happened "And why is he in 'Solitary Confinement'?"

"Kil stabbed me and his brother before he ran away from home."

Daniel frowned slightly "Were you not happy to be stabbed by your son? I remember Illumi vaguely mentioning that."

As Kikyo grit her teeth for a moment, Kurapika growls "We know. That is the story he told us."

Kikyo frowned slightly "Kil returned because he regretted his actions. And he voluntarily entered solitary confinement."

Daniel blinked slowly, lazily opening them with disinterested eyes. "Seriously..." _Sounds like a crap ton of bullshit...!_

"So we don't know when he will leave..." Kikyo suddenly freaked out, frantically yelling at no one in particular "WHAT? Father! What are you doing?! Don't do anything hasty! He's finally returned!"

"I knew you were lying!"

Kikyo continued to growled frantically, ignoring Daniel's comment "Oh, why must Father be this way?" Taking a deep breath, Kikyo regained her old composure. "Something has come up." Kikyo bowed, picking up her dress as she got ready to run "So I bid you farewell."

"Please wait!" Gon demanded once again. Kikyo turned, waiting for Gon's response. "We'll be staying in town for a while. Please let Killua know."

Kikyo nodded with a smile "Very well. I shall tell him. Goodbye." She then ran fast as Kalluto stared the boys down,visual interrogating the boys "Who are you?"

"You know who we are..." Daniel blinked in confusion as Gon spoke "Killua's friends."

"Friends..."

"KALLUTO-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? COME OVER HERE!"

"Yes, mother." Kalluto chased after her mother, leaving the four boys alone.

"I probably shouldn't say it," Leorio spoke, with a hint of fear in his voice, "but these people creep me out..."

Daniel turned to look at the others "Creepy...? More like annoying..." Daniel sighed as he massaged the back of his head, a pout visibly forming.

"And I bet they were lying about Killua's saying that he can't see us."

Daniel nodded at Leorio's statement, as his eyes drew towards the young man "I think he just got out or something... the way she screamed... it sounded like Killua's escaped or something."

Leorio nodded "Gon, Daniel, we can't go back yet. How about we tail them?"

Daniel shook his head "They're long gone..."

Gon spoke up "Even if we did, she'll take the blame." Gon looked down at the girl as he spoke.

"Oh, right..."

The girl broke the tension, drawing Daniel's eyes to her "I will take you to the butler's office. There is a phone that connects to the mansion." Gon kneeled as he held his hand out to the girl.

She forced herself up, clutching her throbbing head in her hand "If Zeno-Sama is the one who answers..."

"Zeno-Sama...?" Daniel and Gon asked together, curious to whom he may be. The girl looked at the both of them "Killua-Sama's grandfather."

"~"

The boys followed the girl as she lead the four boys along a long winding path through the forest. They learned her name was Canary as they trudged through the forest.

Leorio complained in the back as he dragged his feet "Aren't we there yet?"

"We still have a while to go."

Leorio sighed after hearing that "How much walking do we have to do..."

"Leorio..." Daniel's eyes glazed over to Leorio "We ran a fair few Kilometres in the exam... this is nothing!"

Leorio grumbled under his breath after hearing those words "Show off!"

"Old man..."

"I'm a teenager!"

Canary chuckled at the two boys ranting in the back, which were eventually silenced by Kurapika. Canary eventually stopped, pointing out a building off in the distance "There it is."

"That building? But it's still pretty far away."

"Say, Canary." Gon spoke up, one eye still closed from his earlier fight with Canary. "Won't you get into trouble for bringing us here?"

Canary closed her eyes, thinking for a moment before blurting out loud "They already know what I'm doing." She opened her eyes to look at the others "So I am prepared to take the consequences."

Gon spoke up, objecting to Canary's plans "If there's any trouble, I'll take responsibility."

Daniel frowned "No, we should all go down together. We did put her in this position after all..."

Canary glazed her eyes at both boys before looking away to retort "No. I'm merely serving as a guide for Killua-Sama's friends."

Daniel and Gon blinked at each other in surprise, Gon then shared confused looks with Kurapika. Gon started to smile, which in-turn made Daniel smile. Daniel didn't know why he smiled after Gon smiled, but one thing was for sure, he felt like he was getting closer to Killua somehow.

Maybe it because he felt some sort of connection to Killua...

Or maybe it was because he was secretly harbouring feeling for Killua.

But, there was one thing he knew for certain... he couldn't wait to see Killua.

"~"

Leorio spoke in relief, when the five of them eventually came into view of the mansion "Hey, we finally made it."

They stopped short of the five butlers, whom bowed in respect, the middle butler leading the group "Welcome."

The group was lead into the small mansion, where Gon and Canary were tended to. As they were tended to, the same middle butler spoke up "Please forgive the rude reception."

The butler looked as though he was the head butler. He presented himself as a well groomed man, with his slicked back black hair, trimmed beard and glasses with pointed frames.

"The lady of the house has asked us to treat you as official guests."

 _Are you sure...? She sounded like she wanted us gone... far away from this place. At least that's the vibe I got from her..._ Daniel looked around as he kept his thoughts to himself.

Once Gon was done getting patched up, the boys were led into another small room. As the boys occupied a couch, the head butler sat in front of them, explaining what the place is.

Kurapika raised a curious eyebrow, confused by the man's explanation "Then this is not the primary Residence?"

"No, this place is for the butlers." Canary answered.

Daniel's eyes glazed around the room in awe. _Even the butlers have it good...!_

"Well," the head butler spoke "please make yourselves at home."

Daniel sighed "I rather not..."

Leorio looked at the head butler "I appreciate the hospitality, but we've come to see Killua."

Daniel nodded at all of Leorio's word, before ending the sentence for him "And we would lo- like to see him, right now..." _Fuck, nearly slipped that time..._

The head butler raised his hand with a smile "That won't be necessary. Killua-Sama is on his way here."

"Really?" both Gon and Daniel slammed their hands on the coffee table in front of them. Daniel coughed with an apparent blush "I mean... that's cool." Daniel sat back down with red cheeks. _Stop doing that! You're going to turn into one of those super obsessive 'cute' girls in those mangas..._

The head butler nodded "Yes, so please wait a little longer."

"That's great news, Gon, Daniel~!" Leorio teased the later.

"Yeah!" Gon chimed loudly, followed by Daniel's sarcastic reply "Yeah..."

"Now, then..." The head butler's lips shifted into a dry smile as he adjusted his glasses "To simply sit and wait would be dull." He then grinned at both Gon and Daniel "How about a game, to pass time?"

"A game?"

"It depends on what game." Daniel smiled innocently. The head butler pulled out a coin, twirling it around between his fingers. He flicked it up with a smile, catching it between his hands. "Which hand holds the coin?"

All four boys smiled as they pointing to his left hand together "The left hand."

"Correct." He held out the hand with a sly grin. "So I'll move more quickly this time." He flicked the coin, catching it between his hands faster than before with a huge grin. "Well? Which hand?"

Daniel smiled slightly. _We're playing this game? I hate my father for teaching the tricks of the trade..._ "Left hand" Daniel beamed as he looked at Gon whom also said the same.

"Marvellous." The head butler smiled, accompanied by the other butlers clapping their hands. "Then I shall try harder this time." he flicked the coin up into the air. When it fell past his eyes, the head butler moved fast, creating after images of his hand.

Daniel eyes narrow, darting his eyes in the coin's direction to see which hand he grabbed it with. The head butler's smile grew cold "Well? Which hand?"

Leorio grumbled loudly as his stroked his chin "I'm not positive, but I'd guess the right."

"You see... I have known Killua-Sama his entire life. I dare say that I care for him as though he were my own." The butler's hands clenched hard, crushing the coin between the hidden hand "In all honesty, I must despise you for trying to take him away. Well? Which hand? Answer."

Daniel growled coldly "The left!"

Revealing his hand, the butler adjusted his glasses "His lady mother could barely speak... She must be heartbroken, having to watch him leave. I cannot forgive it. By the time Killua-Sama arrives, a decision will be reached." He pulled out a coin, clenching it between his fingers. "I shall test you in my own way. You have no choice."

The butlers surround the group, holding out larger Tantōs. Canary is held at knife point by one of the butlers as the head butler starts to speak. "This is her punishment for having brought you here, against her orders. I shall explain the rules."

"If one of you answers incorrectly, that person is out of the games. Should you all be disqualified, I shall tell Killua-Sama you left. And that he will never see you again."

Daniel's eyes narrowed on the butler. _I WON'T LOSE!_

"Killua is..." Gon was cut off by the head butler growling "Silence! Your lives hang by a thread. Now, answer my question." He flicked the coin up into the air, catching it one of his hands "Which hand?"

Daniel growled "Right..."

"Don't take too long." The head butler's eyes narrowed between the remaining boys "You have three seconds to answer." The head butler looked at the butler holding Canary at Knife point. "Hey... After three seconds have passed, slit her throat."

"Okay."

"Wait, left hand!" Leorio yelled out.

"I pick the right hand!" Gon yelled, followed by Kurapika "Me, too..!"

The butler revealed his hand, showing the coin in his right hand. "One disqualified." He smacked his hands together, repeating the process before catching the coin "Which hand?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed "Left hand!"

"I choose the right hand." Kurapika stated after nodding at Gon.

"I pick the left."

The head butler revealed his hands "It was in my left hand. Only two remains now." He threw the coin into his other hand. As he flicked it in the air, Gon yelled "One second!"

The man caught it with a dangerous look on his eyes "What is it? If you're trying to buy time, I'll kill one of your friends."

Without answering the butler, Gon looked at Leorio "Leorio, lend me your knife."

"Huh?" The butler behind them freaked out in surprise.

"Don't worry. I won't use it for anything stupid."

Daniel looked away from the butler to focus on Gon in surprise, that he was willing to say something so casually. Leorio pulled out a flip knife, handing it to Gon, which he used on his swelled up eye.

When the swelling had subsided, Gon put some tape around his eye to hold it up "Okay! Now I can see. Give me your best."

The two of them nodded at each other before the head butler started the round.

"Left hand" Gon and Daniel stated together with a smile.

"Not bad. In that case..." He stood up flicking the coin into the air as two other butlers joined his side.

Daniel suddenly turned around him, as if something was drawing his attention. When he quickly looked back after being distracted, the round was already over.

"Who now holds the coin?"

 _How could I lose it...? What the hell distracted me? No, I have to pick a hand now... but which one..._ Daniel grits his teeth, continuing to look between the four hands, unable to say which one.

With a smile, Gon pointed to the guy behind them "The person right behind me."

Daniel blinked in disbelief, when he saw the guy hold out the coin. He was unable to figure out how he did it, or what even distracted him in the first place.

The butlers started to clap, followed by Daniel who was impressed.

"Brilliant."

The door opened, which made Daniel look behind him. Killua walked into the room with a groan "Gotoh, is Gon and Daniel here yet?"

As Daniel eyes widened in surprise, both Gon and Daniel yelled together "KILLUA!"

Killua stomped over to the couch with a huge smile "Oh! You're here, Gon! Daniel!"

When Daniel felt Killua smile in his direction his heart flutter for a moment as he had a moment in his head. _I could get used to that! I MEAN- his hot... FUCK, damn that smile. It makes him look way too cute... He should smile more often..._

"Along with..." Killua looked at Kurapika "Kurapika?"

Kurapika sighed "I'm just an afterthought?"

Killua pointed at Leorio next "Liorio!"

"LEORIO!"

"It's been a while." Killua looked at the two boys with a bigger smile "I can't believe you came. What happened? Your face is a wreck."

Daniel grinned as he pointed at Gon "He tried head butting a metal rod."

As Killua laughed at the joke, Gon fumed "I didn't! And it's not like yours any better!"

Daniel lost his smile slightly at the mentioning of that. Although Killua hadn't noticed, he pointed at the head butler "Hey, Gotoh. I told you to let me know as soon as they arrived. What were you doing?"

"Forgive me. I had them participate in a little game."

"A game...?" Killua asked in confusion as he looked Gon, whom only just smiled.

Daniel glazed his eyes over Killua, too love struck to even notice his own expression.

"We were playing toss the coin."

When Killua looked at Daniel, he raised an eyebrow "What's with the goofy look."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed slightly "What goofy look...?" He looked a little to his right, noticing a mischievous smile spread across Gon's face. _How was I smiling? Like an idiot, or like stupid idiot?_

Daniel sighed in defeat, refusing to accept he possibly looked like an idiot "No reason..."

Gotoh cut the boys conversation short with a smile "It was nothing more than a poor joke. I apologize for any aggravation. Did you enjoy yourselves?"

Killua had an eyebrow raised the whole time, disbelieving Gotoh's very words.

"That was really good acting..." Leorio ran a hand through his hair as he broke out in cold sweat.

Killua looked at Daniel "What? Did they try something?"

Before Daniel could answer, Gon shook his head "No, they were entertaining us."

Killua smiled "Really? Well, whatever. Anyway, let's go somewhere else. Anywhere else, right now." Killua ground his teeth together in anger "If we stay here, my mother will give us an earful!"

"Yeah!" Gon nodded.

Daniel smiled, lifting a finger as he nod continuously "Ones enough for us. Let's go!"

As Gon picked up his bag, Killua pointed to Gotoh "Hey, Gotoh. Listen up. I don't care what mother says. Don't follow me."

Gotoh bowed "Understood. Please take care."

Killua turned to look at Gon and Daniel "Gon, Daniel, let's go. Bye." Killua waved off as he started to walk off.

Daniel followed behind Killua and when they reached out side, Daniel casually hugged Killua. "Oi, what you doing."

Daniel fumed "It's called I miss my best friend hug."

"Oh," Killua awkwardly patted Daniel's head "I missed you too."

Daniel nodded as he stood up straight.

"What's with the weapon?"

"It's a present from my perverted dad. I'll tell you along the way."


	20. Catch ups X farewells X Heaven's Arena?

No details were left untouched when explaining **Wolfbane** to Killua, with the exception of the materials it was made of. Daniel had no clue, and for all he knew, it could have been made out of some animal dung. The weapon was heavy, yielding both strength and weight for an added mix of durability.

Gon explained what had happened between his discussion with Gotoh.

Killua smirked, smiling widely from Gon's explanation. He knew exactly what Gotoh did "Yeah, he's used that trick on me before. Once you know the secret, it's so simple, it'll make you mad."

"Huh? Really?"

When Gon flicked the coin into the air, Daniel snatched. "Let me guess..." Daniel flicked the coin up into the air, catching it with his left hand, a smile spread from cheek to cheek. "Which hand?"

"It's your left hand, right?" Daniel opened his left hand slightly, allowing the coin to fall in his sleeves. He then showed the coin in his right hand and an empty left hand to Gon "Ehh? He didn't change the value of the coin..."

Daniel shook his head with a small laugh "Sorry... I don't have the same coin on me. There's different ways to do it, but, the premise is to have two coins, preferable of the same type."

"But you have only one..."

Daniel dropped his left arm, allowing the coin to fall into his palm "The other one was hidden in his sleeve. Whichever one you guessed, he would drop the coin in that hand. Even if you said right, he would have showed the coin in his left hand."

Gon smiled, smacking his fist on top of his open palm in awe.

Killua nodded "You are correct. How'd you guess?"

"Hmm? My dad's a gambler... He taught me a lot of tricks."

Gon grounds his teeth together in frustration, after hearing that "That makes me mad."

Killua lifted a finger "Well, I'm fairly certain he only used the trick on the final turn."

Gon facial expression dropped, disappointing from hearing Gotoh would've cheated on the last turn, if Killua hadn't stepped in. Killua continued to smile "Gotoh hates cheating, even if it's a game."

"That's even worse!"

_Killua... stop smiling! Not only are you cute, but it's making my heart flutter! I'm still trying to figure out my feelings... Stop giving me more reasons to like you!_

"~"

The long train ride back was very informative to Killua. He had learned from the four boys that they had been travelling on a tourist visa. Gon had explained the very reasons for that, saying he didn't want to use his Hunter Licence until he punched Hisoka, and returned his tag.

Daniel couldn't understand why Gon wanted to face Hisoka again, let alone punch him. The guy was damn scary. A small fight later, Killua had asked a question, which threw Gon completely off guard "Where's Hisoka?"

Gon was stumped; he had no idea where to even begin looking. The group sighed at Gon, frustrated that he wouldn't keep tabs on the one guy he wanted to punch. Kurapika was the one to inform Gon of where Hisoka would be in the future.

Kurapika had explained to the group that Hisoka had informed him of the Phantom Troupe's location, including where they may be. One question lingered in Daniel's mind. _What drove him to seek out_ ** _The Phantom Troupe_** _? What did they do to him?_

Daniel didn't want to ask why though. He felt bad for delving into Kurapika's past. Although he had connected to them during training, becoming even closer, he felt like he didn't deserve to be their friends. Or that he was only friends, because Gon had been their friends for a long time.

One thing was for certain, Daniel felt a connection to Kurapika, far stronger than he did to Leorio. If Kurapika was to ask for his help out of the blue, Daniel would go through any lengths, as opposed to Leorio where **he would think about it**.

On the first of September, Hisoka would be waiting in Yorknew City. That means Kurapika still had half a year left before they had to meet, and Gon had the same amount of time to train. There was no way Gon would be able to land a punch on Hisoka, with a straight right fist.

But what Leorio had said, startled Daniel. On the first of September, Yorknew was supposed to hold the world's largest auction, from the first to the tenth of September.

"~"

When the train had stopped at their destination the five of them had gotten off, heading straight into town.

"Then I shall depart now." Kurapika casually blurted out.

Gon looked at Kurapika shocked, wondering why now of all times he would choose to leave.

"We managed to see Killua again, so I'm finished here. I'll need money to participate in the auction. So I shall search for a patron to employ me as a Hunter." As Kurapika finished his sentence, he smiled at the four remaining boys; Leorio, Killua, Daniel and Gon.

"Really... I guess I should go home, then." Leorio chimed in.

"You, too?" Gon asked.

Daniel turned to Leorio with a raised eyebrow.  
_Everyone's leaving...  
Maybe I should go home too... or should I stay? What should I do..._

Leorio looked straight at the sky, smiling gleefully "I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a doctor. If I'm accepted to medical school," Leorio pulled out his Hunter Licence "I can use this to pay the ridiculous fee. I'll have to go back and start cramming."

"Uh-huh, good luck."

The five of them huddled into a group, Leorio being the first to chime in "Until we meet again."

"Yes, that will be..." Kurapika smiled gleefully as the five then chanted together, as a remembrance and a promise "September 1st, in Yorknew City."

"See ya." Leorio and Kurapika left at the same time.

Daniel waved to the two guys as they left to go their separate ways. "Reorio, do I get free checkups?"

"LEORIO! And no, not until you get my name right..."

Daniel smiled "So I get free checkups as long as I call you Leorio, right?"

Leorio sputters completely caught off guard "But, uh... Arrgh! SURE, whatever..."

"~"

"Bye-Bye!" Gon yelled at the airship leaving, hoping the Leorio and Kurapika would hear him. "It's just the three of us now."

Daniel chuckled, then turning to look at Killua and Gon. "It's just us three... the problem is, I promised my sister I would go home after seeing Killua."

"Ehh...?" Gon whined "You aren't staying?"

Daniel 'tsked' as he waved a finger "I am staying... just... as long as I can convince one of my family members..."

Killua grinned "A daddies, little boy?"

Daniel nodded as he exclaimed with an upbeat "Yep! However, even if they say no, I'm staying. Travelling with you two guys has been fun!"

As Killua nodded slightly, Gon then turned to look at Killua "Hey, what do you want to do?"

"You have to ask? We train, obviously."

"Huh? Train for what? Shouldn't we have some fun?"

Killua got into Gon's face, fuming in anger towards him as Daniel face-palmed "Seriously...?"

Killua shot Gon an intense look "Do you remember what you just said? Think you can punch Hisoka in the face without training?"

Gon's face drooped into a small pout. Killua yelled from Gon's reaction "You couldn't land a punch in ten years, let alone six months!"

"Okay."

Daniel smiled slightly "To be fair... I was going to say two years..."

Killua sighed, giving Daniel an incredulous look "Here," he bent down, picking up a random stick to draw "I'll make it easy to understand."

"This is Hisoka." Killua drew Hisoka's face. "This is Hanzo." Killua then drew Hanzo's face next.

"Uh-huh..."

"If this is the gap between Hisoka and Hanzo, in terms of strength, the gap between Hisoka and you..." Killua drew a line, all the way to the other side of the park "is this far! And I'm being generous."

As Gon fumed, Daniel laughed "Seriously... take that with a grain of salt, he probably would have drawn the line from here to the other side of the airport."

" _Now I'm really mad..._ that didn't make me feel any better."

When Killua came back, Gon pointed at floor "Then where are you?"

"Me?" Killua looked at the floor, picking a little closer to Hanzo "Well, probably around here." A wide smirk lit up on Killua's face.

"Oh, Hanzo is stronger?"

Killua fumed at Gon's words "What is it?"

Daniel blurted out "Seriously, you are really amazing!" Gon nodded profusely at Daniel's words. A large blush spread across Killua's face, making him turn away "Cut that out... It's embarrassing."

Gon looked over at Daniel "Well, what about Daniel?"

"What about him?"

"How strong do you think he is?"

"Hmm..." Killua looked a bit at the line, picking a spot nearby Killua "Around here-ish..."

"I don't know if I should feel insulted, or happy that I'm so close to Killua in terms of strength."

Killua blushed again, dropping the stick to clap the dust off his hands, without responding.

Gon looked between Killua and Daniel "I don't know how to tell difference in strength between my opponent and myself."

"Stupid. It doesn't matter."

As Daniel nodded at Killua's words, he turned to look at Gon "Strength is hard to measure. As Vastorie says **'People can make mistakes when pushed... Punching someone, when they are pissed off is not the same when they are completely caught off guard...'** Mind you, this is also the same guy that says **'When in doubt, go for the jewels! That'll send them down for the count, unless he defends them.'** So, I rather no trust his judgement..."

Killua chuckled "Does your dad take anything seriously?"

"Does coffee count?"

"No... Anyways, we're getting off topic. I'm only estimating. You probably have a general idea." As Killua walked off, Daniel and Gon followed close behind him. "Once you have enough experience, your guess will become more accurate. Besides, the stronger someone is, the better they are at hiding that strength. So you shouldn't rely on this method."

"Oh..."

"Well, in any case, Hisoka is strong."

"Yeah."

When Killua stopped at a door, he turned around "You won't land a blow on him in six months through normal means."

Gon nodded at Killua's words.

"Gon, do you have any money?"

"Uh... Actually, I'm running out."

"How about you?" Killua turned to look at Daniel.

Daniel smiled as he pulled out his wallet "Yep, I'm pretty-" as a moth flew out of his wallet, leaving Daniel startled, he looked at it in confusion "How did that get in there...? Anyways, I'm pretty... broke?"

Daniel looked up with a smile "That's right, Zaikaria has..." A face of mortification spread across Daniel's face as he came to a sudden realisation, "all... the... money...? SHIT! I forgot to ask for my half!"

Killua smiled upon hearing that. "I don't have much, either. But there's somewhere we can train and earn money at the same time."

"Train and earn money?" Daniel and Gon asked in unison.

Lifting a finger, Killua exclaimed "The Heavens Arena."

"Heavens Arena..." Gon muttered out loud, as Daniel rolled the name in his head for a few seconds, nothing clicked in his head "Nope! Doesn't ring any bells..."

"Yeah, I'll explain later. We should get moving."

"Okay!" Gon and Daniel yelled together as they followed after Killua.

On the airship, Daniel had excused himself to ring his parents. He needed to call one of them, and let them know what's happening.

He dialled Vastorie's number first, waiting for the connection. As the call connected, he was met with a sound he was not prepared for. A moan escaped Vastorie's lips, leaving Daniel mortified. "Bad timing...?"

"Mm..."

 _Seriously... why did you pick up?_ Daniel sighed in excruciating pain.

"Are you... on the phone?" Daniel had heard Nathaniel ask.

"No..."

A loud smack echoed off the phone, making Daniel reel back from it in pain "Ow..."

"You piece of shit! You don't answer the phone 'during' _that_!"

"It's our son... you want me to leave him hanging?"

Daniel heard a whack through the phone, making him snicker at Vastorie's misfortune. He then heard Nathaniel pick up the phone, answering it with a small cough "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing much... just chilling with Gon and Killua..."

"Who and who...?"

A loud noise cut through the phone as Vastorie fought for it. "Give me..."

"No!"

"I'm better for-"

"I don't trust you!"

"But," Daniel assumed Vastorie managed to snatch the phone out of Nathaniel's hands, because he heard him loud and clear "I'm the mother in the relationship, so, I'm the one who bitches and interrogates my son! Who are you 'chilling' with?"

Daniel sighed "Killua and Gon, I was wondering-"

"Killua, eh...? Whatever you want to ask, you're free to do?"

"HUH...?" Daniel heard his other father ask at the same time. A small argument occurred, which Daniel could only hear bits and pieces of, including a small statement from Vastorie **"I'll explain later!"**

Before Daniel could ask what Vastorie had meant, his voice boomed through the phone "HUH? _Nen_ training? You think we are the only ones out there...? There're plenty of teachers, you and I aren't the only ones... Why thank you. I know I'm better suited for the job, but let him get his way. What? No! I'm not making him come home for that... I'm sure Zaikaria already gave that to him... Yes, I think ahead. Anyways,"

Daniel heard Vastorie speak to him "You want to know if you can go exploring with your new _friends_ , right?"

"Uh, but, how?"

"I met you father during the Hunter's exam and... no, it was no love at first sight... more like second, cause damn, he was hot at second glance."

"I'm sitting right here you know... and someone else is on the phone right now!"

"So, I don't care my son's on the phone to hear that."

'SMACK'

"You know that doesn't hurt, right?"

'SMACK'

"Ow, right! Daniel, go explore and come home when _you_ , want to come home."

Daniel rolled his eyes at the phone "Sure... I set the calendar on the date of _never_ , especially the way you are..."

"No need to be snide, I have my 'needs'... no, I'm not a horn-dog, thank-you-very-much!"

"Can you put Nathaniel on the phone?"

"Why?"

"Because his going to worry about me if you don't..."

With a sigh, Daniel heard Nathaniel speak "Are you sure you're ok?"

Daniel nodded into the phone "Yep! I'm on my way to Heavens Arena for training with Killua and Gon. I just wanted to let you know there's someone I wanted to be around."

"That's good to hear. Don't do your father's trick, try to seduce the person through any possible means. I will admit... he did have some imaginative ways..."

"Speaking about that..." Daniel quietly whispered into the phone "Before I go, I wanted to let you know. I kind of accidentally walked in on you two."

"Ah...?"

"Vastorie saw me, because he had 'the talk' later on... a very graphic 'talk' mind you..."

"Why you..." Daniel heard the loud smack through the phone, followed by a crash "WHAT DID I DO?"

"I thought you said you'll let me have the talk''... properly without mental images. You ease into it and... STOP LAUGHING! I'm being serious!"

Daniel could feel Nathaniel frown through the phone "Damn child... act your age! You're fifth-two!"

"Don't remind me... Soon I'm gonna be busting out the wrinkles... And nobody wants that!"

Nathaniel sighed "Daniel, go, enjoy yourself. But don't hesitate to call ME, next time. I'll keep my phone close.

Daniel nodded again into the phone "Thanks, dad."

"No problems."

When Daniel heard the end tone, he smiled as he put his phone back into his pocket "Now, time to have some fun!"


	21. Heavens Arena X Training? X Flying Kick

Daniel sat right next to Killua, just in time to join their conversation. Gon had pressed his face up to the glass in awe, eyes as wide as saucers.

As Gon was busy pressing both of his hands to the glass, Killua started the conversation "That's Heavens Arena."

Daniel tilted his head to the side, just in time to see a huge tower far off into the distance. "That's... h-massive..."  
_Damn... Almost set myself up for that what's she said joke..._

Killua turned to face Daniel with a sly grin, which in-turn made Daniel frown. _Killua you sly devil... you thought it, didn't you...?_

Killua continued to speak as he turned to look at Gon "Two hundred and fifty-one stories. Nine hundred, ninety-one meters tall. The world's fourth tallest building."

"So this is where we'll be training..." Daniel and Gon spoke almost in sync. Gon turned to face Daniel, grinning from the same thought. Soon Daniel started to grin as well from Gon's own.

Killua poked Daniel to draw his attention "Hmm...?"

"What happened?"

"What? Do I look like I've been crying?"

"No..." Killua paused, curious to know why Daniel assumed he was crying first? Was Daniel prone to cry on the spur of the moment.

Gon beam out loud, bringing the question to light "Can you stay?"

Daniel nodded at Gon with a smile from cheek to cheek "Yup. They just said to have fun and be careful... you know... the usual."

Killua nodded, frowning soon after "Oh... I know..."

Killua sat quietly, a glum expression plastered across his face. Gon decided to ask something new, and different, seemingly catching Daniel off guard "What is it like having two dads?"

"Whaa...?"

Killua ears perked up, drawing his attention towards Daniel and Gon.

"Well... I've grown up only with Aunt Mito. And Killua has grown up with a mum and a dad. I'm wonder what having two dads was like..."

The blush across Gon's face betrayed his question, making it harder for Daniel to pin point his motives "Well... I'm surprise you never asked this question during training. But, it's like every normal family... except the house is filled with more testosterone..."

"Testosterone...?" Gon asked casually. Daniel nodded at Gon "It's... well... when a man wants another man..."

Gon held up his hands, shaking off the rest of Daniel's conversation "No... I mean what's it really like to have them as your parents?"

"Well..." Daniel raked his mind as he thought out loud "Sometimes I wish Vastorie wasn't my dad... He takes any chances he can to embarrass me, putting me in the most unique situations... But, at the same time, I can't imagine life without him. He looked after me, helped me in tight spots... protected me. Yes, big shocker when you look at his background. But, a really long time ago... maybe when I was four, I remembered falling down the side off a hill."

Daniel paused when he saw that he drew both Gon and Killua's attention. "I hurt my knee and remembered crying for hours... All of a sudden, Vastorie dropped out of the sky like some superhero introduction. All he needed to do was drop a pose... or two and it would have been complete."

Daniel smiled he looked outside the window, focusing only on Heavens Arena "Yeah, he told me to man up afterwards. But I remember seeing the worry in his eyes... he picked me up and gave me a piggy back ride home. After I got home, I got a royal yelling from Zaikaria, and the over worried talk from Nathaniel, where he treated the wound like it was a life of death scenario... But, it was normal..."

Killua interjected, a smirk betraying his intentions "Wanna trade parents?"

"Hmm... Assassin parents... or stuck in really awkward..." Daniel weighted his hands, looking as though he was seriously thinking on the topic "I'll take mine any day, sorry, Killua..."

Killua snickered "I would too..."

Daniel noticed the distance in his voice, although briefly, Gon soon interrupted them both "Ooh... so, your parents are open?"

"Out of the closet and into the living room..."

Killua snickered, knowing full well of the double meaning. Daniel shook his head "Anyways, one is as gay as a rainbow. My other dad likes both sexes... I think. But, like I said, you love who you love..." Daniel shrugged at the last part.

With a nod, the boys fell silent. Daniel's eyes glazed over Killua to deep in thought. _I wonder who I love? Am I in love with you, Killua?_

"~"

As the airship landed, the boys picked up their gear. Killua spoke up as Daniel clipped his weapon to his belt once again. "I used up all my money on the trip fare. We'll have to make more here."

Daniel groaned at Killua "You make me feel bad now."

Killua smiled at Daniel and Gon "After we disembark, we'll start from zero."

Gon and Daniel nodded at each other, before smiling at Killua "Okay, got it."

"Good... let's go."

"Yeah...!" Gon chanted loudly as Daniel followed after them silently.

"~"

Daniel eyed the large structure as he walked in Heavens Arena alongside Killua. His eyes fell on the line, seeing a huge range of people, stretching all the way to the door. Daniel whistled loudly in awe, keeping his eyes focused on the ceiling above him "This place is massive."

Gon nodded as he looked at the ceiling above.

Killua called out to both Daniel and Gon, drawing their attention. The two of them shared a brief nod with Killua before walking a few steps. Gon took the chance to speak up, voicing his thoughts out loud "There's a really long line. Everyone's going to Heavens Arena?"

"There aren't any conditions here, like there were for the Hunter Exam. You just have to defeat your opponent."

"Oh..." Gon looked at Killua with an intrigued expression. As Gon turned to look back at the ceiling, Killua looked to front of the line "The higher you go, the more prize money you earn. This is as good as it gets for those looking to make a living with their fists."

Daniel nodded, a grin slowly plastering across his face "Sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun."

"~"

The line eventually decrease, bringing the boys right up to the sign up booth. The lady in the booth holds out three sheets of papers to the boys "Welcome to Heavens Arena. Please fill out this form."

Daniel looked over the sheet, finding out he could basically lie with his name. He filled out the sheet, writing his name to be Urufu D.

Handing the sheets back to the lady, she entered the data in "Killua Zoldyck-Sama, you are #2054. Gon Freecss-Sama, you are #2055. Urufu D-Sama, you are #2056."

Killua and Gon raised an eyebrow at Daniel after hearing his name. "They'll call your number on the first floor of the arena, so make sure you remember it. Then please go ahead."

As the boys walked to their destination, Gon asked Daniel with interest in his eyes "Why Urufu?"

"It's an inside joke with Zaikaria... She calls me a wolf whenever I smile, because I look mischievous..."

"Oh..."

Killua smirked "Are you sure it isn't because of your hair?"

"Hair...?" Daniel grabbed a handful of his hair, running a hand through its length "Sure, my hair's long... but I'm not that hairy..."

As Gon shook his head with a smile, he raised a finger to his chin "I still think it's weird we have to call you another name."

Daniel shrugged at Gon "They have to call me another name. You don't have to... I'm still going to be Daniel. Besides, Urufu is my nickname." As they were stepping out of the hallway, the sounds of people cheering on competitors loudly greeted them.

Daniel's eyes went as wide as saucers from the view. In the middle of the arena were at least sixteen smaller arenas surrounded by a larger ring. People gathered around the inner ring, wanting to view the fights up close.

"Whoa..." Gon eyes light up like Christmas trees by the view. Killua took the steps down to one of the seats that surrounded the large ring. Daniel and Gon joined Killua, taking a seat of their own as Killua spoke "It's been a while, but the place hasn't changed."

"Huh? You've been here before?"

"Yeah, when I was six. My dad left me here without a penny. He said I should reach floor 200 before coming home. It took two years."

Daniel's eyes narrowed "And I thought my dad was mean..."

"Hmm...?" Killua glanced in Daniel's direction "What did he do?"

"He used to read mangas during practice..."

"Used too...?"

"I had a switch of trainers... my other dad took over training."

Killua nodded once the discussion was over. Killua turned to face Gon "If you want to fight people of Hisoka's level, you'll need to go higher. Let's hurry."

"Okay." Gon nodded at Killua with a confused expression, and then Killua looked at Daniel for a reply. Daniel shared a simple nod with Killua without saying any words.

"#1973. #2055. Please enter ring E."

Gon stood up in shock "#2055! That's me! Uh..." Gon looked stressed out as he took off his bag. "I'm getting nervous now."

"On, you got through the Testing Gate, right?"

"Huh?"

Daniel nodded for Gon "He went through the testing gate just fine."

"In that case, all you have to do is push hard."

Gon nodded at Killua, heading towards ring 'E'. As Daniel was about to speak, another announcement was made "#2056. #2015. Please head to ring 'J'."

Daniel stood up with a smirk "My time to shine."

"Let's see what you can do."

Daniel smiled at Killua, placing his weapon onto the floor. "I can't bring any weapons... Can you look after mine?"

Killua nodded as he looked at it "Sure."

Daniel took the flight of steps down quickly to join Gon's side "We're going to be corner ring buddies."

"Uh-huh."

Daniel eyed down the nervous Gon "Come on Gon. Killua's right you know. All you have to do is push. You can push a four ton door. I highly doubt anyone weighs that much here."

Gon took in a deep breath before speaking up with a smile "You right."

"~"

Daniel watched from the ring side as he waited for his opponent. He looked at Gon and his opponent, somewhat feeling sorry for his opponent. A loud cracking noise made his eyes dart into a direction.

Daniel saw a large man climbing into the ring, easily weighing 300 kilograms.

"That's brutal!" One of the watchers yelled out from as others joined in "Yeah. Those poor kids got the short end of the stick."

"This is your last chance to run!"

"This isn't a game! One punch, and he'll fly out of the ring!"

"What about the other kid? If that guy even falls over, he'll crush the poor kid..."

Daniel sighed as he took a double look at his fighter. The stance the man took suggested that he was a sumo wrestler, and a cocky one at that. The long mischievous smile crossed the man's face, showing signs that he was thinking this was going to be an easy win.

The referee stood between the two, stating the rules in a calm tone. "On the first floor, we appraise each participant's level. You are allowed three minutes to demonstrate your prowess. Then... begin!"

Gon match had already started and ended by the time Daniel's even began.

The crowd cheered loudly as the man stood his ground, readying for any attack Daniel could dish out.

"That kid's incredible!"

"He's got some crazy power!"

Daniel jumped back as close to the edge of the ring as he could, earning a cocky smile from the man "You scared kid?"

"Nope! I'm just gonna need a running start." Daniel bolted into another corner before sprinting towards the man. Jumping into the air, Daniel had delivered a well place back kick into the guy's stomach.

Daniel watched the man's guts swallow his foot before he felt a connection. He regretted not holding back his strength, when he saw which direction the man was headed. "Gon, watch out!"

The man flew past Gon's ring, slamming into the already cracked wall that Gon had already made. Killua yelled out from the ring side seats "Watch where you're kicking, Daniel!"

Daniel smiled innocently in Killua's direction when the guy fell from the wall, falling onto of the man Gon just knocked out. "I forgot to hold back. Plus, his gut absorbed most of the impact. It was ripping like water... So I think the guy under him is ok..."

"Ehh, these guys have monstrous strength!"

The referee in Daniel's ring handed him a ticket "#2056, proceed to floor 50."

Daniel nodded with a gleeful smile "YES, let's see if I did better than Gon!"

"~"

Gon flashed up his sheet of paper to Daniel "I got sent to floor 50..." Daniel looked at the floor, sulking from Gon's results. "I got sent to floor fifty as well..."

"Ehh? Why are you upset?"

"I was hoping I beat you..."

Gon puffed out his chest with a huge smile "I'll never lose!"

Daniel chuckled, gradually holding out his fist, in thumbs up. "I'll take you on any time."

"Really...?"

Daniel nodded at Gon with a smile "If you want to improve yourself to be the best, build a rivalry..." Daniel's eyes slowly turned in Killua's direction watching him knock out a competitor with a swift chop to the neck. "Pick a person you know you can never beat."

Gon smiled widely "Yeah. So, are you going to tell Killua you love him?"

"I'M NOT," Daniel quietly whispers the next part "in love with him..." Daniel felt unsure of himself in that very moment in time. Sure, the signs were there, but, he felt as though if he loved someone, things would change for the worse. And he didn't want that. Especially seeing his own father would tease him to no ends.

Daniel felt a darkness pulling in his mind, what if he was wrong to love Killua? Would he be cheating on his own hidden feelings? The ones in the back of his mind, hidden from the view he so desperately wanted to find out.

What was hiding in the back of his mind and what did Daniel really feel? When Killua came up to Daniel and Gon, showing the piece of paper, it revealed that he'll also be on floor fifty as well, Daniel smiled "I guess we'll be together..." Daniel then held up the sheet to Killua "I'm on floor fifty as well."


	22. Heavens Arena X Training? X Winning

Daniel gripped the sheet in his pocket, smiling on the inside. In the end he was happy for landing on the 50th floor. He'll be beside Killua and Gon the whole time, as long as they all kept winning.

The guide spoke as she led the three boy's plus one who had also won during the same time as Killua, although, the fourth boy didn't draw Daniel's eyes from Killua. In Daniel's mind, all that existed right now was Killua and Gon. "The first 200 floors of Heaven Arena are divided into classes, each comprised of ten floors. So after someone defeats an opponent in the 50s, they advance to the 60s. If they lose, then they'd drop back to the 40s."

"Oh, so that's how it works." Gon chimed loudly, followed by Daniel "That doesn't sound too hard. I would've thought you climbed up in units of ones, meaning there's a hundred and fifty fights to win and not 15, of course if you win every time."

Killua nodded "A hundred and fifty would have been a drag."

The boy that stood behind them spoke up, letting the three know of his presence "Plus... I've heard that after you pass the 100th floor, you get your own room!"

Turning around, the three boys looked startled.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Osu! My name is Zushi! What about you guys?"

Looking seriously at the boy, Daniel noticed he was wearing a white Karate Gi with a red belt, and a black turtleneck underneath it. He looked to be about average sized, with light brown hair and really thick eyebrows, big brown hazel eyes, similar to Gon's but different to what they reflected.

"I'm Killua." Killua went first, followed by Gon "I'm Gon."

Daniel held up a hand with a smile "Daniel _Urufu_ Darkscryer."

Gon stated proudly "Nice to meet you."

The elevator 'dinged', letting them know that they have reached their floor "We've arrived at the 50th floor."

The four boys got off as Zushi continued to speak "I saw your fight earlier. That was really amazing, yo!"

"What you talking about?" Killua looked at Zushi with a funny look, trying to suss out the boy. "You made it up here with one match, too."

"That's right." Gon beamed in.

"No... I still have a long way to go. By the way, which martial arts discipline do you practice? I study the Shingen-ryu fighting technique."

Daniel scratched his chin as the others answered, Killua going first "School? We don't have one, right?"

"No..." Gon looked at Killua.

"What?" The three boys then turned to Daniel "What about you?"

Daniel shook his head "It's yes... and no at the same time. I didn't specifically study any martial arts I learned a few moves from here and there. Mostly just a weapons fighter..."

"That explains the sword."

"Scythe..." Daniel corrected Zushi calmly.

"Still, you're that strong with no training? I'm kind of shocked..." Zushi had dropped his head in shame, having known that the three standing before him had little to no training.

"Oi," Daniel looked at Zushi seriously offended "I'm offended by that."

Zushi stood up straight, clenching his fists in determination "I still have so far to go!"

A man clapping loudly, echoed in the hallway "Zushi. You did well." Daniel and the others had turned to face the direction of the voice.

"Master!"

Daniel eyed down the man seriously. He wore a light pink shirt which was untucked, grey pants and large round glasses. His hair was jet black and unkempt, and his brown beady eyes, focused on what stood before him. "You adhered to my teachings."

"Osu! I am honoured! Master, your shirt is untucked again."

As Zushi's master tucks his shirt in, Daniel blinks once, quickly looking in Zushi's direction "Wait... who's the master?"

"Ah... Oh, sorry about that... Who are they?"

"Oh, these are Killua-San, Gon-San and Daniel-San."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Wing."

Daniel bowed in respect for Wing, unsure how to react for the remainder of his time here. _Seriously, is this guy the Master or is Zushi..._

During that time, Gon and Killua held out their hands like Zushi in a sign of respect "Osu!"

"I didn't expect to meet other children. Why are you here?"

"Uh..." Killua looks at Wing a tiny bit stumped, as if he was thinking of a good lie. Instead, Killua chose to tell the truth "Well, we want to become stronger. But-"

_There it is!_

"-we're also broke, so we're making money simultaneously."

"Killua's a veteran here." Gon stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh? What about you?"

"I'm just here for the ride..."

"Seriously...?" Gon and Killua asked together. Daniel blinked, unamused from both of the boys reactions "No, if every day was an adventure with you guys, why would I leave you?"

"So, you're like a lost puppy looking for food, only the food is an adventure instead." Killua looked smugly at Daniel.

"Sure."

Wing spoke up, drawing the boy's attention once again "If you're up here, you must be fairly skilled, but you should pay strict attention to your opponent's body, as well as your own."

Gon and Killua chant together "Osu!"

Daniel waved his hand at Wing "Way ahead of you. My mentor... taught me well."

"Oh, who is he?"

"Nathaniel..." _Shit, I don't remember his original surname... Umm..._ "I think his surname is Fortress. So, Nathaniel Fortress..." _I guess..._

"Ah, I know him. He's a fine swordsman. I believe 'The Fortress' is his nickname."

"Ehh...?" Gon looked at Daniel "I thought you said-"

"Shush! That is his surname from now on..."

Gon fumed at Daniel, steam blasting out of his ears.

"Gon, if it makes you feel any better, he has two surnames." Killua commented, a finger pointing up as if he made a point.

"Wait wouldn't that mean your-"

"Yes and no. I can have both or one he doesn't mind."

Wing raised an eyebrow "Your surname wouldn't happen to be... Darkscryer, would it?"

Daniel glanced at Wing "That's a pretty good guess... what gave it away?"

"With shorter hair, you would be a splitting image of him."

Daniel sighed "I get that a lot..."

"And Nathaniel would be your other father, correct?"

"Yeah... I guess Gon gave away a hint." Daniel sighed as he looked away "Sometimes I wish I had his green eyes..."

Gon frowned "It wouldn't suit you. You would look weird."

Daniel shook his head at Gon with an amused look "Says the guy wearing green."

"Ehh? But I like green..."

"~"

After departing with Wing, the four boys had gone to exchange their tickets for money.

"Killua-Sama, Gon-Sama, Urufu-Sama and Zushi-Sama? Please hand me your tickets."

The tickets were exchanged, and their money was given to them in a small envelope. "Here is your prize money."

Daniel watched Gon drop the money in his hand, revealing his prize money to be one hundred, fifty-two jenny. Daniel opened his, showing he had the same amount.

"One hundred, fifty-two jenny..."

"Killua, please tell me this is a joke..." Daniel slowly looked at Killua in concern.

Daniel watch Killua insert his money into the machine, pressing a button to get a can of soda. He picked it up and then looked at the others seriously "On the 1st floor, win or lose, your reward covers a canned drink."

As Killua opened his drink, he continued "But beyond that, a loss gets you nothing. A win over an opponent in the 50s nets you fifty thousand."

When Killua started to drink, Gon freaked out "Fifty thousand..."

"That sounds better!" Daniel smiled in Gon's direction.

Killua stopped drinking so he could continue "In the 100s, I think wins are worth a million."

"What?" Gon and Zushi looked at each other startled.

Daniel massaged his chin "That's a big jump from fifty thousand..."

"Once you're past the 150th floor, you get ten million a pop." As Killua finished, he went back to his drink.

"Ten million? Didn't you make it to floor 200 when you were here before?" Gon looked at Killua in utter shock as his mind tried to process the information.

Zushi looked in complete shock at Killua "Th-The 200th floor?"

Daniel nodded "Seriously, what do you get on the 200th floor a billion Jenny?"

"Yeah...!" Gon chimed in with a simple nod in Daniel's direction. "How much do you get for winning on the 200th floor?"

"Well... I don't really know, because I quit once I reached 200. But when I was winning in the 190s, I had around two hundred million, total."

The three boys looked at Killua, unable to make a single expression. They were lost between awe, shock and a questionable look.

"T-Two hundred million..."

"Where's that money now?"

Killua smiled like a cat "That was four years ago. Spent it all on snacks!"

"Two hundred million on snacks," Gon and Zushi looked at each other like robotic puppets, before finishing "in four years?"

"What kind of snacks are these?" Zushi asked next.

"Ones he likes..." Daniel smiles in Gon and Zushi's direction. "But, I've heard of snacks that cost fifty thousand jenny. They taste delicious, but they're a pain to get."

"Seriously...?" Gon and Zushi looked in utter shock. Daniel nodded at the two of them. Once Killua had finished drinking, he threw his empty can away "Hey, let's head to the waiting room. We didn't take any damage in the last fight, so they'll probably assign us another match today."

Daniel smiled, following after Killua like a puppy "Right!"

"~"

When they entered the waiting room, they were greeted by tough looking individuals. Daniel eyed down the enemies. T _hey look easy_ Daniel kept the thoughts to himself, refusing to say it out loud, unless he wanted to fight pissed off enemies.

They could become erratic and harder to predict... making it take that much longer to defeat.

"Well, these opponents should be a cinch." Killua commented casually. Daniel sighed as he threw a carefree glance in Killua's direction "The one thing I was trying to avoid, Killua."

Killua shrugged with a smirk, sitting down casually in one of the empty seats "They aren't that hard anyways. Just take it easy."

"Really...?" Gon shared a glance between Daniel and Killua. Due to spacing reasons, Daniel had to stand up. He crossed his arms together, smiling with a small nod.

"Killua-San! Daniel-San!" Zushi whispered, sharing a worried glance between the two boys "You're too loud..."

"#2054, Killua-Sama."

Killua looks up in shock "I'm already up."

"And #1963, Zushi-Sama." Zushi freaked out.

"Please head to arena A, on the 57th floor."

As Daniel looked at Zushi, a serious expression spread across his face "Wow... you must have poor luck."

"Oh." Killua looks at Zushi.

"Osu!" Zushi stood up with a blow of respect "I shall give it my best."

"Sure. Well, you can't win them all. Better luck next time." Killua got up with a smile.

Daniel shook his head with smirk "Killua... go easy..."

Killua nodded, smirking cunningly at Daniel "I'll head out." Killua walked away with a wave to both Daniel and Gon.

"Yeah. Good luck, guys."

Killua stopped at the door "I'll wait for you above, Gon, Daniel."

"Uh-huh..."

When Killua and Zushi left, Gon sighed "He really didn't have to be so blunt..."

Daniel sat in Killua's old spot, feeling the seat somewhat warm "Killua has some warm buns... GOOD GOD that came out so wrong! I meant he left the seat nice and warm for me..."

Gon chuckled at Daniel "Who you think will win?"

"Killua, with a single chop to the neck. I don't see him having that much trouble..."

"Ehh...? Zushi doesn't look that weak."

"And Killua can push open a 16 ton door. Even with Killua holding back his strength, a hit from him will be like getting hit by an iron ball..."

Gon looked at the door worried "Zushi will be ok... I know Killua wouldn't seriously hurt him."

Daniel nodded "Killua is... very calm, and collective. I don't see him losing it for any reason..." _Unless that very reason was something to worry about, like, his brother Illumi. I wonder what else would make him panic...Well, not that it doesn't matters to me! I made promise, so, I'm gonna protect him from anything!_

"~"

Daniel stepped off the elevator, finding it strange that only Gon was waiting. "Huh, Gon...? Where's Killua?"

"Still fighting..."

Daniel sat right next Gon, smiling mischievous "Hmm... I would have thought I'll be the last one here."

Gon eyes beamed suddenly, focusing purely on Daniel. "You were cool!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, unsure how to react "But, uh, what, WERE?"

Gon shook his head, smiling widely once he stopped "You won the fight with a flick."

Daniel sighed, holding up his right pinkie at Gon "He was thinner than this. Don't expect me to do that on a guy six times my size. I was scared I would break the guy if I kicked him."

"Ehh? How'd you knock him out with a flick? It was hard to see..."

"I hit him on temple. Knocked him right out. I just hope I didn't do too much damage to him. Hitting someone in the temple really hard could kill them."

"Ehh..."

"Wait... how did you see my fight?"

"It was on some of the TVs on the way here."

"Did you see Killua's fight?"

Gon shock his head "Nuh-uh."

At that very moment, Killua got off the elevator. Gon waved at him, making Daniel turn in the process, to see who he was waving at. "Oh, Killua! Over here!"

The two of them stood up, running over to Killua. "See? I got sixty thousand." Killua stared at Gon, deep in his own thoughts as Gon continued to pound him with questions "How about you? It took a while to get here."

"Yeah," Killua started to walk off "I ran into a little trouble."

Daniel rubbed his chin as Gon continued the conversation with Killua. "Then Zushi was pretty strong."

"No, not at all. He has potential."

 _Then he was tough... as in built to survive?_ Daniel thought to himself as continued listening to Killua "One day, he'll be strong. But right now, he just target practice for me. His punches were weak... I was completely able to knock him around. But I couldn't defeat him."

As Killua stopped, Daniel asked a question "So... he was like some kind of... ball? Kept bouncing back up no matter how hard you hit him?"

Killua nodded as he lifted a finger "Exactly. I received the TKO from points, but I couldn't knock him out. Further... When he changed his stance, his aura reminded me of my brother's. I don't know what it was, but it felt dangerous."

 _Sounds like_ _ **Nen**_ _... maybe_ _ **Ten**_ _...? I don't know the full extent of **Nen**..._ Daniel kept his thoughts to himself, unable to bring them to light. He was warned specifically to never let that information go under any circumstances.

"It must be some kind of technique."

Daniel nodded, trying to play dumb "Yeah, it must be..."

Killua turned, looking seriously at the two boys standing behind him "His master, called it **'Ren'**..."

 **_Ren_ ** _? Never heard of that... maybe it was something I was supposed to learn... When I got back..._

Daniel watched as Killua retreated into his mind, thinking about the very moment he heard about it. Killua then headed towards a couple of seats on the side, sitting down "He said that... **His true goal lies beyond this. At this tower's top floor.** "

Gon hummed the words as he sat down next to Killua "So, he isn't supposed to use _Ren_ until he reaches the top floor? The strongest Fighters are at the top, right?"

Killua looked up "Gon... Daniel, change in plans."

"Huh?" Gon and Daniel looked at each other briefly, turning back quickly to look at Killua, focusing on his next few words. "I'm aiming to reach the top floor!"

"Uh-huh!" Gon smiled. Daniel soon smiled, nodding briefly at Killua "Got it. I'll aim for the top as well."

"~"

Killua, Gon and Daniel took the upper floors by storm, defeating all opponents with their own signature move. Killua knocked out his opponents with a single chop; Gon took out his opponents with a single push and Daniel stuck to his own, kicking his opponents out of the ring.

He never once flicked his opponents to knock them out, because, he found he never had a reason to. All his next few opponents were bigger men, and were able to take a hit.

Daniel had won this match with a flying kick to the chest. After winning he looked up at the live feed, seeing an announcement "Killua defeats another opponent with one chop! A knock out! Oh! In the other arenas, Gon has knocked out another opponent with a single push and Urufu with a flying kick! Each of them has won six consecutive matches over the past three days, to reach the 100s without a scratch! Killua's chop. Urufu's flying kick. And Gon's push. How far will they be able to go? And who is going to be able to stop them?"

"~"

Gon ran into his room after opening it "Yay! A private room!" He jumped into the air, falling face first onto the bed in a fell swoop. Giggling Gon rolled over, sprawled out on the bed like a starfish "We won't have to worry about money and lodging anymore."

Daniel chuckled, twirling his Hunter's licence on his finger tip "You won't, but I never had to."

Gon frowned "That's cheating!"

"It's not cheating, seeing as I never followed **your** rules in the first place. You know the **'I'll never use my licence until I punch Hisoka!** ' I have no reason to hit that... thing..."

Killua chuckled, sitting on the seat in front of Gon's bed "His got you there, Gon."

"Ehh?! You're joining his side?"

Killua smirked, holding out his hand in a mischievous gesture "I'm on no one's side. Besides, you can't really say anything. If you drop below the 100s, you have to check out of this room. A world of difference separates making it to the 100s and staying in the 100s. The 100th floor is like a ceiling."

Gon tilted his head to the side like a dog after hearing a weird noise for the first time "A ceiling?"

"Once you pass it, you get special treatment. So everyone focuses on holding their spot. Some people will do anything it takes to stay in the 100s."

Killua got up, looking down sternly at Gon "You can waste a lot of time on them. Be careful, Gon."

"Yeah." Gon looked at Daniel, tilting his head back up right "Doesn't Daniel get a lecture too?"

Killua turned to look at Daniel, sighing as he faced back towards the window "No point. He'll keep his position..."

Gon whined "Ehh?"

Daniel chuckled, raising his hand with a wide smirk on his face "I don't see myself as being that strong. But its nice hearing you think so highly of me, Killua."

Killua's cheeks flared up; raising his hands to protest in Daniel's direction "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what do you mean?" Gon and Daniel both tilted their heads at Killua.

Killua sighed "You're strong... but if you fight me. I'll make sure to knock you down a floor."

Daniel frowned at Killua "On what basis, would I even allow you to hit me that hard?"

Killua stuck his tongue out at Daniel "On the basis, which I know I could take you down easy with a single chop."

As the two continued to argue on who's stronger, Gon switched looks between each person speaking. With an innocent smile, Gon butted in "You two fight like an old married couple."

"WHAT?" Killua and Daniel look away from each other with flushed cheeks, unable to even glance in the other's direction. Killua quickly turned to Gon, yelling at him with beetroot red cheeks "You don't say stuff like that so casually!"

"But you are..." Gon whined. "You're arguing about who's stronger."

Killua looks at Gon evilly "So are we an old married couple too? We argued about who was stronger just before coming here..."

"Eh? I never thought about it that way. Hmm, I guess it does..." Gon bonked himself on the head, sticking his tongue out.

Daniel squints at Gon in confusion "Whaa..."

"Well," Gon stuck up one finger. "I guess there's only one way to figure out who's stronger, Rock-Paper-Scissors."

Daniel and Killua looked at each other, holding out a fist to begin their battle. "Starting with Rock. Rock, paper, scissors!" It was over in the first round, Killua winning with paper.

Killua fist pumped the air in triumph as Daniel looked at the floor glumly, running a hand through his hair "Jeez, lost in the first round. That's sad..."

"Just proves I'm better!" Killua grinned at Daniel.

"I..." _I should have cheated..._ "Sigh. You win."


	23. Heavens Arena X Training? X Nen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised something... Killua X Daniel's pairing names sound weird... just watch:
> 
> Daniel X Killua
> 
> Kiliel
> 
> Danlua
> 
> DanKil
> 
> KilDan (This one sounds like some badass warlock name... So I'm keeping it as the pairing name.)

Nothing had changed the next day. Gon had still won his fight with an open palm strike, or a simple push as the announcer loved to say. Daniel watched a smirk spread across Killua's face, while Daniel was deep in his own thoughts.

Quickly checking the time on the wall, Daniel looked back at Killua with a smile "My match is on the 109th floor I'll see you at the 110th floor later." With a wave, Daniel had run off to his match.

"~"

Within days the trio had reach the 150th floor with ease, never once losing a match. Daniel's eyes looked at the sheet of paper he held in his hand, trying to memorise the number as if the paper would implode any second now, like a top secret message.

"You were right..." Gon cheered lightly, trying to count the digits "I've never seen so many zeros before... And just a week ago, I was totally broke."

"I'm a little annoyed." Killua turned to look at Gon with an unexpressed look.

"Huh?"

"My first time here, it took me two months to reach floor 150. Meanwhile, you two are breezing through."

Daniel chuckled "Killua, you were six back then. How strong you were back then, is not the same as you are right now."

"Well, that's true..." Although Killua was trying to act casual, the light blush on his cheeks betrayed his true thoughts.

Gon chimed in "Oh, that's right. I saw Zushi on TV earlier."

"So did I..."

"I didn't..."Daniel blurted out, still refusing to take his eyes off the paper.

"That's because your face had been glued to that piece of paper like it IS a lifeline." Killua taunted cunningly.

"Ha ha, very funny... I forgot laugh. I'm only trying to memories my account number."

Killua frowned, making a small noise of complaint. "Anyways, he's still in the 50s."

"Alright," _1-0-1-3-4-5-6-6-7-9-8-1-0-2-1_ "memorised my account number." Daniel then stopped, looking back at the others with a small pout. He hadn't realised they had stopped for a while now, but once he did, he ran back to them quickly, not wanting to be left out of their conversation.

"I wonder what that _Ren_ you sensed could have been." Gon looked at Killua, slightly in concern.

Daniel shrugged "Could be a super power of some kind... or even a martial arts move for all I know."

"Hmm..." Killua looked at the roof briefly, running some ideas through his head. After a short thought process, Killua looked at Gon and Daniel "Maybe if we fight opponents higher up..."

"Or wouldn't it be faster to just ask Zushi?" Gon butted in with his carefree attitude, lifting a finger as he smiled.

Daniel looked stumped at Gon, wondering to himself. _WHY THE FUCK... didn't I think of that first? The whole time, I'm being trying to act dumb and pretend I don't know Nen... or at least an aspect of it, I could have just directed the two of them to Zushi, to ask him directly... Jeez, I'm an idiot for not thinking of that first..._

As Daniel was thinking, Killua glanced away from Gon's direction. Soon Killua was smiling, wrapping his hand around the finger Gon as he laughed. The smile Killua showed, made Daniel smile. It was a dumbstruck smile, which basically showed Daniel, that he was an idiot for not thinking that as well.

"~"

Zushi looked at Daniel, Killua and Gon seriously, eyeing them down. When Zushi had opened his mouth to speak, he had already lost them on the first sentence " _Ren_ is one of the four major principles. The four major principles for disciplining your mind and body. Fundamental to every martial art! You must know **_'Ten'_** , learn **_'Zetsu'_** , achieve **_'Ren'_** , and reach **_'Hatsu'_**! This is all part of **_'Nen'_** training! That covers everything!"

Killua got in Zushi's face, yelling in frustration "I've no idea what you just said!"

At that moment, Daniel slammed his fist in his hand, yelling loudly "I GOT IT!"

Killua turned around, glaring at Daniel "You understood that?!"

"NO! I have no damn idea what the hell he was talking about! We need a person who can translate riddles."

A man's voice spoke up, starling the four boys "Zushi..." Daniel instantly recognised the voice belonging to Wing. "Are you sufficiently educated that you can teach others?"

_Apply cold water to burn..._

"Gon-Kun, Killua-Kun, Daniel-Kun. There's an old saying that if you learn something piecemeal, you'll end up knowing less than when you started."

"So a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?" Killua's eyes narrowed on Wing.

Daniel smirked, while lifting a finger slowly "Did you also know... **It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.** "

Wing's eyes narrow Daniel "Oh... that would explain _that_."

"That...?" Daniel raised a quizzical eyebrow at Wing, unable to figure out what his referring to.

"BUT," Killua cut into the conversation, changing the topic before Daniel could think anymore what _that_ exactly was "I want to know right now. Because it's related to the secret behind my brother's power..."

Daniel lifted a finger "Actually, the more I think about it. Zaikaria comes under that list as well... not with your dilemma, the way Zushi could keep getting up no matter how hard you hit him back down."  
_Why the hell did I say that...? I know its_ _ **Nen**_ _because I can use it too, again, aspects of it. Why am I talking to myself in my head?_

Wing looked at Daniel, and then chose to focus on Killua "Then your brother is able to use _Nen_?"

"I need to know what _Nen_ and _Ren_ even mean!"

"And your sister as well...?"

Daniel nodded with Killua, even though he was withholding the truth "I'm in the same boat. Can't tell you if she, in-fact can use _Nen_ , _Ren_ or whatever..."  
_Damn... I should become a professional liar. I'm a pro at this!_

Killua held out his hand, dominating the conversation "I'll agree to the full learning process rather than a quick explanation! And if you're willing to teach me, I won't try to figure it out myself."

Wing's eyes narrowed, focusing on Killua. Taking one look at Daniel, he dropped his head slowly before speaking sternly "I understand. Come with me to my residence."

"~"

During the boy's wait, Wing had pulled out a board, writing down the four words Zushi had mention earlier on it.

"Do I have your attention?" Wing looked over the three, holding a hand out to gesture them to the board. " _Nen_ means to burn your own soul. In other words, it tests your strength of will. And the four major principles are part of a training curriculum for strengthening your will."

 _Sounds like bullshit to me..._ Daniel glanced between Killua and Gon, making sure he wasn't singled out if they turned to him. He had to make sure that they didn't figure out he knew _Ten_ , an aspect of _Nen_.

"Strengthening your will?" Gon asked, followed by Killua "Training?"

Wing nodded, scribbling on the board with a marking pen. "That's correct. _Ten_ means to focus your soul to a single point, to increase awareness of your ego and goals."

_Ok, now his just lying... I wonder why...?_

" _Zetsu_ means to express yourself in words. _Ren_ means to temper that will. And Hatsu means to act upon that will."

As Wing pointed out small sections of the board, Gon repeated them all out loud " _Ten_. _Zetsu_. _Ren_. _Hatsu_. Those are the four major principles."

Wing nodded with a smile "Killua-Kun, Zushi tempered his **'refusal to lose'** , during his fight with you." Daniel watched Killua's eyes change from a stern look to shock.

"So, allow me to demonstrate. Killua-Kun... I think I'm going to kill you now. Are you ready?"

Killua looked at Wing in shock for a second, before replying smugly "Yeah, sure. It's not happening."

Wing raised a finger, smiling at the three "Then I'll take this step-by-step. First comes _Ten_." Wing moved into a stance, crossing his arms as he sat in a sumo stance position. "I focus my soul into a single point. _Zetsu_. You can express yourself mentally or verbally. I will kill you."

When Wing opens his eyes, the room is filled with malicious intent. The three felt the Wing's aura change. The desire to kill...

On reflex, Daniel activated his _Ten_ , making Wing twitch, although, only for a second. Daniel used his aura to protect himself, while trying to act like he was in terror. Wing's eyes darted towards Daniel, seeing that his initial thoughts were right. Daniel can use _Nen_ , but to what degree?

Within a split second, Killua Vanished, and at that very moment, Wing stopped "That was _Ren_. If I temper my will enough, then I can act. _Hatsu_. If your will is strong enough, you can make your opponent back down without moving a muscle. The concept of bluffing derives from this."

"My dad must be a pro at _Ren_ in the morning..." Daniel jokingly laughed.

"Your parents too...?" Wing asked as Killua dropped to the floor from his hiding spot.

Daniel shrugged "I don't know. But Vastorie gave off that same type of feeling, when I try to speak to him before his morning coffee..."

Wing nodded briefly before continuing " _Ren_ hardens that which is soft, and you lose the ability to correct an incorrect idea. Therefore, you should avoid using _Ren_ until your soul has fully matured. Right now, you boys and Zushi should be training your souls."

Killua grit his teeth together, fighting the urge to not yell back. Releasing his teeth, Killua turned away in disgust "Let's go, Gon, Daniel."

"If you wish to learn about _Nen_ , you should focus on mastering _'Ten'_. If you master _'Ten'_ , you will no longer feel the pressure of an opponent's will." During the time Wing had spoke, Killua had stopped to listen to him. When Wing had finished, Killua left without a single word.

"Thank you very much!" Gon yelled out. As Daniel was about to leave, Wing stopped him "Can I speak to you, Daniel-Kun? Alone?"

Daniel nodded at Wing "Yeah, sure."

Gon looked at Wing, then to Daniel, worried about him.

Daniel smiled at Gon "Don't worry. I'll join you as soon as I can."

On that note, Gon left to join Killua. And when the door closed, Wing looked at Daniel "How long have you known about _Nen_?"

"A year, why...?"

"Why didn't you say anything about _Ten_ , _Zetsu_ , _Ren_ and _Hatsu_?"

"Because my father said so... and because I know nothing about _Zetsu_ , _Ren_ and _Hatsu_..."

Wing's eyes zeroed in on Daniel "What's with your aura surrounding Killua?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." Daniel focused on Wing, narrowing down the man's demeanour. _What do you mean by my aura around Killua?_

"So you only know _'Ten'_?"

Daniel nodded at Wing, still trying to figure out what his last statement meant.

"Ok, you can leave now... I have no further questions..."

Daniel nodded, leaving the house without a word.

"Interesting..." Wing watched the door closed. _He can use_ _ **En**_ _without realising it... I even saw him extending his aura around Killua; even though it didn't do anything... It was as if he was trying to protect him..._

"Interesting..." Wing chanted once again, an innocent smile creeping along his face.

"~"

Daniel had darted along the streets, catching up to the others. However, when had got there, he had joined in mid way through a conversation.

"-His story had holes."

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks, thinking the topic was about him, acting casual, he walked up to the others and joined in mid conversation "Whose story has holes?"

"Oh, hey..." Killua glanced in Daniel's direction "Wing's explanation."

 _Oh thank god! It's not me..._ Daniel smiled innocently at Killua and Gon "Hmm, really...? It sounds a little reasonable to me..."

"The explanation made perfect sense, and Wing is clearly very strong. But, his story didn't explain Zushi's toughness. He kept getting up after I knocked him down. I was getting irritated, so I used all my strength during my last attack..."

"Whoa... he must have been sent flying..."

Killua continued to stare at the ground from a moment, before speaking "Willpower didn't keep him standing. He's hiding some other secret."

 _Yeah... the real meaning of_ _**Nen** _ _,_ _**Ten** _ _being one of them..._ _**Ten** _ _can be used to block emotional attacks, increase your defences, and stop ageing. Well, more like slow down ageing.  
So, it's safe to say that _ _**Ren** _ _is used for offensive purposes, seeing as Wing stopped Zushi from using it during your fight...  
So, Zushi most likely used _ _**Ten** _ _to withstand a direct hit from you... I'm barely scratching the surface of_ _**Nen** _ _, so, there's so much more for me to learn.  
I only was able to use _ _**'Ten'** _ _properly not even a couple of months ago. Although, I should be using it at all times...  
Then again... if I gave away that I could use _ _**'Ten'** _ _, people would assume I can use_ _**Ren** _ _,_ _**Zetsu** _ _and_ _**Hatsu** _ _as well... And that does not look good for me..._

Daniel looks at Gon, and then Killua still making small conversations. _NOT good at all..._

"Oh yeah..." Gon turned to Daniel "What did you and Wing-San talk about?"

Daniel looks mortified at Gon, unable to say anything. _Shit... I forgot to think of a lie..._

"Yeah..." Killua chimed in as well "What did you two or three if you include Zushi, talk about?"

 _Don't fail me now brain!_ Smiling softly, Daniel muttered out loud "He wanted to know if I knew _'Ten'_ as..." Daniel's face changes to complete shock in his mind _I'm a fucken idiot!_

"Ehh...? You know _'Ten'_?" Gon asks casually. Killua get's up close, poking Daniel "He was lying! Tell me the truth!"

"You see... um... ah..." _Ok, where did you go brain?_ "Well, yes... and no..."

Killua quirked an eyebrow "Yes and no...? What you mean?"

 _I just probably made the situation worse..._ "Well... the _'Ten'_ he knows is different to the one I know..."

"Hmm...? What you mean?"

"Different places, interpret things differently..."

"Explain!" Killua crossed his arms with narrowing eyes.

"The _'Ten'_ he spoke about, is different to the one I know... like apples and oranges..."

"Hmm..." Killua uncrossed his arms, not looking the least bit convinced.

"Ok, they are both related to spiritual... energy. Getting in-tune with you inner aura..." Daniel had held out his hand to express the word more effectively.

"Oh," Gon beamed into the conversation with a smile "that explains why you snuck out at night and stood still in the middle of the forest."

"Exactly...! That's why I- WAIT, WHAT?"

"I saw you go into the forest at night on Kukroo Mountain..."

 _Wait, I can use this to my advantage!_ Daniel sighed in shame; feeling mentally crushed "Someone saw me standing like a statue as I meditate..."

Killua held out his finger, laughing at Daniel "You're an idiot!"

"Yup...!"

Killua eyes narrowed as he dropped down his finger "You're lying..."

"A tiny bit..." Daniel pinched his fingers together, while continuing to smile at Killua "I use _'Ten'_ to help me focus, and relieve myself of the horrible thoughts of what they may be doing to you..."

Killua turned away with a blush, unable to hold himself back from questioning Daniel "You were thinking about me...?"

"Yup...!" Daniel smiled widely, showing his toothy grin to both Killua and Gon "I thought a lot about you..." _WHAT THE FUCK AM I SAYING NOW?_ "You wouldn't leave my mind at all sometimes. So, I had to do something. And what better way to do it than to practice _'Ten'_..." _I've dug myself a grave so massive; I could build my own paradise in it... and I shall call it_ _ **hell**_ _, because that's where I'm headed right now!_

Killua opened his mouth, preparing to let loose a few words. But, the way Killua's face turned bright red, made him unable to say anything without turning into a stuttering mess "Y-You... B-Baka...!" Killua stormed off, face as bright as a neon red tomato. "That's embarrassing..."

Smiling to himself, Daniel let out a relieved breath mentally. _Saved by Killua's embarrassment... When in a tight spot, embarrass Killua..._

"~"

Today was the last round. Daniel stood proudly in his ring, watching the on-screen announcement.

"It's time for the day's biggest match! The Rookies, Killua, Urufu and Gon have advanced to the 190th floor without dropping a fight. Will they be able to keep moving on? Okay, everyone... Get ready to press your gamble switches!"

Daniel ignored the rating, laying his eyes on his enemy instead. Much to his shock, an old 'friend' stood in front of him, Katsuo, the wanna hero.

Katsuo flexed off his semi new extra muscles to Daniel, praising his own new muscles "I, Katsuo, the hero will win this time!" The constant increase in his volume, made his flamboyancy only that much more prominent than the last time.

This time around, he wore sleeveless blazing red and white biker's jacket, and white leather jeans and military boots.

Daniel shook his head with a smirk, wondering on what was the probably chance of running into him here and now.

Jumping back, the referee held out his arms "Begin!"

Daniel gave no time for Katsuo to even flinch. Kicking off the ground, he charged Katsuo. The wanna be hero, who wants to be big and go out with a bang... Daniel thought to himself with a huge smile. _I'll make him become really famous! I'm gonna feint a kick, and sent him flying into the wall!_

Daniel pretended to jump into the air for a kick. Like he had predicted, Katsuo had dodged the nonexistent kick. Sliding across the floor, Daniel grabbed Katsuo's face unexpectedly, smiling widely "I'm about to pitch a great idea to you..."

Still skidding across the floor, Daniel threw Katsuo like a ball, aiming for the wall. The man slammed into the wall, knocking him out instantly from the force Daniel had thrown him. "You should try another sport..."

Daniel then poked his tongue out to the unconscious Katsuo.

"Critical hit and knockdown... three points. Knockout! The winner is Urufu!"

Daniel crossed his arms, shaking his head with a smirk. _I wanna be a hero... of, the, fails!_

"Once again, Gon, Killua and Urufu have knocked out their opponents with one attack. And all of them have successfully cleared the 190s! They have advanced to the 200s!"


	24. Heavens Arena X Secrets X Nen

Daniel tapped his arms in the elevator on the ride up. "Didn't think I would have to fight him again..."

"Ehh...?" Killua turned with a smug look "Did you really have to draw a crowd?"

"Hey, Mr. I wanna be a hero, needed to be taken down a peg. No one insults me, thinking they have chance with taking me down..."

"I could beat you." Killua taunted smugly. Daniel hid a smile "I wouldn't mind being taken down by you..."  
_Oh, god...! I should have kept my mouth shut. That sounded wrong in so many levels..._

"Idiot...!" Killua turned away with blushed cheeks "Think before you speak!"

Gon cut in like a tornado mid conversation, throwing the old topic out the window "What's the 200th floor like?"

"Beats me..." Killua's cheeks calmed down exponentially as he looked up at the elevator number. "I've never been up here before."

When the elevator hit the 200th floor, Killua got off slowly as Gon ran in with high spirits. Daniel sighed at Gon's enthusiasm, stepping off the elevator to follow them.

"Wow!" Gon looked around in awe, eyeing down the endless decorations on the over expensive floor design. "The 200th floor is so fancy! Where's the receptionist?"

Looking up, Killua saw a sign "This way?" He took slow steps in the direction, heading towards the reception with Daniel behind him.

Gon followed after the two of them, keeping pace with them. "We finally made it."

Killua smiled "Yeah."

Daniel smiled from Killua's own, wondering if Killua's smile was contagious, or that he smiled because Killua's smiling. Either way, he secretly loved it when Killua smiled. When they stopped at the hallway to the reception, Killua and Gon instantly jumped back a tiny bit.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow in concern.

"You don't feel that?" Killua looked in shock at Daniel.

Walking into the hallway casually, Daniel shook his head "Nope... I feel nothing..."

Daniel's skin started to prickle, making the hairs on his neck stand up "Ok, now I do... I was so memorised by your smile, that I had a delayed reaction..."

Killua blushed, stomping off into the hallway "Shut up!" Not even after five steps, he stops again, stepping back a few times as if the area is pushing him away. Killua grits his teeth together, pushing his fears back once again "Let's do this! We can do this!"

Daniel crosses his arms, watching the two of them step in the hallway "Don't push yourselves..."

Killua shoots Daniel an intense glare "Why aren't you reacting to this?"

Daniel touched his chin for a second. _Actually... Why haven't I? I should at least be pretending to be scared..._

"Well...?"

_ No point lying anymore... _ __ "Because I can use-" Daniel stops, feeling his hairs prickle on the back of his neck. The feeling that had surrounded the boys was intensifying with each passing second. Daniel kicked his _Ten_ into over drive, moving slowly with an aim to push the other two out of the hallway.

Gon spoke up, eyes quaking in fear "This is murderous intent, aimed at us."

Grounding his teeth, Killua looked behind Daniel who was walking causally and slowly towards them "Hey! Who's there? Show yourself!"

As Daniel stopped in front of the other two, he turned to look behind him and saw woman stepped from behind the wall, smiling softly. Something seemed different about her. She didn't look murderous, but her eyes looked as though she was lacking sleep or she was under some serious stress.

Her pink messy hair strangely enough worked well with her dark blue eyes, and she wore the same attire as the rest of the workers in Heavens Arena. "Killua-Sama, Urufu-Sama and Gon-Sama, correct? The receptionist's desk is over here, so please register for a 200s match today."

Daniel looked back at the other two, seeing their mouths wide open and gawking in surprise.

"You won't be able to register after midnight, so please be careful."

As Daniel turned to look back at the others, Gon whispered "Was she the source of all that?"

"I can't tell."

Daniel frowned "I don't think she could produce that feeling, if anything, maybe an aura of depressing stress..."

The female Heavens Arena worker spoke up "By the way, there are currently one hundred, seventy-four contestants in the 200s class. And starting from the 200s, all weapons are allowed in matches. So please use whatever you have."

Daniel mentally fist pumped in the air. _I can use Wolfbane now!_

"Also, you will no longer receive prize money in the 200s class."

Daniel sulked from hearing that. _Man, I'm gonna go broke after this now..._

"You will fight only for glory, so please understand that if you're going to participate."

Daniel went on high alert, looking around frantically like a Meerkat on high alert "My pedo senses are tingling. This usually only happens if am about to run into my father... but I don't know why he would be here..."

As she was about to continue, something glowed from behind, turning slowly to reveal a three of clubs card.

The card was then thrown in Daniel's direction. Daniel jumped back quickly, avoiding the passive aggressive attack. When Daniel actually focused, he realised the card landed in a spot nowhere near him, and was acting as a force field of some kind, stopping others from proceeding.

The girl ran, revealing a tall, slender man which served as nightmare fuel for Daniel. And when the man turned, the nightmare became true.  
Standing with a smile was the one, and only...  
**Hisoka... The magician...**

Sweat dripped from boy's faces as well as Daniel's _'Ten'_ for a moment had dropped too, leaving him defenceless.

"H-Hisoka..." Killua's words left his lips; resonating the terror that was contain in voice also. "Why are you here?"

"It's hardly that strange." Hisoka smiled as he leaned back, gracefully running a hand through his fiery red hair. "I love to fight, and this is a temple to fighting. And why are you here?"

When Daniel spoke, no words escaped his lips. Daniel couldn't lie right now because the situation had caught him off guard. Here standing before him was Hisoka, in all his glory.

He wore short, puffy, dark purple vest with a red heart and Diamond etched into it and huge gold metal ring outlines, and under that was a pink skin tight sleeveless shit. Along the arms were two pink triple rings, located on the wrist and arm on both sides. Included in his attire were white baggy pants, which ended at the shins and had a purple guard on each of his knee caps. Under his white pants were pink socks, which lead to his dark purple high heels.

Nothing at all looked right with Hisoka. This man wore clothing that emphasised his feminine qualities, and Daniel was sure, that some girls would be complaining about not having certain features from Hisoka. The man was way too fit for someone who had hidden strength.

"Just kidding..." Hisoka smiled softly, making him look that much more menacing. "This was no coincidence. I've been waiting for you. Remember how you ordered airship tickets over the cybernet? With little effort, it's possible to determine where and when someone will arrive. Well, I knew you would come here eventually. And so, as a veteran, I have a warning for you. It's still too early for you two boys..."

Hisoka raised one hand, pointing two fingers at both Killua and Gon before continuing "to step on this floor." Hisoka pulled in one finger, pointing his final finger at Daniel "And are you sure you're ready?"

Daniel grits his teeth, reactivating his _'Ten'_ in preparations for whatever Hisoka could throw his way. "What would you know?"

Hisoka licked his lips "You look delicious..." Daniel shivered for all the wrong reasons. Being called **delicious** by Hisoka was not on his to do list. Hisoka flicked his wrist out, sending a wave of menacing air their way.

The wave pushed Killua and Gon back a tiny bit. But Daniel stood strong, shaking in terror, but still strong.

"I shall keep an eye on you **Urufu**..." When Hisoka breathed out Daniel's nickname, it sounded as if the name mentally died in Daniel's head. Somehow, Hisoka managed to make Daniel regret ever using that name.

Hisoka turned his glaze to the others "How early depends on your efforts. Leave for now." Hisoka turned on his heels, strutting off towards the wall on the opposite end of hallway where the three boys stood. When he had reached the wall, Hisoka turned to face them with a menacing smile "It's too early right now."

"That's stupid! We just got up here..." Killua yelled out, throwing his hand out into the air.

"I won't let you pass." Hisoka held out his hand "Not that you could, anyway."

The hallway filled with malicious aura like last time, stopping the boys from continuing. Daniel grit his teeth when he saw Gon and Killua push themselves. Grabbing Killua and Gon by the collar, Daniel threw them further from Hisoka "I won't let you push yourselves into this! You could-"

"Die!" A voice spoke for Daniel, stopping Hisoka in his tracks. As Wing step out from the corner, staring at three boys, the three looked in shock at Wing as Gon called his name.

"You two have no defence against his _Nen_."

"Nen...?" Gon asked again, sounding as though he had forgotten about their earlier topic that week.

"Right now, you are like someone standing naked in a blizzard, wondering why it is cold."

Daniel huffed out "Or jumping into a pool of lava, and wondering why your flesh is melting off... basically, if you walk toward Hisoka right now... he will be that lava and you'll be a pile of nothing, maybe of flesh and bones if lucky..." Daniel's eyes narrowed on Killua, making sure he got the picture. He didn't know why he didn't look at Gon, but, something inside him told him he wanted to make sure Killua understood.

"His right in sense..." Wing spoke up, expression unchanging "If you continue to strain your body, you may die."

"This is _Nen_?!" Killua freaked out, pointing a thumb in anger at Hisoka and Daniel. "He can stop us from moving forward though willpower? Don't lie!"

"It's the partial truth..." Daniel cut in, eyes quaking.

Wing nodded with a smile "His right. I wasn't completely lying however. I will teach you the truth about _Nen_. So retreat for now."

Gon turned to the woman from earlier "Hey, receptionist lady."

"Oh, yes?"

"What happens if we don't register for a fight today? Gon-Sama and Urufu-Sama, you would have to start again, from the first floor. However, Killua-Sama refused to register once before. So if he fails to register again, his commitment will be questioned, and he will be banned from participating."

"Can I sign up for them instead?" Daniel asked curiously.

The lady shook her head "No. All participants must sign the contract on their own at the reception desk to make sure everything is fine..."

Daniel let out a small huff "Annoying..."

"Hey, Wing-San. If we back down now, will we be able to return here by midnight?" Killua shot daggers at Wing, refusing to give up now after coming so far.

Daniel hid a smile, but, at the same time his smile shifted to an expression of sorrow. He hid something from his friends, when he should have let them know of its existence. One thing was for certain, he knew he wouldn't get off easy.

"That depends on you."

"~"

Daniel stayed silent throughout the whole walk to Wing's house.

"Why would you lie to us?" The words escaped Killua's mouth without a single ounce of anger held back in his voice.

Daniel looked at Killua with a smug expression. He didn't know why that was the first expression that crossed his mind, but he didn't manage to keep it for long once his mind was bombarded with thoughts.

What he did was wrong... he knew that much. There was no escaping this. He had to face the music and tell the truth.

"Lie...?" Daniel looked in sorrow at Killua "I just couldn't... tell the truth... _Nen_ , which I'm sure Wing will show you what it's truly capable of. It can make things on an impossible level appear as reality... Ever been beaten down by a feather duster...? I have..."

Killua's mouth twitched into a smile on one side. Anyone could tell he wanted to laugh at that moment, but, Killua refused to. "Show them, Wing-San..."

Wing nodded, then walking over to a flower vase, plucking the flowers out of it. He then walked a few feet away, throwing the flowers as if they were darts at the vase. Each flower pierced the vase with ease, creating small spots where water leaked freely. "Simply put, this is _Nen_. _Nen_ refers to the ability to manipulate your aura, also known as life energy. Every person possesses a small amount of life energy. But in most cases, it's simply discharged. The ability to build up **a shroud of life energy is known as Ten**. **You can make your body harder, and considerably slow the effects of aging. Then comes Zetsu. As you may guess, this nullifies your aura.** "

Wing constantly wrote on the board as he dictated. From now on, everything Daniel learns will be at the same pace as Killua and Gon.

"It is effective for concealing your presence, and recovering from extreme fatigue. Which brings us to _Ren_. A technique to create an especially strong aura."

Daniel blinked when he felt a strong presence. It didn't feel malicious at all; it felt like someone wanted to let others know he was in the room, almost like flashing someone in the face with a bright light.

"Can you feel that?" Wing asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Killua spoke for the group "I can feel the pressure." Gon spoke up after Killua "But it doesn't feel dangerous."

Daniel spoke up next "It felt like you were letting people, know that you were in the room... Like flashing a flash light in their face..."

Gon nodded "Mm-hm. Except for the flash light part."

Wing kept up his smile "I had no hostile intent at all. Aura is an energy that comes from within humans. Which makes it very effective against other humans. For better or worse. If you attack a helpless person, with ill intent, you can use aura to kill. Only one thing can protect you from someone who uses _Nen_."

Wing walked away from the three boys, looking at a section of a wall "You must also learn to use _Nen_. Or on rare occurrences..." Wing turned around, pointing at Daniel "The person protecting you must know _Nen_."

Daniel shifted an eyebrow "Is this related to what you said earlier...?"

Wing nodded "Yes. Daniel-Kun-"

"Don't you dare say anything... the fact that I'm unconsciously doing it makes it... weird..."

Wing shifted his eyes two the other two, seeing them curiously looking at Daniel.

"What you guys talking about? What's weird...?" Gon asked casually.

Wing stopped the conversation from proceeding by turning around to look at a wall "You must use _Ten_ for defence. Block the other person's aura with your own. Otherwise..." Wing lifted a hand to the wall, focusing for a moment; Wing pushed his aura into the wall, crushing it without moving a muscle.

As Gon and Killua looked shocked at the wall, something triggered in Daniel's mind. _That... would explain Nathaniel's strength..._

Wing turned around with a stern face "Your body will be crushed."

Daniel nodded at Wing's last words, feeling guilty for not been able to tell them sooner. At least, the parts he could tell. Daniel looked at Killua and Gon whom were still shocked after learning the real information about _Nen_.

Shaking his head in defeat, Daniel blurted out "Now, back to the real problem at hand... How...?"

Wing looked at Daniel, nodding with a stern expression. He then looked back over to Gon and Killua " _Nen_ is a power that dwells within every person. However, at present, only a few are capable of using that power. Thus, they are treated as geniuses, leaders, psychics, mystics, or superhumans."

"I like the sounds of the last one, superhuman..." Daniel felt embarrassed the way he said it. The words came off childish and sounding like something he would have said, if he were still in kindergarten.

As Killua chuckled, Daniel felt happy to at least lighten the mood for a little bit, even if it was to something embarrassing he just said.

"A power that dwells within everyone..." Gon spoke, strong and firm with every word.

"Yes. And there are two means by which to awaken this power." Wing lifted to fingers as he spoke, sharing glances between all three boys as he continued to spoke "The deliberate way and the aggressive way. Zushi underwent the deliberate method. And it's safe to say the same with you, Daniel-Kun."

Daniel nodded "Yes, but I took the scenic route..."

Wing nodded as he held out a hand to Zushi "Zushi was a quick learner, and he trained hard. So he was able to master _Ten_ in a very short time. In about six months."

"That's too long..." Killua panicked out loud. "We need to learn _Ten_ , and pass Hisoka's _Nen_ barrier before midnight!"

Daniel scratched his chin "Huh... Zushi took as long as me... although; I was sent through loops and constantly trolled by my father. So in reality, more like a week..."

Killua threw out his hand in anger "A week is still too long!"

"Then you'll have to try the aggressive method." Wing spoke with a calm, collective voice, betraying the evidence of his distress.

"Will it be fast enough?"

"That will depend on you. Can you learn to hold your aura within your body, before time runs out?" Raising his hand, Win continued to speak "That is the key. I will now direct my aura toward you. This is known as _Hatsu_ , which I demonstrated earlier."

"Aw no, not happening!" Daniel spoke out loud, failing to wait for Wing to continue.

"Naturally, I will restrain myself," as Daniel let out a sigh of relief, Wing continued "since my objective is not to destroy your bodies. However, this way is still perilous. In other words, I will attempt to shock you into awakening."

Wing's eyes narrowed on the two "I will give your sleeping body a jolt, so you can learn _Ten_ more easily. I say your body sleeps because your body's openings, or micropyles, are closed, meaning your aura flow is stunted. Therefore, I will send my aura into your bodies, to open your micropyles. Under normal circumstances, you would spend a long time meditating and discovering your own auras, while slowly opening those apertures. Even Zushi, a natural talent, required three months."

"One week over here, if it weren't for the detour." Daniel snickered.

Killua and Gon raised an eyebrow at Daniel, before turning to look at Wing.

_ IGNORED? _ Daniel made a face of mortification at the two.

"However, like Daniel, you two could do it in a week."

Daniel drops to the floor in shame "I thought I was a pro..."

"Or even sooner."

_ NOW THAT'S MAKING IT WORSE! Why don't you just add salt to my wounds while you're at it...? _

"Which is why I find it unfortunate that we have such little time to work with." Wing adjusted his glasses, while bring his composure back to a more calm standard.

"I don't really get it..." Killua calmly sighed as he put his arms behind his head. "But quick and dirty is always better."

Daniel snickered after hearing that "Ok. I'll remember that for later."

Killua hid his face after hearing that, hiding the apparent blush. Daniel then looked away, mentally slapping himself. _OMG, I just went there... Damn it, I'm turning into my dad..._

"Please, continue..." Killua whispered under his breath.

"This is a shady, highly frowned upon method. You will be ignoring the correct procedure. You could even die, if the person using this method were weak or evil."

Daniel's eyes narrowed on the sentence **'You could even die'**. Daniel couldn't risk the chances of lost two of the closest friends he made. But, whatever Killua and Gon agreed to, he could only pray to whatever god out there that they would survive.

"But you aren't weak, and you aren't evil." Gon argued, pausing for a brief second before asking "Right?" Daniel mentally slapped himself. _Does Gon only listen to half the conversation?_

Wing sighed, placing his hand to the back of his head.

_ I think Wing's thinking the same thing as me... _

Killua spoke up, drawing Daniel and Wing's attention "That's why I want to know... Why would you suddenly decide to teach us the true four major principles?"

"Because I did not want to squander this opportunity. If you were to challenge the 200s, with none of this knowledge you would suffer greatly. Two of you would suffer, while the other one will pass..."

Daniel butted in "Actually, if I saw Gon and Killua suffer I would lose focus on my _Ten_ , suffering in the process."

"Idiot..." Killua whispered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Up there," Wing lifted a finger, gesturing to the top of Heavens Arena "Up there, everyone knows how to manipulate _Nen_. And they have a special greeting for any newcomer ignorant of _Nen_ , a _Nen_ attack. In other words, they do what I am about to, but without restraint."

Wing narrowed his eyes "They don't care, even if people die... Only those who survive are allowed to pass. They are the chosen. However, they pay a steep price. That's why I wanted you to be prepared. Now," As Wing raised a hand, Daniel felt the air shift "despite my attempts to scare you, I have confidence that this will awaken your power! You have the potential. As well as the ability."

Daniel looked worried at the two, unsure what to say. A part of him wanted them to do it the right way and take the longer route, but, between Gon and Killua the longer route was not an option.

Silence... was the eventual answer Daniel chose. He didn't have to say anything and rather not argue with both boys. Either way, whether he said no or yes, it was up to them to decide.

"Put your belongings down, take off your shirt, and turn your backs towards me."

Killua quirked an eyebrow at Daniel's face, somewhat finding it quite humorous. Whether Daniel had realised it or not, he was half smiling and half confused. A smile swept across Killua's face. _You look like an idiot... Maybe I should tease him..._ "Hey, Daniel?"

"Hmm..." Daniel quirked an eyebrow without changing his facial structure, making Killua laugh hard from the half-assed reaction "What is going on with you?"

Turning away, Daniel hid a frown "Nothing's going on. I'm just... seriously thinking if it's ok to for you to be doing this you... both of you doing this!" Daniel quickly corrected, although not fast enough from Killua's apparent blush.

Gon threw his bag and jacket onto the couch, then turning to give a 'thumbs up' gesture towards Daniel "Don't worry, we'll be ok!"

Daniel left out a small huff, finding the situation quite embarrassing. Not only did he first say he was **worried about Killua only** , before correcting himself, but, Gon had just given Daniel a 'thumbs up' so casually without acknowledging the mistake.

Killua threw his bag and jacket onto the couch next, secretly wanting to throw it at Daniel instead, for saying something so embarrassing. Killua willed his embarrassing away as together with Gon, they had faced their back to Wing.

As Wing held his arms out to the boy's back, focusing his aura into his hands, Daniel watched Killua and Gon's face consort, widening with the pressure they felt on their backs. _No matter what happens now... it was Killua and Gon's decision to make._

Wing moved his body to a comfortable position before speaking "I'll begin."

As the two screamed in shock after having their body filled with Wing's _Ren_ , Daniel felt the pressure, even though he was standing quite far from them.

"Every micropyle on your bodies has opened."

Gon and Killua looked at their bodies startled, looking at themselves as if they discovered something new and different. Daniel looked at them amused as Killua thought out loud "Th-This is..." Unable to finish the sentence, Wing spoke for Killua "That is your aura, or life energy."

Raising a hand in gesturing motion, Wing continued calmly "You can see it now, because the micropyles in your eyes were also opened."

"It's like smoke." Gon raise his hands to his face, looking over them calmly, even after discovering something new so suddenly. "Like steam, rising from the spout of a kettle."

As Gon had finished explaining, Killua added his own two Jennies "It's rushing out from every part of my body. It won't stop gushing out. Isn't that dangerous?" Gon and Killua looked at each other in distress as Killua finished.

Calmly speaking up, Daniel interrupted the two boys "Yes, it is. Your life energy, as Nathaniel would say is 'escaping'. Eventually, you will grow t-"

As Gon and Killua looked at Daniel with a puzzled look, Daniel raised an eyebrow "What?"

Daniel watched Killua's eyes slowly look in another direction as if he was following a fly's movement in the room, which made Daniel repeat himself "What?"

Without giving Killua time to react or say anything, Gon spoke up excitedly "Your aura is making a snail trail towards Killua."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, half listening. He ran Gon's words over and over again in his mind, each time with his eyes widening in shock and embarrassment. As he was about to say something, Killua had spoken for the both of them "Don't say something so weird, Gon!"

Wing snapped all three boy's attention towards him, directing them back to the main problem at hand "If you expend all your aura, you will collapse from fatigue."

"REALLY...?" Killua spoke up in shock, forgetting immediately about Gon's earlier comment.

"Listen to me." Wing clapped his hands together; making sure everyone is focused on him. "You must concentrate on keeping your aura within your body. Close your eyes! Use any stance that helps you focus. Then visualize your aura flowing like blood through your body."

Gon and Killua stood still, like statues in the room; eyes close and standing firm. As Wing continued to dictate, and with each and every word, both Gon and Killua focus on the process calmly "From the top of your head, to your right shoulder. To your hand, before passing through your legs, to the left side. And now visualize that flow beginning to ebb and hovering around your body."

Daniel looked at the boy's stance, feeling the flow from their position. It felt calm and controlled, compared to what it was like when they first started. _Impressive... it's like second nature to them. Hell, they're better than me. Their natural stance is what makes it the easiest and most effective process to follow. Hmm, if they keep going like this I'm going to be left behind. I need to tighten up my belt and get back into the rhythm of training._

"Slowly open your eyes. How do you feel?"

Gon went first, raising his hands as he looked at his own aura "I feel like I'm surrounded by some kind of warm mucus."

Killua nodded at Gon's words, quickly adding on top "Yeah, like I'm wearing weightless clothes."

Daniel spoke up, deciding to add his own two cents "When I first did it, I said it felt close to having someone holding you in a deep embrace, and protecting you as if you were its own child."

Wing nodded "Continue to maintain those images. Once you've assimilated them, you'll be able to use _Ten_ while asleep."

Daniel raised a hand to the back of his head. _Now I really feel bad... I should be doing that naturally... But unfortunately I've been told to hold back so I don't rouse the suspicions of people who can use Nen, at least, until I learn about the others. That was the main rules from Vastorie... and Zaikaria enforced them. It might be a bad habit to break now, but, I won't give up... I don't want to be left behind Gon and... Killua..._

As Daniel thought of Killua's name, he couldn't help looking at him. _I want to protect you more than anything in the world. But it doesn't mean I will forget about Gon._

As Daniel was too busy thinking, Wing raised his hand "Next, I will use hostile _Nen_ against you!" Daniel's body felt the malicious intent return, enveloping the room like a hungry animal. In-turn Daniel's _Ten_ activated on reflex.

Wing raised an eyebrow curiously at Daniel. _That boy... Daniel-Kun is quiet impressive whoever taught him how to use Ten, made him master it in a peculiar way. It acts on reflex if his in danger. Yet, outside he looks as though his unaware of Nen. That could be dangerous if he's attacked while someone's using_ ** _In_** _. He needs to break that habit... soon...'_

"Previously, it would have been painful for you to stand within this."

"Yeah," Killua silent whispered before speaking loud enough for others to hear "I understand your blizzard analogy now. And Daniel's lava one..." Killua whispered the last part, not wanting to boost Daniel's ego. When Killua looked at Daniel his eyes widened. Daniel was looking at him; however, Daniel possible didn't realise it because he looked out of focused, as if thinking too hard.

As soon as Daniel started to focus on his surroundings, Killua turned back quickly to Wing. _How can you keep your eyes on me and not be looking at the same time...?_

"If you can fend off my Nen, you'll be able to break through his barrier! Here I come!"

Soon the boys were in agony, screaming in pain which was loud enough to snap Daniel out of his trance. Daniel held his aura strong and firm, while looking worried at the other two. _Don't lose!_


	25. Heavens Arena X Floor 200s X Testing

_It was now time for the biggest test of our lives._ Daniel kept the thought to himself as he stood at the other end of the hallway, alongside Gon and Killua. The three continued to walk, stopping half way between the hallway and Hisoka. Hisoka's head perked up at the other end of the hallway, slowly looking at the three.

A slow smile spread across his face, widening into a terrible smile. Hisoka had raised his aura, surrounding the three boys as he sent endless barrages of malicious intent towards the boys.

Unfazed, the three continued to walk, unaffected by Hisoka's aura. Once they had reached the end of the hallway, they stood calmly in front of Hisoka.

Hisoka's mouth twitched, smiling even further as if he had just tasted a delicious treat or saw some 'eye candy' "Welcome to the 200s. It appears that I needn't bother with the traditional greeting. I can guess why you've come to Heavens Arena. You intended to train before challenging me..."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to find you here. That saves me time."

Hisoka chuckled, quickly waving Gon off as if he had just become a piece of stale old meat "You should avoid being overconfident in your ability to use _Ten_. There is much more to learn about _Nen_." Hisoka lifted his hands with his index fingers up, joining a thin pink line between the two nails. In the middle Hisoka created a spade before continuing "To be honest, at present, I feel no urge to fight you." Hisoka turned the spade into a skull, smiling more menacingly this time.

"However..." Getting up, Hisoka still held the image of the skull on his raised left hand "If you manage to win a single match in the 200s, I shall accept your challenge."

Hisoka walked off as Daniel let out a small whisper of irritation "Creepy clown..."

Killua nodded before speaking "Let's go."

As Killua walked off, Daniel shared a silent nod, following after Killua as Gon joined in "Yeah."

"~"

"Welcome to the 200s!" The female information attendant smiled unnaturally. For someone working in an area full of monsters, one could only wonder how she manages to keep a smile on her face. "Please fill out the forms here." She continued to smile as she raised the papers. "Would you like to register for a match now?"

The three boys raised eyebrows at each other, looking confused.

Taking the hint she continued with a smile "In this class, there is a self-service system by which you're permitted ninety days of preparation. You may choose to fight on any day during that time. Of course, you're free to fight every day, and you can also wait until the very last day to fight. Once you've participated in a fight, you have another ninety days to prepare. However, if you don't fight before those ninety days end, you will be disqualified, and your name will be struck from all records."

Daniel raised an eyebrow further while thinking. _What kind of Arena is this? The black market mafia...?_

"Does this mean we'll be fighting in this class multiple times?" Gon spoke with a hint of shock after listening to the female.

Without missing a beat, the woman nodded with a smile "Yes, you need ten wins to clear this floor. However, if you lose four times before ten wins, you'll be disqualified."

Daniel looked at Gon, still processing the situation. _WHAT KIND OF AREA IS THIS? NO ONE SHOULD BE THIS HAPPY, ESPECIALLY UP HERE!_

"And if you win ten times, you have a chance to challenge the floor Masters!" The woman opened her arms, eyes glinting like little stars "The Floor Masters are the twenty-one strongest fighters here. Each claims one of the floors, from 230 to 250. Do you understand now? If you defeat a Floor Master, you become the new master of that floor!"

The three boys looked at her, not even the slight bit interested, Daniel being for other reasons.

"Th-That's not all! If you become a Floor Master, you earn the right to participate in the biennial celebration of combat, Battle Olympia!"

"Uh... huh..." Daniel mumbled dryly, secretly amazed that the girl can be so animated, even up here. Looking in shock, the girl tilted to the side in shame from her disinterested customers "No reaction?"

"I had one..." Daniel pointed to himself, dumb folded.

"Forget that." Killua spoke calmly, making Daniel shoot a look of shock. "Is there anything special about the top floor?"

"That's what you want to know?!" The female gawked at Killua, unable to comprehend Killua's reaction. With a quick cough, the female attempted to get her composure back "The champion of Battle Olympia gets to live on the top floor!"

"And...?" Daniel rolled his hands, trying to gain a footing in how awesome the situation would be.

Losing her composure, she continued "It's an incredible honour. A penthouse 1,000 meters above the ground... Don't you get it?!"

"What if you're scared of heights...?" She looks mortified at Daniel as Killua chuckles, waving a sly finger at Daniel "Are you scared of heights...?"

"No... I'm speaking for the people who are..."

"If they are scared of heights, how would they even get past the 100s, let alone the 10s...?"

Daniel massaged his chin "Don't know..."

"Say, Killua..." Gon looked at Killua with a dumb folded expression "Killua's house is 3,700 meters above ground, right?"

Killua remained unfazed at Gon's question, which to Daniel replied calmly "Yeah..." After hearing that, the female dropped to the floor in shame. Daniel cocked his head towards Gon "Still... it's not like there's much to look at from a single point in the sky. In an airship its better, plus, it's better to be closer to the ground. It's easier to see things."

Struggling to get up, the woman still tries to pitch a sale to the disinterested boys "A-And the champion always receives a prize of..."

Completely ignoring the woman, Killua interrupted "What do you wanna do, Gon? Now that I know the top floor's secret, I don't care anymore."

Daniel whined playfully "But- But I wanted to find out about the prizes..."

Killua turned to look at Daniel, waving a disinterest hand "I don't believe you."

Daniel huffed, crossing his arms like child after throwing a failed tantrum. Killua chuckled, laughing at Daniel's pathetic child-like tantrum. Much to Killua's surprise, Daniel smiled as he uncrossed his arms "I made you laugh... I'm happy." _OMG, I sounded like an obsessive girlfriend whom was trying to cheer up their boyfriend... Even though I only wanted to make him laugh..._

As Killua's cheeks tinted red, Daniel thought to himself. _Now that's just adorable... SHUT UP BRAIN!_

Gon smiled widely, wanting to change the topic back "I just want to fight with Hisoka."

Turning to look at the woman, they watch tears of sorrow fall from her face "Why are you kids even here?"

Daniel smiled, raising a finger to comment "I'm here because of Killua, and Killua is here because of Gon. And Gon's also here because of Killua."

"That's cute." The woman commented dryly, disliking that fact that the three of them were even here to begin with.

Killua turned to look at Gon, chuckling from the woman's distress "Well," Killua calmed himself before continuing. With a smile in Gon's direction, Killua spoke "then you'll need to win a fight."

Gon turned, looking at Killua with a cheeky smile.

"But you're gonna wait a bit first, right?"

"Something tells me that isn't the case here..."

Gon nodded, huge smile stretching across his already widened smile. "YES!" Gon had declared proudly, raising a clench fist to his face "I'm doing this! I have to find out how different these opponents are."

Daniel sighed, rousing Killua's suspicions "What gave it away?"

Daniel smiled at Killua "Add more tooth. And apparently that's my face when I'm about to get something my way."

"How...?" Killua asked flatly.

"My dad took a picture and showed me... He said this is what I look like when I'm about to get my way."

Killua looked at Daniel disinterested for a moment. They way Killua's facial structure changed, was hard to describe from Daniel's point of view. It was a mixture of questioning looks and a small smirk. Whether Killua was laughing on the inside or just questioning Daniel with his look, the boy thought it was weird in a cute way. However, Daniel was far off from Killua's actually thoughts, as Killua was thinking how weird was Daniel's parents.

Killua knew little about Vastorie and from what he could piece together made him think of a childish figure, which never wanted to get old. Vastorie was a prankster, one that was bound to leave his child in poor situations. However, the times that Vastorie did help, showed that he was father material... when he wanted to be.

Although, it was harder for Killua to gauge Daniel's other father, Nathaniel from the little to no information.

He envied Gon's and Daniel's lifestyles, unlike his own situation where he was trained by his father and brother, to be an assassin from a young age. Both Gon and Daniel lived lives on how they wanted, but, Gon was a little more open minded and carefree compared to Daniel. Although they both had rules they must follow, Daniel had ones that shackled him down more, even if he pretended he wasn't.

The female that the boys had forgotten, slammed a piece of paper down in front of Gon. She was peeved to say in the least "I'll need you to fill out this form, as well."

"Okay!" Gon smiled, filling out the form.

A sound made Killua look up and turn around, rousing Daniel's attention "What's up?"

Killua scoffed, pointing at the people behind them.

Daniel turned, looking at three strange looking fellows.

In the middle of the three was an old man whom balanced on a steel pipe as a small dancing top spun on his shoulder. Not a piece of skin, besides his hands was shown under his red cloak, with a small breathing mask and conical hat attached to the man's face.

To the right of the red man was a younger man in a large wheel chair, which had two large wheels firmly attached to it. The man wore simply clothing, consisting of a large white robe and a yellow head gear. Out of the head gear stuck out purple spiky hair.

To the left of the red man stood a tall slender man, whose face looked like it was covered by a mask. His hair was a pale greenish-grey, and he wore a robe that consisted of the colours dark purple, light purple and a light white green. What made Daniel look twice was that the man was missing his left arm.

"You want something?" Killua asked casually, a small amount of annoyance escaping his lips.

"No, not really." The man in the wheel chair answered calmly.

As the man in the wheel chair finished, the creepy face man spoke "We're simply in line to register for a fight."

Daniel turned around; looking distastefully at the form Gon was filling out from the guys standing behind them. As the guys were chuckling, Killua turned to Gon with a sigh "Oh, I get it. Gon, these guys want to fight on the day you do."

Gon turned the look at them for a moment. Daniel turned, looking at the guy on the right mostly. _Stop laughing... you look even creepier!_

With a quick huff, Gon turned to his form and ticked a box "I'm ready to go whenever."

Killua turned to the men "There you go."

A grin spread across the creepy man's face "This boy has plenty of spunk."

"Creepy..." Daniel spoke as he looked distastefully at the man.

"Then Gon-Sama will be in room 2207. Killua-Sama will be in room 2223. Urufu-Sama will be in room 2242." All three boys looked at the woman as he held out the keys. "We will let you know which day your match is."

Gon took his key first, smiling widely "Thanks!"

Daniel took his key next with a sigh "Ten Jenny says it tomorrow..."

Killua raised an eyebrow at Daniel, taking his key without a word. Now that each boy had grabbed their key, they walked off towards the rooms.

When Gon turned a corner, the others followed him.

As Killua had gotten out of ears reach, he led the conversation "They must have gone through that greeting Four-Eyes mentioned."

Gon slid the key into his door, opening it calmly.

"If we'd gone in blind, we could've ended up like them."

Gon was distracted by his room interior, looking everywhere he could "Wow! This room is huge!" Gon left, completely forgetting about Killua's topic at hand as he went to check out the bathroom.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"I am..." Daniel smiled at Killua. "Let Gon scope out his room and kill his excitement first before you talk."

Killua let out a small dissatisfied grunt as he looked away, refusing to even glace at Daniel.

Daniel had acknowledged his mistake, walking into the room to check out the interior.

"The bath is squeaky clean."

Daniel nodded at Gon's words before adding to the conversation "And the room... has a nice aroma..." _Actually, I don't think that's the room's smell..._

Killua took a quick whiff "Huh... I don't smell anything..."

_Oh god... Did I smell Killua or Gon unconsciously just now?_

Daniel took another sniff, trying to play dumb "Maybe I was imagining things... Well, it should smell nice, this room, needs some fragrance or something..."

Killua scoffed, heading towards the window.

Gon bolted out the bathroom, running straight to the bed "Whee... I've never seen such a big bed!"

Daniel thought Gon was going to face plant onto the bed, but to his surprise Gon threw his bag on top of it instead, moving over towards the window with Killua "Look, Killua, Daniel..."

Daniel sighed at Gon's enthusiasm, heading over to join the other two at the window. "Nice scenery."

A beep coming from the direction of the TV alerted the boys. Daniel turned from the window to look at the TV, seeing a message specifically for Gon. As Daniel was about to say something Killua had already alerted Gon "Hey, Gon!" Killua motioned to Gon as he had walked over.

Daniel read the message "Your battle has been set for 3PM, March 11th... huh..."

Killua glared in Daniel direction "Why did you have to open your mouth?!"

Daniel scoffed unintentionally from being caught off guard "WHAT? I was being sarcastic... I was hoping they would set it for later... rather than sooner." Daniel poked his fingers together, looking rather childish in the moment.

Killua sighed, unable to yell at Daniel any longer "Damn... I didn't think it would be that fast..."

Gon clenched his fists as he activated his _Ten_ in the process. The feeling of Gon's aura activating made Killua look at him, which in-turn made Daniel look as well.

Gon looked calm and relaxed with his aura active, letting his mind flow in peace "I won't be able to win tomorrow. But that's okay." Gon smiled, opening his eyes as he raised his fists. "I need the experience. I need to discover what I can do with this power."

Daniel smile along with Killua. _I wish I had some of your enthusiasm... you're destined for great things... I don't even know what the future contains for me, but, I know... if I stick with you guys, I'll find something cool along the lines that makes me want to invest my time into._


	26. Heavens Arena X Floor 200s X Round One

Today was Gon's match. Daniel felt giddy for Gon, still worried but none-of-the-less excited.

"Okay, we have a thrilling match for you today." Daniel watched Gon's image flash up on screen, with Gon rising from the ground in an elevator. "First, we have Gon, who managed to zip straight to this class!"

Another person rose from the opposite end, looking to be the same man from yesterday night, the one in red. "His opponent will be Gido, who currently holds a respectable 4-1 record."

Killua looked at Gido without an expression as Daniel hummed "Gido..."

"You say something?"

"Nothing, just remembering names..."

Killua nodded briefly before looking back at Gon.

Step-by-step, Gon and Gido made their way to the ring as the crowd cheered at a battle that was yet to begin. The referee spoke the rules like they do before every match, making sure they embed into your mind. Once he had finish with the rules, the ref had begun the match.

Daniel smirked slightly, watching the match with Hawk eyes. He wanted to know everything, and see everything he could, just in case he had to fight Gido at a later date.

Twisting his hand, Gido pulled a dancing top almost out on nowhere. Gido then raised his cane, laying the dancing top on his cane and then somehow proceeded to multiply them into at least eight or more.

Daniel raised an eyebrow after seeing that magic trick.

"There they are, Gido's Dancing Tops! He uses numerous tops to attack his opponent!"

"Here we go..." Gido threw his dancing tops out at Gon. "Battle Waltz!"

The dancing tops moved in a peculiar pattern, waltzing around on with no clear patterns. Without out any warning, one of dancing tops was sent spiralling into Gon's back.

The crowd cheered as Daniel only watched, trying to figure out how exactly they moved. _Maybe I can warn Gon on which direction they were coming from... if he'd let me..._

"Clean hit!" The referee announced as Gon landed on the floor, the dancing tops moving to surround Gon once again.

"Oh, Gon gives up a clean hit and one point, right off the bat! He's off to a rough start."

"I can use _Nen_ to keep these tops spinning for hours, as my attack. The attack pattern is so complex, even I don't know what will come next!"

As Gon was busy trying to dodge the dancing tops, Daniel ran Gido's words in his head, trying to figure out why he would do that "Now that's just stupid!"

"Huh?" Killua turned to Daniel, caught off guard to Daniel's comment.

"Think about it, Killua." Daniel turned to Killua before continuing "If they are so complex, how are you supposed to chain attacks?"

Killua nodded once before commenting "Yeah, but, maybe that's his style..."

"His style is boring... and stupid. Mostly stupid..."

Killua chuckled briefly, although it was only for a second seeing as the next announcement made both boys snap their heads back towards the fight.

"He's been hit from behind by another top! Gon is in big trouble, after having been surrounded by the Dancing Tops!"

"Clean hit and knockdown! Two points!"

"Gido has already earned four points!"

"Damn..." Daniel sighed as he eyed down Gon from his position. Even with the referee checking to see if Gon could continue fighting, Daniel still worried about Gon. Constant attacks like these could still end up hurting Gon in the long run.

"You bet!" Gon declared clearly and proudly at the refs.

Time after time again, Gon continued to dodge the tops.

_Why isn't Gido doing anything? I can understand he needs to focus on balancing and controlling those Dancing tops... but... why is he standing there?_

One of the tops slams into Gon's chest, sending the boy flying out the ring.

"Another direct hit! Gon is completely helpless! He's been knocked out of the ring! The score is now 6-0! He's dug himself a big hole!"

Gon stood still outside the ring, deep in his own thoughts. The ref ran up to Gon so see if anything was wrong "What's wrong? Can you continue fighting?"

"Be quiet! I'm thinking right now."

"If you're not in the ring within a ten-count, I'll rule you the loser! One!"

As the ref was counting, Daniel continued to watch Gon, contemplating on what is going to happen next. _Gon, how are you going to get out of this alive...?_

Gon turned to the ref, asking him a question about the situation "Why are you standing outside the ring?"

"If I stay in the ring, I'll get hurt!"

Daniel's head perked up at that information "I thought you could get into trouble for attacking the ref."

"Maybe they are more lenient on those rules here..." Killua spoke in a firm tone. Daniel eyed down Killua running the words through his head " _Nen_... maybe it's not limited to attacking one person at a time... Maybe they could be areas of effect attacks too..."

"Maybe..." Killua ran the thought through his head. "Maybe..." Killua repeated the word again as he looked back at Gon's battle.

_Hatsu... is there a limit to range of abilities you can produce._

Gon darted off towards the arena, drawing Daniel's attention once again. The way Gon carried himself, he wasn't one for giving up, and Daniel liked that feature about him. But, one thing worried Daniel. How far was Gon willing to go?

As Gon's foot hit the ring, he jumped straight for Gido.

"Heh," Gido chuckled for a moment at Gon's plan of attack, "you may have figured out my tops, but you still can't land an attack!"

In a split second, Gido surprised Gon by spinning like a mini tornado, making it impossible to attack him.

"There it is! Gido's special technique, combining offense and defence! Tornado Top!" When Gon's kick landed on Gido, he was sent back out the ring. "He lands a strong counter on Gon! Three points! The judge has awarded a critical hit and knockdown! Gido has nine points! Gon is on the verge of losing!"

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed "That's why he didn't move... because he had that counter attack."

Killua let out an irritated sigh at Gon's failed attempts. "There's so many ways Gon could take out Gido..."

"Pull the tiles out from underneath Gido, like a carpet is one of them..."

Killua nodded, before focusing back on Gon. Killua really wanted to know what Gon would do now. "GON! IDIOT!" Killua freaked out.

"What?! What is he doing?" Daniel freaked out from Killua sudden outburst.

"He released his _Ten_." Killua got up, yelling out at Gon "If you're hit by a _Nen_ attack, without protection, you'll be totally messed up!"

Daniel got up yelling at Gon as well "YOU CAN'T WIN LIKE THAT! Get out of the ring and wait till the count down! You could-" In an unexpected turn of events Gon dodged an attack from two Dancing tops that was about to collide into him.

"Amazing! It's the first time Gon has managed to evade an attack!"

In the end, no matter how many Dancing tops were about to attack Gon, he dodged every single one gracefully. But, he could only dodge for so long. Gon took one wrong step, landing in a position where it was impossible to dodge without getting hit.

"~"

"Your right radius and ulna were both broken. Fractured humerus. Three broken ribs."

"And twelve other minor fractures..." Daniel blurted out the last one in surprise "Do you have some kind of death wish?"

Killua nodded as he sat on Gon's bed, continuing to glare at the boy "Four months before you're completely healed up."

Daniel held out a hand, covering Killua's face "Don't do that..."

"Why not? Do you not realise how stupid Gon was?"

"Your adorable. That's why!"

"SHUT UP... idiot!" Killua whispered the last word. The way Daniel was able to casually say something like that, made it impossible to continue scowling any further at Gon.

"He's a dumbass... and I'm sure Gon won't do this again... right?"

"Yeah, sorry."

Daniel turned to Gon, sighing in disbelief "Why don't I believe you...?"

When Gon poked his tongue out, Killua crawled towards Gon so quickly, it was impossible to see. And to top it off Killua was really angry at Gon right now. Once Killua was right in front of Gon, he poked him furiously "An apology won't help! Do you have any brains in there?"

Daniel pulled out an imaginary sheet of paper, adjusting his fake glasses as if was doing a background check "Killua, I believe that his brains... may have left the building during his last fight..."

Killua snickered as he tried staying angry at Gon "D-Didn't you see what hap-happened to those who'd suffered the traditional _Nen_ greeting?" Killua stopped to laugh for a moment, unable to contain himself. Once the boy had gotten his fair share of chuckles out, he continued directed his anger towards Daniel "Damn it Daniel! You made me lose it!."

Killua left out a small huff. He couldn't believe he laughed at a moment like this, Gon's arm ruined and he was trying to state his anger towards Gon. Killua flicked Gon on the forehead. Killua calmed himself down before continuing on with a glare in Gon's direction "One wrong move, and you could have ended up like them! You're lucky not to be hurt any worse. Man, why do you think Four-Eyes was training us?"

"Still..."

Daniel jumped onto Gon's bed, flicking the boy across the forehead "Quit now while you're ahead!"

Gon pouted as he rubbed his forehead after being flicked for a second time "But- But... I had a feeling I'd be okay."

Killua's eyes narrowed dangerously as Gon continued to dig his already shallow grave "I took a few hits, but I wasn't in mortal danger, as long as he missed my vital spots..."

"I give up... he's going to get himself killed the way his going..."

Killua smiled maniacally as he pressed his foot in Gon's broken arm.

Gon puffed up his cheeks as he held in his pain, refusing to give in.

A knock at the door made Killua pull his foot away from Gon's arm "Come in." Killua got off the bed to open the door as Daniel jumped off the bed to sit down in a chair.

Gently massaging he's head, Daniel lean back into the chair with a sigh. _Wing is going to kill Gon once he hears about this..._

"Four-Eyes!"

As Daniel turned his head towards the door, he saw Wing walking into the room towards Gon's bedside.

"Uh, sorry..."

Wing slapped Gon across the face hard. The man stood still for a few second before building up his anger to yell at Gon "An apology won't help!"

Daniel looked at Gon who refused to even look at Wing in the face. Gon was upset at himself for being so childish, wanting to pick a fight before building up the strength to stand toe-to-toe with someone who may have been using _Nen_ for years.

"What were you thinking?! Didn't you see those who'd suffered the traditional _Nen_ greeting? You could have ended up just like them!"

Killua walked up behind Wing, casually speaking with his hands behind his head "Oh, that's what I just told him."

"Really now..." Daniel commented flatly. _I believe you made him feel guilty instead..._

"Honestly..." Wing rested his hand on Gon's shoulder, hoping to entice the boy to look up at him. "I'm glad you weren't injured any worse."

Gon looked up at Wing, apologising for the third time that day "Wing-San, I really am sorry."

Wing smiled for a brief second, quickly changing to an irritated expression "No, I won't let this one slide. Killua-Kun, Daniel-Kun, do you know when Gon-Kun will have recovered completely?"

"The doctor said it would take two months." as Killua mention two months, Daniel said "four months."

Wing glanced between Killua and Daniel, trying to figure out which boy was lying. With a sigh, Wing spoke "One of you are right..."

Killua shot Daniel a dirty look "I'm right. Don't bother listening to the idiot sitting down."

 _IDIOT!_ Daniel's eyebrow twitched at Killua's comment. With a quick look at Killua's stern face, Daniel gave in and agreed to Killua's statement "Killua's right... I just wanted Gon to suffer for his, stupidity..."

"EHH?" Gon whined.

"I understand." Wing stood up straight. "In that case, I won't allow you to participate in any matches for two months! I won't allow you to train in, or study about, _Nen_. If you don't abide by these rules, I will never teach you again. Well?"

 _Now it's all up to you, Gon._ Daniel looked at Gon in concern as he wondered about how this could affect the boy's training.

"I understand. I'll do as you say."

"Give me you left hand." Wing held out his hand, waiting for Gon to place his hand in Wing's own. Wing tied a small blue string around Gon's pinkie. Daniel looked at the symbols around the string, wondering what they meant.

Gon looked up at Wing, curiosity behind his eyes.

"This is a promise thread. It will be a visual reminder of your promise." As Wing was speaking, Gon's concentration was spent on the small string that had been tied around his finger.

With a nod of understanding from Gon, Wing turned to look between the remaining two boys "Killua-Kun, Daniel-Kun, a moment, please.

"~"

Daniel sat down at a bench beside Killua, swinging his feet constantly under the bench. The weather was nice outside. Not too hot, and not too cold. The birds chirping in the distance made Daniel smile as his thoughts went elsewhere.

"Killua-Kun, Daniel-Kun, what is the true objective you three are pursuing?"

Killua shared a glance between Daniel. With a shared nod, Killua spoke for the three of them "Well, we don't really have an objective. Before running into Zushi and you, my plan was to earn some quick cash. Gon's here to train hard, so he can defeat a guy named Hisoka. Daniel's here for the fun. That's it, really."

As Killua was speaking, Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, knitting them together as he was deep in his own thoughts. _What should I say... the truth or a lie...? I really want to say I'm here to protect Killua. But, what would he say... Plus, he is stronger than me so that's pretty much pointless at this point... I want to be stronger than Killua, so I can protect him..._

"Daniel-Kun...?"

Daniel snapped out his thoughts, looking straight at Wing "Yes?"

"Is that true?"

"What's true?"

"Your here for fun?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Killua, wondering why he would choose something so creative. "I'm here... because I want to be stronger. There are people I want to protect..."

"Family...?"

Daniel shook his head, choosing to look at the floor "They're always protecting me. And I'll never be able to compete on their level of strength... I want to protect my friends..."

Killua pat Daniel on the head hard, almost smacking the boy into the floor "Idiot... you couldn't protect me...!"

Daniel fumed as he looked at Killua. What he saw startled him. Killua's cheeks were rosy red as he continued to pummels Daniel's head. "I'll end up protecting you..."

Daniel's heart was filled with joy as he heard those words escape Killua's lips. He felt happy to hear that Killua was going to protect him... even though it sounded more like a joke from the way Killua had said it.

"Right..." Daniel smiled at Killua, watching the other boy's movement intensely.

"Looks like the others in the 200s want to reach the top floor. Battle Olympia, was it?" Killua asked unsure of himself. With a small pout, Killua finally looked away with much calmer cheeks "I'm not interested. Oh, Gon is... Well, I'm not sure..."

"What about you?" Wing asked Daniel.

Daniel shook his head, choosing not to say anything on the matter. Out of the corner of Daniel's eye, he watch Killua swing his feet under the chair, deep in his own thoughts.

_I want to know what you are thinking Killua... That did not sound creepy in the slightest..._

Killua spoke up again, voicing his own thoughts "He said that he only wants to fight Hisoka. But after seeing his match yesterday," Killua grinned with a smile "I have a feeling he enjoys the thrills..."

"You say that he was enjoying a situation that could have cost him his life?" Wing asked eyes wide in concern. Daniel nodded for Killua, speaking as calmly as he could on the matter "I guess that's one way you could put it..."

"Yeah..." Killua spoke, eyes glazing over toward Daniel "I know because I've felt the same way. Although I take circumstances into consideration, too. Once he's in the zone, he loses sight of everything else. Oh!" Killua looked up with an innocent smile "But he isn't the type to break a promise twice, so you needn't worry."

Wing stood there in silence, deep in his own thoughts. Daniel watched Wing carefully. Choosing to silence the matter, Daniel jumped into the conversation "Seriously thinking... It's too late to back out now..." Daniel clenched his fist.

Killua got up grinning at Wing "Because Gon and I now know." Daniel looked up at Killua, wondering what the boy was going to say next. "If you regret teaching us and decide to back out, we'll find someone else, or we'll learn it ourselves. Right, Daniel." Killua looked at Daniel, wondering if the boy was going to agree with him.

Daniel nodded as he got up, holding a finger out for each person "I have three people I know of... two which I'm willing to learn under. Zaikaria and Nathaniel. Vastorie... would be hard to learn under... most likely."

Killua looked back at Wing "See? We know other people we can learn under..." _I wouldn't let Zaikaria teach me though. She's pissed off at me... and I don't even know what I did to piss her off! What's up with that chick?!_ "You don't have to feel responsible. My brother, Hisoka and Zaikaria can use _Nen_. Daniel only briefly touched the topic so I can't include him. So Gon and I were bound to discover it eventually."

Killua walked off towards Heavens Arena, followed closely by Daniel.

Without getting further than four steps, Wing broke the silence "I understand. And I mean to finish what I started. There are many things I must tell you. Zushi is waiting in my lodge. You both can train with him."

"No, I'll pass." Killua stated proudly. "I won't leave Gon behind. If he keeps his promise, I'll start training when he does." Killua slowly walked away as Daniel stood there, taken back by Killua's words. A part of him wanted to accept Wing's deal and leave those two behind so he could become stronger than them both, but, another part of him wanted to decline so that he could say beside Killua and Gon the whole way.

"Daniel-Kun...?"

Killua stopped to look at Daniel, wondering what the boy's choice may be. Weighing his options, Daniel reluctantly gave into the latter option. No matter how strong he would get, he would be leaving Gon and Killua. And no friendship is worth leaving behind for more strength.

"I agree with Killua. I won't leave the two of them behind. Even if I'm one step ahead of them, I'm willing to take a step back to be beside them."

Killua turned around with rosy red cheeks, "Baka..." making his way back towards Gon's room. Daniel frowned, chasing after Killua "HEY, wait for me!"

"Wait, tell Gon-Kun this... I will allow him to practice the other **'Nen'**! Tell him to practice **'Ten'** daily!"


	27. Heavens Arena X Floor 200s X Thoughts

When Killua and Daniel Got back, Gon had already training his _Ten_. So the next words Killua would have said would have fell on deaf ears. Choosing not to be left behind, both Daniel and Killua had joined in training, picking a spot to sit down and practice.

"~"

A month had passed when Gon and Killua first learnt about _Nen_. Daily practices included training _'Ten'_ and sometimes shopping with Killua. Although, Daniel sometimes hated Killua because he always critiqued Daniel's clothing style.

Daniel eventually allowed the boy to dress him and for some weird reason, Killua had picked choices that Daniel wouldn't mind wearing, except some of the shirts. Daniel always wore a shirt with a slogan or design on it, which was way out of the norms. And even though Killua thought he was weird, he still managed to find a way for Daniel to dress around it, and even get the shorts hating boy to wear shorts.

Daniel grumbled in the hallways "Shorts are weird... They show off too much of my legs off. And I'm pretty sure these are considered booty shorts..."

"They stop at your knees..." Killua grumbled in annoyance, stopping to poke the boy whom was complaining "Booty shorts are even shorter than that!" Sighing, Killua turned to walk back in the direction of Gon's room.

"Still weird..."

"You're like a girl! Next you'll be complaining your butt looks too big in it!"

"No..." Daniel slapped his butt "It's tiny... at least I hope! All I need is... maybe a school shirt or the sailor top and I could pose as one of them."

"Daniel, if you're going to question something... why the shirt with boobs?"

Daniel rolled his eyes as he stopped at Gon's door "To be honest... it was stupid funny. I couldn't resist. I also liked the 'tux' and the 'I'm a badass' shirt."

Killua looked seriously at Daniel "You're weird..."

"I prefer the term **Unique**..."

Killua rolled his eyes before opening the door with a smile "Gon, I got something good..." Killua freaked out, eyes going wide.

"Did you walk in on Gon while he was naked or something?"

"WHAT? NO!" Killua waved his hands frantically at Daniel. Daniel pushed Killua aside, seeing Gon fully healed up and performing handstands on the arm that was not even broken a month ago.

"Oh, Killua, Daniel, I was about to go look for you."

"Uh..." Killua walked into the room, completely lose for words.

"Gon, are you sure that's wise?" Daniel asked as he quickly stepped into the room before Killua could slam the door in his face.

"Yeah!"

"Are you really healed...?" Killua asked, unsure if he was still dreaming.

"I could pinch you..." Daniel smirked at Killua.

Gon smiled as he paced himself towards the others, walking with his hands. "Yeah!" Gon forced himself up, running on the spot with enough enthusiasm to rival a team of fan boys and girls "See? I'm perfectly fine!"

Daniel raised a finger at Gon "Calm down Tigger!"

"Who's Tigger?" Gon asked curiously.

"A really excited animal..." Killua commented dryly "Anyways," Killua's eyes narrowed on Gon "what is your body made of?"

"How to answer that..." Gon thought out loud, eyes curiously looking in Killua's direction.

"You're weird." Killua sighed. "I'm surrounded by weird people..."

Gon puffed his cheeks up at Killua's words as Daniel objected "Unique!"

"Well? Weren't you about to say something?" Gon questioned Killua, bringing back the conversation to an earlier topic.

As Killua remembered, he pulled out the tickets, only to have them snatched from his hands by Daniel "Hey!"

Ignoring Killua's anger, Daniel fanned out the tickets as he yelled in excitement "We got tickets to a fight, involving the scariest person on the planet!"

"Who?"

Killua sighed, gesturing to the ticket "He means Hisoka... I'll explain it over some lunch."

"~"

The small coffee shop that the boys had chose to continue talking about the topic was small and serene. Daniel poked his sandwich every so often, as if he was waiting for it to jump back to life, even though it was just a toasted cheese sandwich.

Raising his hand in a gesture, Killua had finally spoken about the earlier topic after a good lunch. "As a 200s fighter, I got dibs on tickets."

Daniel stopped poking his sandwich for a second to look up "We both did..."

Killua nodded at Daniel briefly, watching the boy finally pick up the sandwich to take a bite. Looking back at Gon stuff his face, Killua continued "The tickets to Hisoka's match are a really hot item. There are even scalpers hawking them."

"Oh..."

Daniel put down his sandwich to look serious at Killua "I don't know WHO, in their right mind want to check out Hisoka's match..."

Killua sighed, eyes glazing over to Daniel "I could think of one..." with a quick nod of understanding from Daniel, Killua looked back towards Gon "So I've been gathering information."

"What...? When...?"

"When you went looking..."

"Oh..."

Gon looked between the two with a quizzical look. Killua looked at Gon, waiting for any weird questions, when Gon failed to ask any questions, Killua raised his eyebrow in concern, only for a moment. "Anyways, it turns out that Hisoka's the real deal. He has an 8-3 record, with 6 KO's. Each KO has led to death."

Gon stopped eating for a moment to question something Killua had just said "But he's lost three matches..."

"His three losses were due to forfeits."

"Forfeits...?"

Daniel raised a hand in concern at Killua "Forfeits like it was too hard or forfeits like there's no one fun to fight...?"

"He reached the registration deadline, so he signed up for a fight, but didn't show." Killua made a mischievous catlike expression at the two as Daniel massaged the side of his temples "So we're dealing with a selective fighter... Well, Gon is..."

"That's not the only thing..." Gon looked seriously at Killua.

Killua's expression hardened as he looked between the two "If Hisoka actually fights, he doesn't lose.

"Yeah." Gon looked down at his juice, eyes focusing on nothing but the liquid. When he looked back, Killua had continued "And he's only given up a total of four points. One knock down, three clean hits."

Daniel look at Killua, wondering out loud "Ok, seriously, when did you manage to gather all this information after you made me try on all these shorts, pants, shirts and other things..."

Killua grinned for a moment "I'm. Not. Telling..."

Daniel puffed his cheeks up at Killua, waiting to see if the other has anything more to say.

"He's as strong as a Floor Master."

"I'm in trouble..." Gon gasped in agony. Clasping his hands up in a death grip, Gon's hands shook violently. Killua and Daniel shared a look of concern between each other. Daniel then looked back at Gon, eyes widened in concern. _Seriously Gon... why do you get yourself into these situations?_

"~"

Daniel had shoved his hands into his pockets, Wolfbane hitting his back every so often when he took a step. The three had created enough distance from the coffee shop to allow Gon to gather his thoughts.

Eyes watching the sky, Daniel had listen to Killua continue the lecture "So, his opponent is some guy named Kastro."

"Kastro...?" Daniel asked as he looked towards Killua, wondering if he would remember or come to a sudden realisation of whom this 'Kastro' would be.

"Two years ago, he claimed the sole knock down against Hisoka. And of the four points scored against Hisoka, he's responsible for three."

"He scored three points against Hisoka..." Gon asked, head turning to face Killua.

"You could say they have a history."

Daniel smirked at Killua as he stepped onto the escalator alongside them. Daniel rested his back against the escalator "Must be an interesting history, seeing as he's one of the two that survived against Hisoka..."

Killua frowned at Daniel "Apparently, they both registered for the same day so they could fight each other."

When Gon made a sound of acknowledgement, Killua focused on Gon with a smile "You should have the chance to analyse Hisoka's fighting style. Maybe we'll get to see Hisoka go all-out."

"I rather not..." Daniel casually blurted out.

Gon broke out in cold sweat "But is this okay? I promised Wing-San..."

Killua cut in "Of course it's okay! You'll just be watching a match."

"Speaking of the devil... Hi, Wing-san... Zushi..." Killua and Gon both jumped at Daniel's words, eyes focusing on who was standing in front of them at the elevator. Wing had a permanent frown, which wasn't going to be changing anytime soon. "It is not okay! Viewing a match counts as learning about _Nen_."

"W-Wing-san..." Gon was still panicking from Wing being so close in proximity between the three. Daniel shook his head at the two, whom were stuck in a statute like position.

"Gon-Kun, has your arm healed?"

"Y-Yes! It's fine now." Gon rolled his arm around to prove that his arm had healed to Wing.

Killua took this chance, wanting to challenge Wing to his earlier deal with Gon "Since he's recovered, he can watch the match, right?"

Daniel frowned, gesturing with his thumb in Wing's direction "I don't think it's as easy as that, Killua..."

"That's right." Wing looked away in disgust from Killua even thinking of asking "I told Gon-Kun to wait two months."

Killua frowned, jaw dropping in disappointment.

Wing looked up, eyes focusing on Gon "Gon-Kun, you should spend one more month practicing _'Ten'_ , and recovering from your injuries."

"Oh... Okay, I understand."

"Well, then it's fine." Wing stepped away from the two as Zushi bowed in respect "Osu! Take care."

Killua sighed, a frown gracing his face so causally "Oh, well... You'll have to watch a recording, so I'll go and see it in person with Daniel."

"It's a date-GREAT idea!"

Killua's cheeks flushed in surprise at Daniel words. "I'll... um... go-get-changed... bye!" Daniel rushed off to his room, cheeks flushed to a new shade of pink. There was no way he could back down from his earlier mistake, and Killua was not about to forget anytime soon... unless Gon had said something.

"~"

**Hello! I'm your announcer, Cocco! Today in Heavens Arena, we have Kastro versus Hisoka, the match you've all been waiting for! Just look at this crowd! The match doesn't start for another hour, but the arena is already packed!**

Daniel looked incredulous at the TV. With a sigh, Daniel mumbled to himself "What's so... alluring with that man?"

**Two years ago, Hisoka-**

Daniel switched off his TV, not wanting to hear another word "I don't care about what Hisoka did two years ago. For all I know, he could be model for the 'Top serial killers' magazine..."

Daniel ran his fingers through the closet, eyeing down the many clothes Killua made him buy. "Which ones, would Killua be less likely to tell me I look stupid in...?" A blush painted his cheeks. _Why am I even dressing nice for the guy...? WHY AM I EVEN ARGUING WITH MYSELF...?_

Daniel rubbed his temple, sighing again "Gah.. And that earlier comment... 'It's a date!' what was I even thinking at the time...?"

Picking a pair of comfortable dark red jeans, Daniel searched for a top "I'm pretty sure my dad would be having a ball right now. **Daniel and Killua sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G...** " Daniel slapped himself across the face "Don't even go there brain!"

Picking a dark grey shirt, Daniel slammed his closet shut "Dude! Stop thinking about Killua... I get it. Killua is cool, calm, relax... cute... perfect-" 'SLAP' "you have a crush... on someone who could kill you with his pinkie... HIS PINKIE...!" Daniel raised his pinkie in an angry gesture. He sighed, looking back at his clothes he just picked "And someone you allow to pick out your clothes... not even Gon would let Killua get away with that... What am I even saying; Gon wears the same clothing every day..."

Daniel focused on the bed "Ok brain... clearly, I like Killua... a lot... so, tell me... why, do you like Killua?" Images flashed before Daniel's mind, making the boy cover his face "WHY...? Not imagine him without clothes on... THAT'S SOMETHING MY DAD WOULD DO!"

Daniel took in a deep breath, thinking the situation through "Ok, going from my perspective. Killua is calm and collected. I like that feature... He's strong... I could argue handsome... but then again I'm 12, turning 13 in a couple of months. Maybe I'm going through a phase... All I set out to do in my mind was to protect Killua... not..."

Daniel gestured to himself in the mirror "This..." Daniel pushed out his hips, checking all angles "Actually, I look pretty good..."

Daniel stopped himself from continuing and instead, snatched up the ticket "All I needed was to talk to the mirror, and I'm pretty sure I would have come close to a teen before their first date with their crush... 'Killua, does this make my butt look big?' would have been a great example..."

Daniel catches himself looking towards the mirror. Infuriated, Daniel left the room with a huff "NOPE! I'm not going there..."


	28. Heavens Arena X Floor 200s X Hisoka

The boys were quiet, and not a word was spoken. Daniel looked at Killua, seeing the boy only focusing on the competitors. Taking a deep breath after fifteen minutes of silence, Daniel spoke "Sorry, about earlier..."

"Huh, what...?" Killua snapped out of his trance, looking directly at the boy.

"The 'it's a date' comment I made earlier... I don't think my brain was fully engaged..."

"Oh..." Killua blushed as he focused on the match "I'm used to it by now. Your brain is never engaged..."

Daniel's eyes widen in mortification, sputtering words that make no sense whatsoever "I do speak the native tongue of English!"

"What...?" Killua looked seriously at Daniel, even though he was unable to take the boy seriously.

"I mean... GAH! My brain is engaged most of the time...!"

"Keyword, 'most'...!" Killua grinned sly at Daniel, catlike features beginning to show.

Daniel huffed "And to think I dressed for you..."

"You should be dressing for yourself..." Killua blushed for the second time that night, while avoiding Daniel's glaze "You look ok..."

"And here I was thinking my butt looked big..."

"WHAT...?"

"NOTHING...! I was making a joke..."

"A poor one at that..." Killua mused, still focusing on the match that was about to begin.

"Yes, it's finally time..." The announcer Cocco raised her voice, showing as much excitement as she could express with every word muttered "The long-awaited rematch between Hisoka and Kastro!"

Killua's eyes narrowed when Kastro started to speak, every word calm and collected "I'm very grateful, Hisoka. If not for the initiation you grave me back then, I'd never have become this strong."

Hisoka chuckled at Kastro's words, smiling in glee as he taunted back "You mean to imply that you're stronger now?"

"Just so you're aware, I never used my full strength in any of the nine matches after my loss to you. Those matches were nothing more than a warm-up for my defeat of you."

The ref brought down his hand, begging the match.

Kastro raised his voice as the match began, signalling his move "Here I come!" Kastro charged towards Hisoka like bull after a red flag. Raising his hand like a claw, Kastro swung to his left.

Smiling with glee, Hisoka ducked. Then it happened like a delayed reaction. Hisoka got hit, making the estranged clown slide across the floor.

"A clean hit!" Cocco declared proudly. "Kastro has landed the first strike!"

Both Daniel and Killua had a similar reaction, but Daniel was more at a loss. _What's going on...? I thought Hisoka was this unstoppable fighter, which rarely loses a point..._

Kastro frowned, bringing his thumb up to point to himself "Give me your best shot, Hisoka."

The crowd cheered as Cocco declared loudly "Kastro is the one to land the first strike! Hisoka has surrendered the first point, after failing to avoid Kastro's swift chop!"

Daniel gawked, coming to a sudden realisation "Wait, Hisoka managed to get caught off guard...?"

Killua eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out how Kastro managed to land a strike.

"I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I won't hold back on my next attack." Kastro declared proudly, voided of any emotion.

Hisoka stood up, smiling slyly "You'll have my best shot when I deem it necessary."

"Very well. Then I hope you'll change your mind soon."

The thoughts that could be running though Hisoka's mind, made the boy shiver in fear. _What are you thinking... you strange clown?_

Kastro charged Hisoka like the first time, missing the clown completely. However, like the first swing, Hisoka had a delayed reaction when hit, as if Kastro was either extending his range, or moving faster than Hisoka can react.

"Again... I was sure he dodged that!" Killua spoke up, still wondering how Kastro managed to achieve that.

"You're telling me..." Daniel blurted out "I'm still figuring out how Kastro is pulling it off. It's like Hisoka has a delayed reaction, or Kastro is extending his attack range with _Nen_."

Hisoka jumped back, landing on his feet. Kastro charged Hisoka, swinging frantically as he tried to get another hit. However, when Kastro swung it didn't feel frantic.

"What's wrong?" Kastro asked while grinning. "Will you just run around, rather than attack?" Bringing up his foot, Kastro delivered a kick to Hisoka right side. Hisoka blocked it with a frown. Suddenly, Hisoka got distracted, which allowed Kastro to put all his power into the kick, which knocked Hisoka down into the ground.

Daniel's eyes twitched "I thought Hisoka was this unstoppable killing machine... Seriously, how is he losing?"

"Clean hit! And knockdown!" As the referee announced, Cocco declared at the top of her lungs "What an amazing start! Kastro has been knocking his opponent around! The score is now 4-0. However, are my eyes deceiving me?"

Kastro stared down at Hisoka "Have you still not changed your mind? Would you prefer to die ignorant?"

"C-Can you still fight?" The ref freaked out when Hisoka stared coldly at the man. Soon, Hisoka smiled, standing up like the hits he had just received did nothing to him. "If I am not mistaken," Hisoka pat the concrete dust of himself, before turning to smile in glee at Kastro "You seemed to disappear..."

"That's right!" Cocco yelled. "He disappeared! That's what I saw!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow "I thought he was extending his area of attack somehow..."

"No," Hisoka thought out loud, while grasping his chin "that is not an accurate description. You were readying a kick from the front, when suddenly, you were behind me. I suppose that would be more precise."

Hisoka looked down on Kastro, while holding out his hand in a calm manner as if every piece of the jigsaw puzzle had just fallen into place "But that doesn't sound right... Something is off."

"The scary clown in the ring...?" Daniel muttered under his breath. _But who am I to judge? It's not like anyone else here did the exam with Hisoka... except Killua... Does he count?_

"Yes," Hisoka made a moan of appreciation as his eyes looked over Kastro "I feel I'm missing something very basic here..."

"It's futile. If you continue to run in circles, you'll never learn the truth. Because I'm done waiting. I'll take your arm with my next strike."

Hisoka frowned at Kastro, looking as though the man had said something stupid.

When Kastro failed to get a reaction from his opponent, he continued to egg Hisoka on, enticing the man to fight "If you still will not attack, then so be it." Kastro raised his arms, holding out both hands in a similar shape to dragon claws "It seems you weren't good enough."

The crowd cheered as someone vaguely mentions that Kastro is about use 'Tiger Bite Fist'. Daniel eyes glazed towards Killua, wanting to approach the question. When he met with Killua's face, the lack of reaction Killua was giving, made Daniel focus back on the fight. _I guess he doesn't know either..._

Little did Daniel know, Killua actually knew, what the 'Tight Bite Fist' was. When Killua grit his teeth, Daniel's head snapped in Killua's direction "What?"

"Nothing..." Killua mutter under his breath.

Daniel's eyes slightly narrowed on Killua "What's the **Tiger Bite Fist**?"

Raising a finger, Killua describes the ability "That technique can split a tree in two, when used by a master." Daniel gave a brief nod of understanding "That's cool..."

The air in the room suddenly changed drastically, feeling more dangerous. And the one emitting that kind of danger wasn't Hisoka, it was Kastro. "Here I come!" Kastro declared aggressively as he charged down Hisoka like a raging bull.

Smiling in glee, Hisoka held out his left arm, egging Kastro to take it. "Go ahead and take it."

"Not worried, huh? Or is this meant to be a trap? Either way," Kastro jumped into the air, ready to take the man's arm "I'll take your arm!" When Kastro struck Hisoka's left arm, he suddenly disappeared, leaving the man's arm intact.

When Kastro reappeared, he was behind Hisoka's back "Your other one." Everyone panicked as Hisoka's right arm was forcibly removed.

"Whoa..." Daniel muttered under his breath. "Remind me to NOT, piss off Kastro..."

Cocco yelled at the top of her voice for the whole crowd "Hisoka's right arm has been severed!"

"You shouldn't assume that I'll act the way you want."

Hisoka's lips parted slightly as he turned to Kastro, smiling like a maniac whose arm had not just been removed "This was just part of the plan."

Kastro reeled back his arm to strike Hisoka "What crap." he brought his arm back, delivering a heavy blow to Hisoka, knocking the man backwards. Hisoka slid to a stop, unfazed by the attack.

"Have we ever seen Hisoka in such a perilous situation?" As Hisoka caught his right arm with a smile, Cocco was still yelling "He's taken considerable damage!"

Hisoka chuckled; smiling mischievously at Kastro like nothing had happened "I understand. Your ability is, in fact, a double."

"Impressive." Kastro smiled "You are correct."

"A double? What does he mean?" Killua spoke up, drawing Daniel's attention. Daniel acknowledges Killua's comment, adding to the boy's question "Yeah. Are we talking double as in twins... or double as in doppelganger?"

Kastro held out his hand, creating an exact duplicate of himself for the whole arena to see. The crowd freaked out as Killua stated "Then it wasn't an illusion! When Kastro attacked, there really were two of him."

Daniel frowned slightly "I guess I was partially right... He did extend his range... by making another carbon copy of himself."

"What is going on here?" Cocco asked just as confused as the rest of the crowd. "Kastro has split into two? Cloned himself? Instead of disappearing, he's multiplying! Does he actually have a twin?"

"Is this your doppelganger?" Hisoka asked as he used his dismembered arm to scratch himself.

_God damn it! This man is so crazy... he's using his dismembered arm like a back scratcher. And why isn't he bleeding? Is he somehow using his Nen to stop the bleeding? Can Nen do that?_

"Indeed." Kastro and his doppelganger spoke at the same time, making it harder for Daniel to figure out the fake from the real. _Or are they both real?_ Daniel asked himself with a questionable look.

"I listened to your warning," As Hisoka spoke, he stopped using his arm like a portable backscratcher "and I watched carefully, rather than run. And it turns out my deduction that you disappeared was correct. So why did I question that description? That's because I sensed your presence beside me. In fact, right before you disappeared, I felt a new presence."

Hisoka smiled ever so slyly, happy to have figured out how the ability works "You duplicate yourself before disappearing."

Both Kastros spoke at the same time "I'm impressed that you managed to figure that out. I was able to successfully create a double with _Nen_. My double goes on the attack, while I hide in the shadows." The two Kastros merged together to create one before he continued "As soon as you react, I dismiss my double, and attack."

Daniel smirked "That actually is cool concept... but it has weakness... doesn't it."

"Huh?" Killua asked.

Daniel turned slightly to answer Killua's confusion "Well, it's more of an assumption... everything thing has a weakness, that can be exploited... My dad usually pointed them out while training. Vastorie once named every weakness I had. But then, after a while, I found at it's a tactic he uses. If I'm focusing on my weakness, it makes my strengths useless... which Nathaniel, graciously pointed out. Although Nathaniel used the same tactic, he would say how many openings I had. And I notice I wasn't as distracted. I was just aware of them... and in turn, caused me to tighten up my guard."

Killua nodded at Daniel, which made the boy smile. Killua thought out loud as he looked back to the fight "Everything has a weakness... And what if they don't?" Killua asked which caught Daniel off guard.

Smiling evilly, Daniel calmly responded "You make one..."

"Naturally," Kastro frowned at Hisoka "My double is no mere illusion. It exists as a second me until I send it away. You know this after suffering an attack from my double. In other words, you must fight both of my selves."

Kastro took a step out, holding his Tiger claws out "This is the true Tiger Bite Fist, completed through the mastery of Nen. I call it the True Tiger Bit Fist!"

Hisoka smiled in glee as Daniel snickered "That's so plain... why not something cooler? Like... um... The shadow Tiger Bite Fist... or the Second Coming Tiger Bite Fist... Oh, oh, oh, the Dopperugengā Tiger Bite Fist!"

Killua snickered "Seriously... you're thinking of other names for such a dangerous technique?"

Daniel nodded as he smiled in glee "Yup! It's never too late to think of a name..."

Cocco roared at the top of her lungs "Incredible! We have an upset in the making! Hisoka, the winner two years ago, is in deep trouble! Will Kastro be able to avenge his previous defeat?"

Kastro pulled his arms back "Next, I will take your left arm. Will you continue to act disinterested?"

Hisoka's lips parted slightly, slowly twitching into a smile "Hmm, let's see..." Hisoka licked his lips in anticipation, eyes narrowing on the man "I think I have a little motivation now."

Hisoka twirled his dismembered hand on his finger, thinking of so many deadly and twisted ways to take down Kastro. Smiling, Hisoka put his arm in his armpit and reached around to his pocket. He produced a large sheet and carefully wrapped his arm around it.

"What's this?" Cocco asked in confusion. "Hisoka has covered his right arm with a scarf?"

"I thought it was a hanky..." Daniel tilted his head in surprise.

Hisoka smiled, looking more menacing than he had earlier "Shall I demonstrate my power of clairvoyance?" He threw his arm in the scarf up into the air, only to have cards fall out of the scarf.

"WOW!" Cocco cheered in surprise. "His right arm has disappeared, and cards rained down! What does he intend to do?!"

"Now, then..." Hisoka drew everyone's attention to the card lying on the floor. "I have cards here, from one to thirteen. Pick a number from these, and picture it in your head."

"Ok..." Daniel looked left and right. "My age..." he whispered to himself, not that Hisoka could hear him from that far away.

Hisoka raised a finger, smiling as he looked into Kastro's eyes "Are you ready? Once you have your number, add four,"

_16..._

"and double the result."

_32..._

"after that, subtract six,"

_26..._

"and divide by two."

_13... Don't tell me, subtract the number you first chose..._

"Finally, subtract your original number,"

_I fucken knew it! It's one of THOSE questions!_

"and what do you have?"

Daniel whispered out loud so that Killua could hear him "If you chose one... the same fucken answer as you originally chose."

"I already know your answer." Hisoka smiled, raising both arms. He reached into the arm that Kastro had severed. Hisoka fiddled around with the wound for moment. He then pulled out a card, showing it to Kastro "The answer is one."

Killua looked bemused at Daniel "Let me guess..."

"My dad played cruel, number crunching jokes on me, which always resulted in a number of his choosing...? Yes... you are corrected."

"Next question..."

"How did I know? It's pretty damn obvious..." Daniel looked in Killua's direction, frowning immensely. "I would have to be stupid, to not be able to guess..."

"And here I thought you were psychic for a second..."

"Damn, I should have said 'I guess you and I are made for each other'..." _Did... I just hit on Killua... or am I imagining that I'm hitting on Killua...?_

"How can you say things like that so casually?!" Killua blushed, unable to control his red blush on his cheeks.

 _I did hit on him..._ "I'm sorry... my brain just died half way through my thoughts. So it said whatever, that sounds about right..."

Killua and Daniel equally flushed red, quickly turning away. _I must choose my words wisely from now on... unless I want to get myself and Killua, killed from embarrassment. Although, I think Killua will die of embarrassment first._

"This is very strange..." Cocco declared loudly, unsure of what is going on. "Insane! A satanic magic trick! And he's incorporated his own injury into the trick!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow from Cocco's rant "I don't think it's satanic... just messed up. Wouldn't you agree Killua?" When Daniel turned to look at Killua for reassurance, he was met with Killua's wavering eyes and red cheeks, which were only focused on Hisoka.

At that moment, Daniel wanted to reach and hold Killua close. Instead, he bit his bottom lip, forcing the thought to the back of his mind, in hopes that it would never resurface.

"The trick is worth no points. That had no effect on the match, but he's performing tricks! Hisoka is being totally bizarre again!"

"Isn't he always bizarre?" Daniel objected with a huff. "I don't see that guy being sane, for a second of his life..."

Hisoka threw the card at one of the two Kastros with a smile "You may keep this as a souvenir."

Kastro hit the card away, growling aggressively at Hisoka "Scumbag. I will sever your left arm, so you can never mock anyone again."

Hisoka held out his arm with a smile, offering it to Kastro. "Did you not hear me the first time? You may have it."

"Your wish will be granted!" the second Kastro charged Hisoka.

"Whoa! One of the Kastros is charging forward!" When Kastro ripped of Hisoka's arm, Hisoka remained unfazed. "Hisoka has sacrificed his one remaining arm! What was he thinking?!"

_When IS that guy EVER thinking...?_

The Kastro suddenly dispersed, leaving behind nothing. Hisoka smiled in glee "As expected, you attacked with your double. Had you, yourself, attacked, I would have countered." Hisoka pulled his left arm behind his back, showing it quite attached and in working condition "With this."

As the crowd erupted into sounds of disbelief, Daniel's eyes widen in shock "YOU CAN REGENERATE LIMBS WITH NEN?!"

"HUH? His severed right arm has been restored!" Cocco yelled in disbelief.

Hisoka chuckled, as Kastro looked at Hisoka in disbelief, wondering how he had managed to regenerate his arm, or at least reattach it. "This is another magic trick. Can you guess the secret behind it?"

_Regeneration...?_

Hisoka's eyes widened, freaking out Daniel. "OH GOD! Put that face away!" He yelled, shielding his eyes from one of Hisoka's many terrifying looks.

"What's wrong?" Hisoka calmly asked. "Are you frightened? You're surprised because you don't understand my trick. That's how magic works. Your power to create a double is certainly magnificent. But now I understand your ability." Hisoka raised his hand casually as he smiled innocently at the floor "I can also anticipate how you will attack with your double. And I know how to counter that attack. It's quite unfortunate."

Hisoka paced his way slowly to Kastro, looking down on the man he once enjoyed toying with "You have the talent to become a skilled opponent. That was why I spared your life. Here is a prediction... You will die, in a frenzied dance."

Kastro clenched his teeth together hard, furious at the fighter. He jumped into the air growling in anger "Silence!" Kastro split, choosing to attack Hisoka at both sides. Much to Kastro's dismay, Hisoka chose to face only one of them with an evil glare.

As Hisoka dodged all the double's attack, he taunted Kastro "Doubles are created in the original's image, so they tend to be pristine. But you can't recreate every effect of an ongoing battle."

Kastro's eyes widened, slowly looking down at his clothing. As he spots an anomaly on his clothing, Hisoka smiles "Oh? Did you not realize this?"

Kastro frantically charged Hisoka, losing sight of everything around him. Hisoka's dismembered left hand came flying out of nowhere, punching Kastro in the face.

"What is going on here? The sequence of events is impossible to understand! Is this another of Hisoka's tricks?"

Daniel stumbled with his words, unsure how to really react "I want to make a joke here... But, I'm still trying to figure out... HOW THE HELL IS HISOKA, moving his disembodied limbs...?"

"Don't bother." Hisoka turned, looking slightly in the direction of the stumbling Kastro. "I hit you in the chin, so you'll have difficulty moving for a while. Meaning that you won't be able to evade my next attack."

Cards jumped from the floor, aiming for the drunken Kastro. "You can't create another double."

The first two of Hisoka's thirteen cards, hit Kastro on the left arm, making it sway frantically to how Hisoka predicted Kastro's death. "You need intense focus to create a double with Nen." The next two cards hit Kastro's right arm. "The only reason you were able to use doubles freely" another two hit Kastro on the left leg this time as Hisoka continued to freely explain without any worries "was because you had a normal state of mind."

The next two cards hit Kastro's right leg, making the man dance in disbelief, arms swaying around the air freely. "Using _Nen_ to replicate and manipulate" Three cards plunged into Kastro's chest as Hisoka continued to explain the situation to Kastro "something as complex as a human being" another two hit Kastro in the chest "is extremely difficult."

Kastro dropped to his knees, unable to move. "Just how difficult is it? By the time you've learned to use a double, you've forgotten how to use _Nen_ for anything else. I call that running out of memory." Hisoka finally turned, facing the now defeated Kastro. "You lost because you wasted memory space."

After Hisoka's speech, Kastro fell backwards on the floor, unable to get back up again. The crowd roared in disbelief, as Daniel failed to say anything on the matter. There was no doubt in Daniel's mind. This was not a fight; Gon could have any hopes of winning...

Gon was aiming for a fight with Hisoka, the man who was willing to lose his limbs for a magic trick; Daniel was unable to understand at this very moment. Hisoka had lost two arms, and magically grown back one of them. How was Gon going to beat 'that'?

As Hisoka walked away from ended fight, Cocco declared loudly "Kastro can no longer stand! Hisoka wins by knockout!"

Daniel looked at Killua, eye's shaking in terror "How is Gon, going to beat 'that'?"


	29. Heavens Arena X Gyo X Training begins

Killua and Daniel silently walked back to Gon's room after Hisoka's fight. They couldn't believe what had happened during Hisoka's fight. And they were still yet to figure out how Hisoka managed to win, after having both arms ripped off, and somehow reattaching or growing one of them back.

Killua was the first to step into Gon's room, greeted casually by Gon whom sat comfortably on the couch with his legs crossed "Killua!" When Daniel stepped in the room, he closed the door behind him.

"Daniel! How was Hisoka's fight?"

"It was boring." Killua stated as he calmly walked towards the window. As Killua stood in front of the window, Gon turned Daniel, asking the boy with the same curious look. Daniel shook his head, smiling slightly, even though, that wasn't what he was really feeling "I thought Hisoka was weird before... let's just say... he proved me wrong..."

"So," Gon shared a look between Killua and Daniel "did Hisoka win?"

Killua looked at Gon for a second, before turning to look back outside again "I was lying. It was an incredible fight." Gon's eyes lit up at Killua words. He looked at Daniel, hoping to get conformation from him as well. Daniel looked away from Gon, unable to say anymore on the topic.

_Hisoka's FUCKING CRAZY! What else can I say about the man...?_

Killua continued, disallowing Daniel to say anything, even if he wanted to. "I hate to admit this, but I have no idea how Hisoka won."

"You couldn't tell?" Gon asked, eyes blinking in disbelief.

Daniel nodded slightly "Yeah, I can only say Hisoka crept out Kastro... Other than that... everything he did was impossible to believe."

"Gon," Killua turned to look at Gon first, then faced the other "Daniel..." Killua turned, facing both boys "We need to learn more about _Nen_."

Killua's words elicit a smile out of Gon. Daniel stayed silent, looking at the floor as if it was going to give him guidance.

"Daniel...?" Killua asked, wanting to get a reaction out of the said boy. "Are you getting cold feet?" A smile crept up on Killua's face as he spoke those words to Daniel.

Daniel frowned slightly. _Me, scared...? That's an understatement, but..._ Daniel stood up, pointing a finger at Killua "I made a promise! And I'm not going to back down..." _Even if I end up shitting myself!_ Daniel smiled, refusing to say that out loud.

Gon smiled at Daniel's words as Killua looked confused. When Gon was about to clarify what Daniel had meant with his 'promise', Daniel silenced Gon with a hand gesture "Don't you dare say anything! You'll make it more embarrassing than it already is!"

Gon frowned slightly. Whenever Gon tried to open his mouth to speak, Daniel made a gesture or sound to silence the boy. Gon pouted "But-"

"No!"

"BUT-"

"NO! You'll say it in the most embarrassing way, you could possible imagine..." Daniel shut his eyes, refusing to look at Gon.

"He really wants to protect you, Killua!" Gon stated proudly.

Daniel's eyes shot open, looking at Gon in utter shock "GON!" He turned to look at Killua with pleading eyes, begging Killua not to believe a single word Gon had just uttered.

The flared up cheeks Killua had, made it impossible to relay those mental thoughts. However, Gon's next few words made the situation a fraction less embarrassing. "He said he owes you for protecting him."

Gon's smile was innocent, but Daniel begged to differ. Gon was secretly a mastermind behind those smiles. There's no way Gon could say something so casually, without any repercussions.

Daniel nodded, although, he said something else to combat Gon's comment. "What Gon actually meant WAS, I feel like I owe you... AND Gon, for you both protecting me..." Daniel looked seriously at Killua first, then turned to look at Gon "And offering an entertainment worth sticking around for."

"Ehh?" Gon whined. "I'm just for entertainment?"

"Says the guy, who said **I want to protect Killua only**. You're lucky I'm going easy on you. Seriously, saying I want to protect Killua only... I see you both as valued... I repeat VALUED friends. I'm not going to choose one over the other to protect. But like Killua has so casually stated. He has a better chance of protecting me, than the other way around."

When Killua shot a surprised look at Daniel that only made him question Killua "What...? I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I...?" Daniel ran the speech through his head a few times "Nope! I'm safe."

Killua turned away, refusing to say anything, other than calling both boys an 'idiot'. When Daniel notices the pink tips on Killua's ears, he shut his mouth, choosing to smile only at the boy.

_Cute... SHUT UP BRAIN!_

"~"

Two months had passed since Gon's injury. And Wing had summoned all three boys to his humble abode.

"Gon-Kun. Killua-Kun. Daniel-Kun. Starting today, you'll train with Zushi. Gon-Kun, I'm pleased that you kept your word."

"It's thanks to your promise thread." Gon showed the promise thread to Wing, proving it's still firmly attached "A few times, I almost gave in. But when I looked at the thread, I was able to control myself."

Wing smiled sincerely "That's because I added some _Nen_ to help you."

"Huh? Really?" Gon asked, followed by Daniel "You can do that with _Nen_?"

Wing smiled "No, I was lying."

Daniel frowned, crossing his arms at Wing "You got my hopes up for a second."

"But how could you tell that he kept his word? He could have been practicing in secret." Killua asked with his eyebrows raised in suspicion. Gon's eyebrows twitch in fury at Killua for thinking that as Daniel nodded, adding to the conversation "Yeah, what's you secret? Installed hidden cameras? Binoculars while looking at Gon's room twenty-four seven?"

Wing shook his head "Because the promise thread remained intact."

Daniel raised an eyebrow "Um... couldn't he have watched Hisoka's fight on the TV?"

Gon turned to Daniel, infuriated that he was on Killua's side.

"Gon-Kun, it's been a while, but would you try using _Ten_?"

"It's okay?"

"Yes."

Killua twisted his head to the side, looking as though he had forgotten something important. Daniel tapped his head. _I wonder... is it possible to forget how to use Ten? Maybe..._

Daniel scratched his forehead, choosing to forget about the question.

"Zushi, what do you think?"

"I-It's amazing! His aura is flowing all around him! Soft and calm... but it's very strong!"

Gon smiled as clenching both of his fists in triumph "I did it! Whew... I was worried that I might have forgotten how."

Wing's smile softened as he looked at Gon "Once you've learned the technique, you can't forget it. However, to become a master, you'll have to train hard."

Daniel smiled. _That's one question off my mind..._

"But it felt easier than before, despite not have been practicing _Ten_."

Wing's smiled widened as he pointed out "That's because you were training your spirit each day. Now, look at your left hand." Wing Motioned to Gon to look, but Daniel couldn't help but look as well.

"It snapped!" Gon commented, eyes widening in disbelief.

"By applying my own _Nen_ , I tied the thread such that if you broke your promise and used _Nen_ , it would snap."

"Seriously..." Daniel asked rhetorically.

"Hey, Wing-San..." Killua spoke up with his eyebrows raised in suspicion "Did you watch Kastro and Hisoka's match?"

"Yes, I did."

Daniel smiled innocently. _We had to deal with 'that'... for a long time..._

"What was the ability that Hisoka used? Could we send loose limbs flying around?"

Daniel shivered, running his hands up and down along his arms for warmth "I rather not learn to do that... I'm quiet attached to mine."

"Hmm," Wing massaged his chin as he looked away "that's a difficult question. Gon-Kun," Wing looked towards Gon "have you seen the fight on video?"

"No, not yet."

Wing reached into his pocket, pulling out a CD "Then I'll explain while we watch." He then walked over towards the TV, slotting the disc in. Wing shifted through the scenes, stopping at the very moment Hisoka had wrapped up his dismembered arm up and hit play.

As Hisoka threw the cloth, Wing paused the scene, and turned to ask the boys a question "Can you see the threads of aura extending from his left hand?"

"Threads of aura?" Gon asked as he blinked at the screen.

"Yes. Do you see them?"

Daniel blinked a few times, before squinting hard "All I see is... Hisoka, a piece of cloth and cards..."

Gon nodded "Same here."

"I can't see a thing." Killua object angrily.

"Same here." Zushi shyly looked away.

"Are there really threads of aura coming from Hisoka's left hand?" Gon asked as he stared hard at the screen, hoping the threads would suddenly flash up on screen.

"Yes, Hisoka is using a technique that makes his aura difficult to perceive. It's a high-level application of _Zetsu_ , known as _In_. When you use _In_ , even the strongest will find it hard to see your aura. **The most effective counter to this technique** **is to focus the aura created by _Ren_ into your eyes, a technique called _Gyo_.** " After his statement, Wing's eyes zeroed in on Gon "The Method Gon-Kun used in his fight with Gido might work, as well."

Daniel frowned "I highly doubt Gon-"

"However,"

"There it is..." Daniel rolled his eyes after being cut off by Wing.

"You couldn't take offensive action, so ultimately, you'd throw your life away."

"Right." Gon started to sweat from being reminded about his earlier mistakes.

"My assignment for you three is to practice Ren until you can see through Hisoka's _In_."

"Three...?" Daniel asked curiously as he eyed down the other three "are you saying one of us is lying, and can actually see Hisoka's threads?"

Killua shot Daniel a dirty look "Says the guy whom failed to mention he could use _Nen_."

" _Ten_ , and I'm sowie..." _Why did I say sowie instead of sorry...?_

Killua looked away from Daniel, unable to take the boy seriously.

"Uh," Zushi blinked a couple of times in Daniel direction before looking back at his master "What should I do?"

Wing slowly smiled as he looked down at the boy "Zushi, you should be strong enough to see past his _In_."

"I should?" Killua shot Zushi a dirty look at the question.

"Show them your _Ren_."

Zushi shared a worried glance between the other three boys. Daniel shrugged while Killua look away. Gon smiled at Zushi, which gave the boy the confidence he sought after.

Zushi stood up, looking at his master "O-Osu!" He took his stance in front of the TV, taking a deep breath. Once Zushi had relaxed enough, he opened his eyes " _Ren_!"

The air shifted around Zushi, making him feel stronger than he was just a second ago.

_So that's Ren... Interesting, you can make your body stronger; by increasing I believe the amount of aura around you. Nifty!_

Wing raised his hand, directing Zushi along to the next step "Then direct that aura into your eyes."

"Osu!" Zushi started to struggle from maintaining that amount of aura around his body. " _Gyo_!" he stood straight, staring at the screen as beads of sweat dripped from Zushi's face.

"So, can you see the aura that emanates from Hisoka's body?"

"Yes."

"And how many threads are there?"

"Twelve... No, I think it's thirteen."

"Not quite. But you were close."

Zushi released his aura, panting like crazy like he was just in a long continuous fight with someone tough. "I could really see them!"

"You're making excellent progress, Zushi."

"O-Osu... Thank you very much."

Wing looked up at the others, explaining to them what had just occurred "By channelling all your power through _Gyo_ , you achieved a level where you could see through Hisoka's _In_. But with enough training," Wing switched off the TV "you'll be able to use _Gyo_ while fighting. Do you understand?" Wing raised his finger, smiling at the four boys. "First, practice _Ren_ , and master the _Ren_ application known as _Gyo_. Then you'll discover the true nature of Hisoka's ability. And will you be able to use that same ability? My answer is both yes and no."

The three boys looked at each other, just as confused from Wing's statement.

"Regardless of what Hisoka's precise power is, so long as it uses _Nen_ , you can learn it. However, _Nen_ powers depend on particular individual. Each of us possesses different specialities and preferences. Thus, _Nen_ differs for each person. If you're serious about mastering _Nen_ , you shouldn't merely copy other's abilities. It's important that you first identify your own strengths."

_What are my strengths...?_

"You've only just begun to develop. You haven't settled on one form yet. Initially, try to grow as much as you can. That is the purpose of this training. Train hard, play hard, and enjoy life."

"Osu!" Gon, Zushi and Killua declared proudly as Daniel stood there stumped, locked in his own thoughts. _Seriously, what are my own strengths?! MY own strengths... I've learnt so much from others... I don't know what my OWN strengths are..._

"Daniel?"

"Hmm?" Daniel looked up, caught off guard from Wing speaking his own name "Yes? I was just seriously thinking, on what my own strengths are..."

Wing nodded in understanding. He stepped towards a calendar, pointing out some days "The final day of Killua-Kun and Daniel-Kun's window to fight is June 9th, and Gon-Kun's is the 10th, correct? I'd like you both to register for your final day. In the meantime, you'll train. You must learn _Gyo_ before it's time for your battle."

"Osu!" All three boys agreed together.


	30. Heavens Arena X Training Ren X Deals

Daniel's eyes opened during the elevator ride up. He turned slowly towards the others, seeing them already aware of whatever waited them at the 200th floor. "Huh... Someone's been waiting for our arrival."

As Gon shared a determined look between the other three, Killua spoke "Great... we have company..."

When the boys stepped off the elevator, they were greeted by the rookie crushers.

"Oh... I thought it would be someone we 'should' be worried about." Daniel flashed a grin as Killua nodded in agreement "You guys sure don't know when to quit. That's why no one likes you."

"Oh," the tall, pale, one arm less man of the trio spoke "don't be so harsh. Tell me when you're going to fight, because I'd love to be your opponent."

Killua closed his, thinking for a moment. "I guess they specialize in hunting newbies." Killua taunted as he slowly opened his eyes to look at the others. "They want to rack up wins by beating us up."

"We're getting desperate... because our deadline is nearing." The one arm man whined at the four boys.

Daniel nodded in agreeance "Yeah... too bad my care factor watch says zero."

"Come on, let's fight." The one arm man groaned, eyes opening slightly "I'll even demonstrate my power right now." The sleeve shifted, moving even without any wind.

"I'm fighting on June 10th." Gon declared boldly, eyes unwavering from the threat standing before him.

"Hey, Gon!" Killua groaned in annoyance.

"That won't work. My deadline is May 29th. Fight on that day."

"Oh, Oh..." Daniel whined, slowly frowning at the man "I'm sorry. Did we just suddenly start caring, wait..." Daniel taps his invisible watch "Nope, false alarm. I still don't care..."

Killua looked at Daniel before taunting "None of us cares about YOUR deadline, moron."

"Actually," Daniel butts in with a smile "last time I heard, there was what? One-hundred and seventy something fighters here, go bother one of them..."

Killua nodded in annoyance "Yeah, go annoy one of them. I'm sure one of them is willing to fight you." Killua turned to the other three, gesturing to the other rooms "Let's go."

"Gon-Chan... You and I will fight. I guarantee it."

"And I'm gonna be a billionaire by tomorrow." Daniel raised a hand, teasing the one arm man "Don't listen to the faceless man, Gon."

"~"

" **Visualize the energy building in your body. Power gathers in each cell, and grows. Then you force that power out!** " Every word Killua spoke, Daniel had visualized it, following the rhythm of movements like it was second nature to him. Although, when Killua spoke with Daniel's eyes closed, there was a tingling sensation during the whole training.

He secretly felt sick and twisted for enjoying Killua speaking. But, no matter how sick and twisted he felt, he enjoyed hearing Killua speak.

"I'm getting used to this." Gon exclaimed in triumph, fists in the air. Killua turned to face Gon, smiling in glee "learning when to shroud the boosted aura with Ten was a little tricky."

"Agreed..." Daniel smiled. _Although, following your instructions without only focusing on your voice... was even harder!_

"But our auras still aren't as strong as Zushi's."

"I beg to differ..." Daniel poked his fingers together in embarrassment from his next words "Killua's is pretty strong..."

Killua turned away, embarrassed from Daniel's words "W-We should still practice some more."

"N-No, that's enough!" Zushi objected, waving hands in an effort to stop the others from continuing. "Learning when to rest is part of training. Let's call it a day."

"Really...?" Daniel pouted. "I guess I can't argue with that logic."

Killua turned, looking at Daniel seriously for a moment. "Really...?" Killua turned to look at Zushi "I can still-"

"NO!" Zushi raised his hand, cutting Killua off.

"Oh..." Killua whined.

Gon smiled at Killua "Well, it's okay. We'll practice more tomorrow."

"Yeah, more cud-RELAXING time for me..." _Who the hell am I gonna cuddle with... the bed?_

"I guess so..." Killua raised an eyebrow in suspicion at Daniel.

Killua, Daniel and Zushi stepped out of Gon's room, getting ready to head back to their own.

"See you tomorrow." Zushi waved the others off, heading straight for the elevator.

"Bye." Gon waved, closing his door on the others.

Killua and Daniel walked peacefully towards their room, occasionally sharing glances between each other. When Killua stopped, Daniel turned to look at Killua puzzled "What's wrong?"

"Heading out for a walk. I'm still feeling the buzz from training."

Daniel smiled at Killua, waving the boy off "You have fun walking. I have a date with my bed... APPOINTMENT, with my bed..."

Killua snickered at the mess up, walking away with his hands in his pockets "You have fun on your 'date', with your bed."

"APPOINTMENT...!" Daniel calmly argued back, eyes staring daggers at Killua's back. Daniel stopped glaring once Killua had left, heading back to his room as he whistled a small tune.

"~"

Daniel lay on his bed comfortably, surfing through the channels so fast, that he only heard a single word before changing to the next channel. "Nothing's on at this time of night... I should have brought a book to read or something... I wanted to read the ending to Demonata series book ten, Hell's Heroes... I wanted to know what Grubbs-"

The phone ringing startled Daniel, making him jump up in surprise "HUH? We have room phones..." Daniel took a step towards the phone, picking it up from the receiver "Hello?"

"Is this Urufu-Kun?"

"It depends... What do you want Gido?"

"Check outside your door."

"I swear if it's-" When Daniel opened the door he shut his mouth. "I'm listening..."

"Follow my instructions, and be sure not to tell anyone. When tomorrow comes, you'll be back to training as usual."

Daniel reached down, picking up Zushi's right shoe "Sounds easy enough. However, don't rope Gon or Killua into this. I'm sure you, of all people would understand."

A small chuckle escapes Gido's lips, making him question his part of the deal "Of course." Once Gido hung up, Daniel threw the shoe and phone on his bed "Great, now I have to save Zushi's ass. I hope Gon and Killua will be ok with me doing this."

"~"

Killua got of the elevator in the morning, heading out for a morning stroll. He ideally wanted to go and check up on Zushi.

"Come on down! We have tickets! These are fresh off the press... Gon versus Sadaso! Urufu versus Sadaso and here's Killua versus Sadaso... If you don't buy now, you'll regret it!"

The ranting of a crier made Killua stop in his tracks, eyes twitching in fury "What...?" Killua stomped over to crier, wanting to gather more information out of the man, even if he had to rip it out of man's cold, dead, body "Pops."

"Yep?"

"Does Sadaso have only one arm?" Killua spoke, voice as cold as ice.

"Yeah, the one-armed fighter, with the mask-like-face. If he catches you with his invisible left arm, you're finished. They call him the newbie crusher..." When the man opened his eyes to look at the boy, he froze in terror.

Killua stood there, a terrifying bloodlust escaping his rather cool demeanour "That bastard." He took a step back, walking towards Wing's home "Oh... I'm going to make them regret this later!"

"~"

Daniel stared at Gon, trying to figure out why he was here. But the door suddenly opening made him stop and stare at who walked in.

"Huh? Killua, you're here too?" Gon spoke in confusion, wondering why Killua was here.

"What you mean you too?"

Daniel waved from the seat he was trying to hide in "Hey, Killua, you're early..."

"Both of you were here? No wonder you didn't answer your door."

"Y-Yeah..." Gon innocently ran a hand through his hair. "Although, Daniel got here before me..."

"Y-Yeah, I couldn't sleep much. Decided to bother Zushi and Wing for extra study..." Daniel slunk into the chair, hoping he would meld into it and become one with the chair.

"Killua-Kun," Wing asked, smiling ever so slightly at the boy "I believe you helped Zushi last night. Thank you."

"Are you feeling all right?" Killua asked as he turned to look at Zushi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was probably tired. Sorry to worry you!" Zushi bowed towards Killua, making Daniel raise an eyebrow in turn "Huh...?"

"Oh, Wing-San... Can we watch that video again? I've learned how to use _Gyo_."

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks, sinking further into the couch. _FUCK! I Thought I was the only one... Then Gon came along and demonstrated he could... AND NOW Killua can too... What the fuck happened last night!_

Killua went through the motions, proving that he could in fact use _Gyo_ too "Fifteen threads, right? Thirteen for the cards, one for the scarf, and a well hidden one that leads to the arm he tossed. Continue." Wing resumed the video, allowing Killua to continue "Hisoka is... Hisoka's aura appears to expand and contract. Or does it attract certain objects, similar to a magnet? Why else would his arm reattach? Or fly into his opponent's chin? It's probably the former. His aura is elastic, like rubber. That would explain most of his tricks."

Wing ended the video "Very good... You pass."

Daniel sighed. _And here I thought I was being cool by saying his aura was like an elastic band, mixed with a magnetic and glue type substance. Like gum I guess... That shit is impossible to get off..._

"But I'm surprised... I didn't expect all three of you to learn _Gyo_ overnight."

Killua looked surprised after hearing that "Gon and Daniel?"

"Uh-huh," Gon smiled at Killua "But I still couldn't figure out Hisoka's power."

"And you said thirteen, not fifteen. Although, you did named all fifteen items..."

"Huh?" Killua turned to look at Daniel "What about you?"

"I," Daniel stood up proudly to announce "said all fifteen items. But, I stated his power is like an elastic, magnetic band... But after hearing your explanation, chewing gum would have been a wiser choice..."

"So, Killua-Kun, since you finished your assignment, I assume you want to fight, yes?"

As Killua looked startled at Gon, he was joined by Daniel "What?"

"O-Oh, I wasn't trying to beat you to the punch. I just got an itch to fight." Gon argued to the both of them.

Killua sighed, smiling slightly at the two of them "Yeah, I get it."

Daniel frowned slightly "Why didn't I hear about the match?"

"When you were in the toilet..." Gon poked his fingers together, feeling bad for not letting Daniel know.

"Actually," Killua cut in "I've chosen my day to fight. May 29th."

"Mines May 30th." Gon smiled widely.

"Damn..." Daniel sighed. "Mine's May the 31th. I feel bad for not saying something sooner..."

"That's fine." Wing sighed at the three "I underestimated how fast you could learn. Spend the remaining days practicing _Ten_ and _Ren_. Be sure you get plenty of practice, rest, and sleep."

"Osu!"

"~"

Daniel grits his teeth throughout the whole walk home. The thought that both Killua and Gon were suckered into this made him pissed. Worries were exchanged during the walk, but Killua seem to think otherwise.

Whatever Killua had planned, Daniel had ideas of his own.

Having learned the one-armed-man's name to be Sadaso, Daniel payed him a visit, only to have found the room was empty, with no trace of the man whatsoever. Daniel immediately regretted not getting to Sadaso sooner; however, whatever Killua may or may have not done with Sadaso got the one-armed-man spooked.

With nothing left to do, Daniel ran to watch Killua's match with Sadaso.

"~"

All three boys had won by default and Daniel felt pissed from not having been able to release a tiny bit of his anger on Sadaso. But during his match with Sadaso, for some reason he felt like he was being watched. He however had no idea who was watching him in Heavens Arena.

All the possibilities of whom that person could be left him stumped. Day after day the three trained and Daniel eventually found a letter slipped under his door, detailing that a man or woman with the initials 'Y.D.' wanted to fight Daniel on June the 18th.

**Dear Urufu,**

**You have piqued my interest, and I would like to fight you June the 18th.**

**Yours sincerely, Y.D.**

The match for the day had been set up, leaving Daniel only with the option to wait. The 4th had rolled around, signifying Gon's rematch with Gido and Killua's fight with Riehlvelt.

Daniel couldn't wait to see Gon's fight, seeing as Gon left only a cliff hanger clue to what he planned to use in order to win the match.

The crowd cheered as Gon and Gido stood in the ring, waiting for the match to begin.

"Okay, today is the long-awaited grudge match... Gido versus Gon. In their previous encounter, Gon ended up in the hospital, but what will happen this time? Today, he's carrying a fishing rod. How does he plan to use it? How does he intend to fight? Let's get this contest started!"

Daniel blinked twice, finding it hard to believe that Gon's plan was to reel in some Gido. "Gon..."

Killua chuckled at Daniel, finding quiet funny that the boy was worried for Gon's safety "Gon won't lose."

"It's not the losing part..." Daniel objected as he faced Killua. "It's the fact that he plans to use a fishing rod on Gido. It's not like he can snag Gido while he's spinning... and even if he hooks Gido while he's spinning. It could go either way; one, his going to be pulled in and hit like a Paddleball, constantly. Or, his going to be spun around, like a roller coaster."

"You know... you over think every scenario."

"Agreed. Like how soft your hair really is..."

"WHAT?"

"Nothing..." Daniel looked away, feeling somewhat embarrassed for his earlier out spoken thought. _Seriously, Killua is your hair made from the world's softest silk... Just looking at your fluffy hair makes me want to touch it and see how soft it really is._

"Points and KO system. No time limit! Begin!"

Once the fight had started, Gon charged in to get the first strike on Gido.

"Wow! Gon's already take off! But Gido was also prepared, as he's already using tornado Top!" Gon skid to a stop after seeing Gido already spinning like a Dancing Top. "If Gon charges in, he'll be in the same position as before."

"What's wrong?" Gido asks calmly, even though his spinning quite fast. "If you won't make a move, I'll go first. **Shotgun Blues!** " during mid cycle, Gido threw out his Dancing Tops, somehow managing to aim for Gon.

Gon's eyes widen in surprise from the move. Gon focuses back on the battle when Gido decides to explain "This technique is nothing like Battle Waltz. Every top will be aiming for you. You can't avoid them all!"

Gon brought up his arm, effectively blocking the attack with _Ren_. Even though _Ren_ was an offensive technique, Gon managed to swat down the attack and effectively negate Gido's last move.

"What?" Gido freaked out, slightly swaying to the side in surprise.

"Incredible! He stopped the tops in their tracks! He clearly isn't the same person as two months ago!"

"I guess Gon, has tricks up his sleeves." Daniel chuckled, eyes continuing to watch Gon's every move.

Killua grinned sly at Daniel "Gon's reflexes are good enough to knock down any tops that are stupid enough to come straight at him, without having to use his rod. But," Killua's grin widened "he chose to use _Ren_ to deal more psychological damage."

Daniel whistled at Killua's comment "Someone must have stirred a hornet's nest..."

Gon whipped around his rod, before holding it up at Gido "It's my turn now!"

"Well, what technique will Gon use?"

Gon whipped out his fishing rod, letting the fishing line sail towards Gido.

"There he goes... Straight for Gido!" The line flew past Gido by a meter, landing straight on the floor. "Oh, his attack missed!"

Gido laughed at Gon's poor aiming "What were you aiming at?"

Gon whipped the line, pulling back just a tiny bit.

Daniel's eyes gleamed. _Gon's going to pull the carpet, out from underneath Gido. Well, concrete..._

Using all of Gon's might, he pulled hard, ripping the tile out from underneath the surprised Gido.

"Unbelievable... Gon pulled up the floor, with Gido on it!"

Gido screamed like a little girl as he sailed right towards the floor, landing head first into the concrete below him. As Gido struggled to sit up right, Gon stood in front of the man, bringing his fist up into the air. "This is for Zushi!"

Gon slammed his fist into the concrete, snapping the iron rod which allowed Gido to stand.

"G-Gon has broken Gido's prosthetic leg." Cocco stuttered, somewhat surprised by Gon's attack. "Gido can no longer continue to fight."

"If you're willing to do whatever it takes, I won't hold back." Gon glared down at the defeated opponent, still clenching his fist in anger "And if you touch Zushi again, I'll smash your face in!"

The ref held out his hand to Gon, declaring him the winner "Our winner is Gon!"

The crowd cheered as Daniel leaned back in surprise, smiling ever so slightly at the boy.

"Gon was able to avenge his initial loss! His record in the 200s is now 2-1!"

Killua got up with a huge smile "Okay, it's my turn now."

Daniel turned, smiling at Killua "Now it's your turn to top Gon."

"Sounds pretty easy..." Killua turned, smiling at the other boy.

_You... look beauti-CUTE! I rather have cute than my original thought... but he is 'that' in a way too... Blue eyes and snowflake white hair... he might be considered stunning in a way... and, now I want to dig myself a grave!_

"~"

Daniel watched Killua's fight alongside Gon, weighing the options on what type of fighter Riehlvelt is. Whatever type of fighter he was, nothing could compete against Killua in Daniel's mind.

"All right, up next is our main event... Killua versus Riehlvelt! Because Sadaso forfeited the previous match, this will technically be Killua's debut 200s match. What will his strategy be?"

Killua grinned at Riehlvelt, smiling ever so slyly at the man "You're the ones who broke your promise. I won't let you win now."

Daniel fist pumped the air, yelling out to Killua "Whoop his ass!"

Gon smiled at Killua, ready to memorize everything he sees.

"Points and KO system. No time limit! Begin!"

Once the fight had begun, Killua jumped up into the air, readying an aerial strike. When Killua dropped down behind Riehlvelt's back, the man used his _Nen_ ability to get out of harm's way.

"Wow, he's dashed out of harm's way! He uses the propulsion created by releasing his stored aura to control his wheelchair at will."

"Huh..." Daniel frowns slightly, having heard that "like a motorized chair. The man is just going to keep running..."

Killua stuck out his tongue at Riehlvelt, smiling at the man's reaction.

"Damn it Killua..." Daniel whispered. "Stop being adorable... in a 'I'm going to kill you' kind of way."

Riehlvelt pulls out a pair of twin whips "Twin Snakes: Song of Defence!" Riehlvelt swings the whips at an incredible speed, making it impossible to approach him.

"There it is! His Song of Defence... Riehlvelt protects himself with two whips moving at ridiculous speed, while he awaits his opportunity to strike."

Daniel whistled at the weapons of choice "A man after my own style..."

"Ehh?" Gon looked at Daniel in surprise. "What you mean?"

"I like my enemies whipped... no pun actually intended. I use mostly mid to long ranged weapons. Like Wolfbane here. It makes it easier to dodge and keep them on their feet. However, Riehlvelt would be easy to defeat. Doesn't matter how fast he is, I could easily destroy he's 'Song of Defence'."

"How...?"

"Throw out my weapon and use it like a hook line. Once I've entered a tug-of-war match with Riehlvelt, I use my strength to catapult him out of the chair."

"Oh..."

The boys focused back on the fight, seeing what Killua has planned next.

Riehlvelt never stopped his 'Song of Defence', whipping the area constantly as he taunted Killua "Huh, you planned to attack fist and take the lead. Too bad it didn't work... Now that I've switched to this stance, you have no chance of winning."

"Why not?" Killua looked at Riehlvelt dissatisfied, unable to believe he is going to lose the match so earlier on.

"That should be obvious. A normal person can't see the whips move! And this small ring offers no means to hide or escape."

Daniel chuckled, unable to stop himself from bursting into laughter "I can see every movement. That must make me **abnormal**..."

Killua let out a dissatisfied sigh as he stared at Riehlvelt. To think that someone would believe themselves to be better than Killua, would be the greatest insult to receive. Killua casually walked towards his opponent, hands in pockets, without a single hint of worry.

Once Killua had stepped close enough, Riehlvelt grinned widely, sending out both whips to strike Killua "Take this!"

Killua pulled his hands out, grasping the whips in a tight grip as he pull them closer, forcing Riehlvelt to the edge of his wheelchair. "Sorry, but I'm not a normal person."

Killua lit up like a Christmas tree, flooded with enough electricity to power up a station. Daniel gripped his shoulders; feeling infuriated from Riehlvelt's scaredy-cat tactics. _THAT'S... That's just... YOU'RE a poor excuse for a fighter! HOW DARE YOU USE SUCH LOW METHODS OF ATTACK!_

"True Twin Snakes: Thunder Snake!"

From the corner of Daniel's eyes, he saw Gon's eyes lit up just like Killua. Gon was beyond excited. _How can you be excited from this! Killua is getting electrocuted!_ Daniel's grip soon became harder, making him flinch at his own strength. He looked at his hand, finding a few drops of blood on his finger.

_Why... why am I like this over Killua?!_

Daniel wiped the blood on his shirt, making sure to cover the arm of any noticeable damage.

"I'm astonished, Killua." Riehlvelt's eyes widen, revealing the man's crazy side. "You're the first person I've fought who could see my whips move. So I have a present for you... Together, my whips carry a one million volt current."

_ONE MILLION? LET GO KILLUA! DON'T HARM YOUR BODY OVER THAT POOR EXCUSE OF A FIGHTER!_

"Enough to paralyse and incapacitate the largest of men. Any fool who resists my whips will fall prey to Thunder-" Killua ripped Riehlvelt out of his seat, throwing him up into the air.

Riehlvelt began to let loose a high pitch scream as he sailed into the air, being sent higher than any rollercoaster ride that Daniel has ever been on. Daniel's expression soon softens a tiny bit, even though the worry for Killua's safety was still present.

"I'm accustomed to electrical currents from the torture training I've endured. It has no effect on me." Killua shot the flying Riehlvelt an intense glare. "But that just means I can bear the pain. It still hurts. That's why I'm a little pissed."

Daniel's eyes widened a fraction after hearing that. _He's what... HE WAS TORTURED BY HE'S PARENTS, WITH ELECTRICTY... ARE THEY FUCKED! Who would torture someone like that...? His..._

Daniel clenched his teeth, feeling more infuriated. _He deserves better than that! I'll... I'll make Killua smile endlessly. He deserves better..._

"If you fall from that height, you'll die! What do you want?" Killua soon smiled, holding out open arms.

"P-Please catch me!"

"Okay. Just come to me."

Once Riehlvelt dropped in Killua's arms, he let loose a banshee scream, louder than when he was sent flying into the air. Having dropped Riehlvelt once he had received he's fair dose of electricity, Killua release the man and removed the tips of the whips that were embedded into his arms.

"Man," Killua stretched out his arms, as a frown spread across his face "you realize how painful it is now, idiot?" As Killua walked off he was declared the winner of this match.

As Daniel got up with Gon, preparing to leave with the other boy, a sudden realization came to his mind "Actually..."

Gon stopped and stared at Daniel, wanting to hear what the boy had to say.

"It's a good thing I wasn't fighting. I probably would have had a million volts of electricity going through my body by now..."

Gon let out a burst of laughter as he smiled. The smile so contagious, soon Daniel was joining in the laughter.

"Is that what you were thinking of? Are you sure it isn't something else?"

Daniel immediately stopped laughing, holding out his hands in preparation to grab Gon "If you say anything Gon... I'm going to strangle you!"

Gon burst into laughter again, running after Killua "I'm telling Killua you were worried sick about him."

"Get back here!" Daniel bolted after Gon "I'll hit you so hard you'll burst into a pot of gold you damn leprechaun!"


	31. Stop X and X Stare

 

In the end, it didn't matter how fast Daniel could run. Gon had made it first to Killua, but, much to his surprise Gon didn't wail out of him. Daniel was thankful for that aspect of Gon.

In a way, it terrified Daniel in some way. IF Daniel did in-fact love Killua like Gon made it out to be, what would happen if Killua rejected him? Would it be awkward? Would it be brushed off, never to be spoken about again?

Could Daniel forget about his 'hidden feelings', IF they even really existed? Daniel was a betting man, but, he wasn't about to bet his own heart on something, especially seeing as it could be something shattered so easily.

Including, if the one involved is a close friend...

Watchful eyes fell on Killua, observing the boy's every second of training. Something drew Daniel's attention to the boy, a desire of learning. Every word that Killua spoke, Daniel saved it to a section on his mind.

Daniel stopped Killua on the way back to their room's finally working up the courage to ask something. "About yesterday..."

"Hmm...?" Killua stopped, drawing one eyebrow up in a questioning.

"Are you... ok?"

"Huh?" Killua's jaw dropped a fraction, unable to figure out what Daniel was insinuating.

"Your battle with Riehlvelt..."

"Oh, that... it was nothing..." Killua lifted up his hands, placing them to the back of his head as he continued walking.

"I mean..." Daniel started to walk, trying to figure out the words. "No matter what way I'm gonna say it... It's going to sound weird every way. You're not in pain I can help mend... or is there anything I can do for you...?"

"W-WHAT...?" Killua turned around, blushing like a mad fool. "What are you saying?"

"Well..." Daniel pressed a finger to his chin, thinking hard on the matter. "Promise not to think any differently?" before Killua could respond, Daniel cut in "I just feel like after what you said, during your fight, that you deserve something... that's all... that probably sounds weird..."

Daniel started to walk away, once he had gotten ahead of Killua by a few meters, the boy decided to ask. "What you mean by 'I deserve better'?"

"Well," Daniel stopped for a second without turning around "I mean... Well... You deserve to be happy. As in, you should smile more often..." Daniel began to walk again, leaving his next thoughts to himself. _You look... better with a smile on your face._

"You think of some really weird crap..." Killua frowned, cheeks as red as a tomato.

"You should try reading my thoughts... there are far worse things contained within my mind..."

"I rather not..."

"~"

When the ninth came around, Killua won but default. Either Gido failed to get a replacement for his legs, or, he was scared of fighting Killua. Seeing as his fight with Gon was not even a few days ago, Daniel was betting on the lack of replacement for the metal prosthetic leg.

During the next day, Daniel, Killua and Gon went out for a little R and R. While Killua was searching for a new outfit for himself, Daniel went window shopping along with Gon. The two of them made small talk, most of it being about Daniel and his family.

"Hey, Daniel..?" Gon asked curiously, eyes glittering like the stars in a night sky. "Have you figured out who wants to fight you?"

"Nope..." Daniel calmly responded as his eyes glazed over the Japanese masks.

"Ehh? I would be curious to know who would go through that effort to fight me."

"Well... I'm not you, Gon!" Daniel objected, picking up a random mask to place it on his face "I'm different." He then took off the mask, looking it over "And apparently I'm an old man." He said casually as he put the mask back down.

"Ehh? Why don't you want to know?"

"I like to be spontaneous. Know my enemies at the very last second. It's no fun fighting someone you already know."

"Really...?"

"No."

Gon fumed at Daniel, trying to figure a way to get the boy to lift he's already raised defences. "Daniel, have you told Killua yet?"

"Told him what?" Daniel asked, face mixed between a frown and in preparation for mortification.

"Told him about your feelings..."

Daniel slapped his hand on Gon's mouth, staring deep into the boy's bright caramel eyes "Ok, Gon... I'm..." Daniel took a deep breath. "Not entirely sure if I'm in love with him." Daniel squeaked out loud, losing all creditability to his manliness.

Gon brought his hands to his hips, while speaking through Daniel's own hand "But you must know by now. Mito-San says that-"

"Listen, Gon. Mito-San may be a philosopher in YOUR household. But in mine, I have my dad. And if he knew I had these feelings- POSSIBLE feelings, for someone else, he would NEVER EVER let the situation go!"

"But, Mito-San said when you get a funny feeling in your chest after seeing someone, it means you like them. But, it might also mean you're hungry..." Gon brought his hand up, awkwardly smiling as he massaged the back of his head.

"Well, my dad had made a comment. IF something on your body rises to the situation, you may start confusing 'feelings' with... 'Something' else..." Daniel refused to say the proper term as he looked over pieces of jewellery.

"What would be rising?" Gon innocently asked.

"Something to do with the lower half of your body, which, I shall not name..."

"Does it with Killua?"

"NO!" Daniel objected as he looked horrified at Gon. "How could you ask something like that casually?"

"What's wrong with asking that kind of question?"

Daniel looked Gon over seriously, trying to figure the boy out. The innocent look and lack of shame, made him begin to wonder. W _hat exactly has Mito told to you?_ Having no idea what was running through he's green attire man's head, Daniel sighed "You haven't had 'the talk'... have you?"

"What's 'the talk'...?"

Daniel sighed, releasing his hand from Gon's mouth "I thought so..." he turned around, failing to answer Gon's question.

"Daniel, what's 'the talk'?"

"Gon, I'm not giving you 'the talk'..."

Gon began to whine, drawing the attention of onlookers. Daniel growled at the top of his lungs "NO! I'm not parting away with those kinds of words..."

"Please?" Gon made some puppy dog eyes at Daniel, hoping the boy would fall victim to them. "Gon, those don't work on me. I'm the master of those eyes at home."

"Ehh...?" Gon whined as he looked left and right, seeing people looking their way. "Maybe I could ask Killua..."

If Daniel was drinking at the time, he would have choked on it "NO! DON'T DO IT!" Daniel frantically shook his hands around like Kermit the frog, hoping he could persuade the boy without having to delve deeper into the topic. "Gon, please... do not ask Killua that question. I will pray to every deity known to mankind, in hopes that you don't ask him!"

"Why not...?" Gon fumed from having been denied a piece of information. "Trust me... it's something you ask your parents... or family."

"Ehh...?" Gon groaned in frustration as he looked away. "I have to ask-"

Daniel shrilled like a girl for a moment, drawing Gon's attention.

"What's wrong?"

"NO-thing..." Daniel coughed once, clearing his throat in hopes that no one had noticed he was the one that just shrilled. "I just saw a cute... plushie... yeah... it was a little white tiger... ANYWAYS! Check out this cool piece of jewellery."

Daniel picked up a crystal necklace, showing it to Gon "It's a cobalt lightning bolt, with a white crystal outer layer. Isn't it cool?" Having had the necklace pushed into his hands, Gon looked at it carefully "You know... these colours remind me of someone else?"

"Who...?"

"Kil~lu~a..." Gon chimed with a wide smile. Daniel turned back and looked at the other pieces of jewellery. Having spotted one to his liking, he showed it to Gon "This reminds me of you then..."

"Ehh..." Gon looked at the large emerald pendant. "A green sun...?"

"Emerald! You're like a sun in the morning. Peaking through the drapes as you yell constantly 'WAKE UP' and emerald because..." Daniel gestured to Gon's clothing "that!"

"I like green..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Gon, quickly swiping back the pendants "Well you're still annoying in the morning, just like the sun. **RISE AND SHINE! Daylights wasting...** It's still funny when you do it to Killua though... He is not an early riser..." Daniel scratched his chin, while thinking out loud "Definitely, not an early riser..."

Gon smiled at that, pumping his fist into the air "Yeah! But, if I don't wake you two up, you'll get up in the afternoon!"

"Ok, I'm not that bad!"

Gon nodded briefly, turning to the side as the two walked up to the counter "Yeah... Killua can be pretty bad, sometimes."

"Just these two," The shopkeeper paused, looking over the young boys with his head cocked to the side "sir...?"

"YUP!" Daniel smiled widely.

"One million and a hundred thousand Jenny..." The man smiled gracefully at the boy. Daniel cocked his head in disbelief at the man "One million and what?"

"And a hundred thousand Jenny, sir..."

"You're telling me... that these two cost five hundred and fifty thousand Jenny each."

"Oh no, sir... The crystal emerald is one hundred thousand. The Cerulean blue and white diamond crystal necklace is one million Jenny."

"Oh, my..." Daniel taunted. "Looks like I'll have to break out the 'skills'. Let's make a deal." Daniel held out a hand, offering the biggest smile he could make. "What's the best you can do?"

"~"

The cerulean blue lightning bolt and emerald sun dangled on Daniel's neck, each at its own separate height. Having won the bargaining war, Daniel smiled widely "Am I good, or am I good?"

"I can't believe you threatened the guy with a Hunter's License."

"And I can't believe the puppy dog eyes didn't work..." Daniel offered as a rebuttal, while smiling smugly at Gon. "Usually that works."

"Ehh...?" Gon whined, even though he was smiling. Gon found the past situation quiet humorous, seeing as a younger boy was going as far to rebut the shopkeepers every comment and deal.

"Are they both made from crystal?"

Daniel nodded as he looked each over "Yeah... Still, the cheapskates run deep in my family's blood. If you think I'm bad. My dad once fought for a hundred Jenny off... for two hours... TWO HOURS! He tops the kings of cheapskates..."

"Wow..." Gon commented, smiling ever so softly at Daniel. "Both of them...?"

Daniel shook his head "Just Vas. Nathaniel would pay full price... most of the time. If Vastorie is involved, there's some kind of bargaining to be made."

"Oh... You know... you hardly talk about Nathaniel."

"Mostly because he doesn't do stupid shit...! Unlike my other father who puts me in a dress..." Daniel whispered the last part, hoping Gon's keen ears didn't pick up on that comment.

"What?"

"NOTHING... Nathaniel's good. Taught me how to fight... well, wield weapons... I'm mostly a pole-arm guy. I rather sacrifice speed for strength. Well, for more distance... close quarter combat for reach. I do better with range..." Daniel finally offered after stumbling over his options.

"Hmm... He must be good too." Gon hummed as he looks to the side. "Oh," Gon looked up eyes twinkling as a thought came to his mind "You father is a great fighter, correct. What kind of weapons did he use and skills did he possessed?"

Daniel thought for a second "You have no idea! He has taught me so many ways to disarm a guy... or girl, that it's not even funny! In terms of strength, he surpasses me by a mile..."

Daniel began rubbing his chin as he voiced the thoughts out loud "As for weapons... I can't really say. But, he used a lot of larger blades. Two-handed large swords that I swore could be doubled as a shield. Those things weighed a ton... maybe more...  
As for his skills... I can't really say. But What I can tell you is, apart from knowing how to disarm someone; he could probably cleave through anything... like a knife through butter."

"Who can carve through anything like a knife through butter?" Killua asked as he walked into the conversation wearing a new outfit. The outfit had two white zigzags going down the middle of a deep, dark red short-sleeve shirt and white jeans along with his signature purple boots.

Daniel looked Killua over, bearing a predatory look without his knowing "My dad, Nathaniel."

"Hmm..." Killua looked away for a moment. "W-What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"You're looking at me the same as how I look at chocolates."

"OH MY GOD," Daniel freaked out, quickly turning away as he was unable to look at Killua the same "I'm so sorry... I didn't realise I was doing that. Cool clothing... by the way."

"Killua, what's 'the talk'?"

Daniel's head cocked slowly in Gon's direction, resembling the same movements as how a puppet would move, especially after not having been oiled for ages "GON, what did I just tell you!"

"W-What...?" Killua this time looked away, blushing like a mad man "G-Gon, ask Mito-San!"

"Ehh... I want to know now!" Gon whined at Killua.

"That isn't something you ask so casually."

"That's what I said, Killua." Daniel butted in. "Jeez, it just had to slip past my lips." Daniel slapped his mouth shut, hoping Killua didn't hear that.

"W-What...?" Killua had almost growled at Daniel in anger, having learned he started the mess.

 _Shit!_ "Sorry, it's my fault... now he won't stop asking about it."

"But I want to know now..."

"Ask MITO-SAN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** The hundred Jenny off is a real life joke. My mom did in fact, fight for two hours over one dollar... I was there!
> 
>  **A/N2:** Here's how my future **the talk** is going to go, if I ever have kids.
> 
> Son/daughter... there are three types of people in the world...
> 
> Those who like sausage rolls and donuts...
> 
> Those who like pies and cupcakes...
> 
> And those who like all of the above...
> 
> Whichever one you ultimately like, no matter the choice, you are still my child and I will always love you.
> 
> And if they ask which one I like I'm choosing Sausage rolls and donuts! That's pretty much my 'birds and the bees talk'.
> 
> Feel free to steal it I don't mind.


	32. Heavens Arena X Gon's Battle X Hatsu

The sky darkened, signalling that it was time for Gon's match against Riehlvelt.

Gon stood proudly in the ring, looking determined to win against the man. This was a match, sure to make history between the three boys.

"After losing to Killua, Riehlvelt's record stands at 5-3 leaving him no more chances. As you know, after four losses, you're out of the contest. You'll have to start over from the beginning. He appears wary of Gon's speed, as he already has his whips out. Meanwhile, Gon isn't carrying his fishing rod... How does he plan to fight?"

As the referee begins the fight, Riehlvelt makes the first move. Using Song of Defence, Riehlvelt protects his body, whipping the area around him as he watches Gon intently.

"Oh, Riehlvelt opened with Song of Defence! Riehlvelt is attempting to end the fight now!"

Daniel raises an eyebrow in suspicion "You know Killua..."

"Hmm...?" Killua hummed, letting the boy know he is listening.

"Riehlvelt should use his 'aura burst' to charge Gon, while he uses the whips... Or anyone for that matter. But knowing him... I don't think he's smart enough to think of that on his own."

"Or..." Killua injected, raising a finger to rebut Daniel "maybe he can't use aura burst while he's using Song of Defence."

"True... but if he can-"

"Then he's a dumbass who isn't thinking." Killua taunted, a smile spread from cheek-to-cheek.

Gon squats down, reaching down to touch the floor.

"Oh, Gon is squatting?"

Gon started to scream, ripping out the tile in the process. Daniel's eyes widen "Whoa... Remind me to never piss off Killua or Gon..."

"You know... I'm right here."

"I know... I said remind me to never piss of Gon, Killua."

Killua stared at Daniel, waiting for the boy to acknowledge his mistake.

"Killua, as much as I would like to admit 'I love it when you check me out', you're missing out the fight."

"W-What...?" Killua cheeks instantly flushed red as he turned back to the battle. "Don't say embarrassing things!"

 _Hey, you were the one staring at me..._ _I'm well aware of my earlier mistake._

"Amazing..." The excitement echoed off Cocco's words, intensifying with each passing second. "He pried a floor tile loose by himself!" Gon reeled back, throwing the tile with all his strength. "And then he threw it!"

Riehlvelt stopped his Song of Defence to run away from the tile, narrowly dodging it.

"Whoa, he barely managed to escape!" Daniel caught Killua smiling in the corner of his eye as he continued to watch Gon, running straight for Riehlvelt. As Gon appeared in front of the man, startling him in the process, Cocco roared at the top of her lungs "However, Gon has already anticipated him."

Gon grasped Riehlvelt's hands, holding them tightly within his own while he used his feet to stop the movement of Riehlvelt's wheel chair. Riehlvelt screamed in agony after having Gon crushed both of his arms simultaneously, which in-turn also made him drop his whips in the process.

Staring at his hands, Gon picked up the whips, latching them onto Riehlvelt's shoulders with a curious look "So, this is the switch? Let's see... I'll turn the power to maximum."

"S-Stop..." Riehlvelt began to panic, almost screaming for the second time that night.

"Switch..." Gon brought his face close to Riehlvelt's ear, screaming loudly into the poor man's ear "on!"

Riehlvelt dropped to the floor, foaming at the mouth after having a heart attack from Gon pulling a prank.

"Just Kidding."

Daniel grinned slyly at Gon from the bench "Who knew... Gon is capable of making some serious heart threatening pranks."

The refree gestured to the man lying on the floor first "Riehlvelt has fallen unconscious." Raising his hand towards Gon, he declared the winner of this match "Our winner is Gon!"

The crowd cheered loudly at Gon, making Daniel and Killua smile wider at the boy. Gon waved to the crowd as he turned and face his friend in the process. Killua gave Gon a thumbs up, which the boy eventually returned.

As Killua got up, Daniel followed after the boy "Let's go congratulate him in person."

"Yeah..." Killua smiled widely, while heading towards the meet up point with Gon.

"~"

Wing's eyes glazes over the boys, smiling ever so slightly. Wing raised a hand, gesturing to the white board "Today, we will finally begin to train in _Hatsu_." With a wide smile, Wing brought his hands behind his back "Once you master _Hatsu_ , you will have learned the basic _Nen_ principles. After that, you will need to work on developing your individual _Nen_ style."

The boys acknowledged Wing, yelling proudly "Osu!"

" _Hatsu_ is a technique by which you control your _Nen_. It is the culmination of _Nen_ , and there are six distinct categories.  
**Enhancers** are able to strengthen objects.  
**Emitters** can propel their aura.  
**Transmuters** can alter their aura's qualities.  
**Conjurers** are able to manifest their aura.  
**Manipulators** can use their aura to control objects and creatures.  
**Specialists** are those with a special aura that doesn't fall within the other five classes.  
The key is to find the power that suits you."

Daniel smiled, while massaging his chin carefully. _I wouldn't mind being a_ _ **Transmuter**_ _, maybe even an_ _ **Enhancer**_ _or_ _ **Conjurer**_ _. I hope I get one of those..._

Gon was the first to speak, voicing his question of concern "The power that suits you?"

" _Nen_ is linked to individual ability, with two areas of particular prominence." Wing lifted a finger "The first would be your natural potential." Wing then raised a second finger "The second would be potential refined later in life. Gon-Kun, for example, was born with a flexible, springy body. His acute senses were the product of a childhood spent in nature. From the moment of birth, your _Nen_ aura falls within one of the six categories. While rare, it is possible for your _Nen_ aura to later change types."

Wing took a pen off the whiteboard's shelf, removing the cap in the process. Bringing the pen up to the board, Wing began to draw something on it while he continued. "If you attempt to learn an ability that does not fit your inclination, you find it very difficult."

Once Wing had finished, he stepped back from the board. On the board Wing drew a Hexagon, naming each corner of the shape with one of the six types of _Hatsu_. On each point of the Hexagon was a specific category. Starting from the top corner going clockwise was **Enhancer** , then came **Transmuter** , **Conjurer** , **Specialist** , **Manipulator** , **Emitter** then back to **Enhancer**.

If one to look at the shape as a clock, one would start at **Enhancer** at 12 o'clock, which lead to **Transmuter** at 2 o'clock, **Conjurer** would be at 4 o'clock, **Specialist** was at 6 o'clock, **Manipulator** was at 8 o'clock and **Emitter** was at 10 o'clock. Whatever the reason for the categories layout, Daniel was sure Wing was about to tell.

Wing tapped the board, pointing at the shape "This hexagon depicts the relationship among the six categories. The closer a class is to your own, the higher your compatibility to learn it. If you are born with an aura of the **Enhancer** category, you will find **Enhancer** abilities easiest to learn and master. And the adjacent **Transmuter** and **Emitter** classes will also be easy to learn. On the other hand, the **Specialist** class, which is the furthest away, would be difficult. To illustrate, I'll use skills that you've seen for yourselves."

Wing raised a finger, offering the first choice of the list "Hisoka was able to change his aura into a rubbery substance. This would be a **Transmuter** ability."

Wing brought up a second finger, pointing out a second scenario "Gido used his tops and body as weapons by making them spin faster, which would be an **Enhancer** power. However, since using so many weapons as weapons also requires **Manipulator** skill, he wasn't as successful."

Raising a third finger, Wing brought up another scenario "As for Kastro, his Tiger Bite was incredibly strong. Had he master it, he would have been among the strongest _Nen_ users. I believe that his aura fell into the **Enhancer** class. However, he focused his energy on the power to create a double, which was a **Conjurer** skill. And he also required a **Manipulator** ability to control the double. Both of those are relatively far from the **Enhancer** category."

"So neither was compatible with an **Enhancer** types?" Gon asked curiously.

Daniel raised a hand, adding his own two cents to the conversation "No, it **can** be compatible... technically... The problem is when you focus on trying to be something else, right?"

Wing nodded at both of boys, happy to found some curious kids. "You are both correct. Yes, focusing on categories that far away from your own category requires a great deal of work and natural talent to learn an incompatible ability. And as a result, he squandered most of his _Nen_ potential."

"So he made the wrong choice." Killua interjected, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"He was a great fighter... It's a shame." Zushi sighed, having learned of Kastro's weakness.

"Well? Do you see the importance of understanding your own auras and inclinations?"

"Yes..." Daniel spoke up as he was raising a finger in questioning "seeing as you can **technically** learn a category that far away. Let's say I was an **Enhancer** , if I dabbled in **conjuration** I can learn to create... say a sword for example, and use my Enhancer skills to strength my sword. That would be a better solution, when working with long distance categories."

"Yes. But, buying a real sword and strengthen it would be more viable option."

"Of course..." Daniel begrudgingly admitted.

"Given that," Killua stepped in, this time asking his own question "is there any way to learn which category your aura falls into?"

A wide smile stretched from ear to ear on Wing, having heard Killua ask that question. "There is."

Wing left, returning with a wine glass filled to the top with water, a leaf and a towel. He placed the leaf in the middle of the water and then gestured to it "Water Divination, a Shingen-Ryu technique for classifying your aura. It's also used in _Hatsu_ training. You place your hands beside the cup, and use _Ren_. The result will reveal your category."

Wing raised his hand, placing them on each side of the glass. The water rose from the glass, leaking out through the sides.

"The water's overflowing..." Gon spoke in amazement.

"If the amount of water changes, that means you are an **Enhancer**. This show that my aura falls within the **Enhancer** class." Having completed his demonstration, Wing stopped flooding the water with _Ren_ and then used a towel to clean up the mess he had just made. "Okay, now it's your turn."

Gon went first, making water drizzle out the sides of the cup. Killua spoke up in surprise "Gon's an **Enhancer** , too?"

Zushi went next, making the leaf twitch and turn a little to the left. "The leaf moved!" Zushi asked curiously, unsure of what that means.

"If the leaf moves, that makes you a **Manipulator**."

Daniel smiled "I'm next!" _PLEASE..._ ** _Conjurer_** _!_

Zushi moved out of the way, allowing Daniel to go next. The boy raised his hands to the sides of the cup, flooding it with _Ren_. The leaf moved, spinning slowly like it had done with Zushi.

"Noooooooo..." Daniel dropped to the floor, clenching his fists as he extended them to the sky, yelling just like a child whom had gotten a present he didn't want. "I wanted to be a _**Conjurer**_..."

Killua bursts into laughter at Daniel's reaction "Your reaction was priceless! You looked just like Darth Vader from Star Wars."

Daniel frowned upon hearing that "I didn't look like Darth Vader!" Daniel commented dryly when he got up. The boy shifted his hand, poking Killua in a begrudgingly manner "Let's see which category you belong to!"

Killua switched with a smug look, eyeing down the glass suspiciously. "Okay, I'm last!" Cracking his knuckles, Killua reached out, holding his hands out on both sides. The glass remained the same, refusing to show any signs of change. Killua began to frown, increasing his _Ren_ output on the cup, which only received the same effects. "Nothing's... happening...?"

"Indeed..."

"The leaf isn't moving." Gon pointed out, which made Daniel raise a finger "So he's not a **Manipulator** or **Enhancer**... that's for sure..."

Killua crossed his arms "This is stupid, there's no way Daniel's better than me!"

Daniel gawked in surprise "I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment."

Killua cheeks brightened, making him face his back to Daniel "It's an insult!"

Wing held out a hand to Killua's back "Why don't you try having a taste instead?"

"Taste it?" Killua turned around, wrinkling his nose as Wing. The boys each dipped their finger into the water, tasting it.

"Killua taste sweet... I MEAN the water tastes sweet..." Daniel objected his initial comment, hoping Killua would accept the apology.

The furious blush across Killua's face, gave hope to Daniel's embarrassment "Y-Yeah... it might be a little sweet..."

"I agree!" Gon smiled widely, followed by Zushi "Yes... it's a bit sweet."

Daniel slapped his hands together "I'm guessing it's a side effect to Killua's aura."

"You're right Daniel. The taste changed. And that makes Killua-Kun a **Transmuter**."

"Oh!" Killua smiled widely, which soon turned to a grin as he raised his finger to his cheeks.

"Oh..." Daniel chimed in awe "You can change the quality of your aura. It's better than being able to control people, I guess..."

Zushi looked mortified at Daniel "OR objects..."

"That too..." Daniel hummed as he tilted his head from side to side.

"Now," Wing offered a hand out to boys "Now, you three know how your auras are classified. Use the next four weeks to train hard, so the water Divination results become more pronounced."

"Osu!"


	33. Heavens Arena X Daniel X Yandere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's match has come up, but his enemy, might be closer than originally suspected.

Days flew past as Daniel trained, humming a small tune as he made the leaf move. The leaf swayed from side to side, moving like it was dancing in a running river, although, a very slow river... and a slow waltz to boot.

On the very last night before his battle, Daniel began to stress, wondering how he plans to take down his enemy. There's so many ways that Daniel could argue was the best way. The problem was which one would work best...?

Placing all his skills on the table Daniel's aura began to flux "What am I going to do...?  
If the guy or girl fights with weapons, I'll be able to disarm them. If they fight with their fists... that would put me at a disadvantage. I know I'm going into the fight with Wolfbane, there's no denying that! The problem is I fight with the intent to put distance between us. Hmm..."

Daniel rubbed his chin, stroking the non-existent beard. "I should have looked to see what type of fighter he or she is... at least..."

Daniel took a deep breath, letting his eyes settle on the water Divination test. "Why **Manipulator**... what the hell am I going to even _manipulate_?  
My weapon...? Nah... Too limited!  
People are of the list. However, I don't want to be like Illumi!" Daniel let out an aggravated huff "He has to be a Manipulator! The bastard forced Killua into a hypnotised state...!  
How about objects... WHAT KIND OF OBJECTS!" Daniel clutched his head in his hands, almost wanting to rip out his hair. "Wait, I can make a clone... but, HOW...? This is bullshit!"

Daniel released his head from his grip, turning to face the bed "Maybe I should sleep off my thoughts... before I rip my brain out from over thinking."

"Dude," Killua unlocked the door, stepping into Daniel's room "I could hear you ranting my room."

"Sorry," Daniel looked down at the floor "It's just... Have you ever felt-? Wait, that's a stupid question. I have a feeling I already know the answer..."

"How can you possibly know me that well?" Killua raised an accusing finger at Daniel.

"Have you ever felt like you've been dealt with a shit hand?"

"Well, yeah, sure..." Killua looked away. "I'll give you that one..."

"It's just... frustrating... I guess... Judging by the categories... I rather be a **Conjurer**... or even a **Transmuter** like you."

"Like me...?" Killua blinked in disbelief.

"Or an **Enhancer** like Gon... Even a **Specialist** , seeing as I specialise in weapons..."

"You debate about everything," Killua walked further in the room, taking a seat at edge of the bed "I swear... you could argue about arguing."

Daniel let out a small chuckle "I guess I could. Thanks, Killua..."

"For what...?" Killua raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Well..." Daniel raises a finger to his cheek, smiling softly at the boy "You're serving as a distraction. Like the fact that I'm turning thirteen in a couple of hours..."

"Well, happy birthday... I guess..." Daniel turned to look at Killua, spotting a small blush on the boy "Thanks. How's your training going?"

"Good... until I heard I guy ranting. Loudly, I might add..."

"Like I said before, sorry... I'm just over thinking things..."

"So... Seeing as I'm here... What's with the two pieces of jewellery?"

"These...?" Daniel raised a hand, holding the pieces in his hand "Well... honestly I thought they were cool... until Gon, brought up the fact that the lightning bolt serves as a reminder for you..."

"W-What...?" Killua asked in disbelief. "So I brought the Emerald sun because it reminds me of Gon... just to shut him up... Here, I thought I said embarrassing things. And this guy has nooooo limits!" Daniel opened his arms wide, making a gesture to show Killua exactly how far, Gon's limits are.

"W-What... did he say?"

"I... rather not say..."

"Bad...?"

"Really bad..."

"O...Okay. W-Well, next question how you going to defeat your opponent tomorrow?"

"I'm gonna wing it... no pun intended. No, seriously... I'll make it up as I go along."

Killua shook his head in shame "You're going to lose..."

"But I'll take him down with me. Plus, I'm stronger than I once was, and... I have this bad ass weapon! Also, you haven't seen me fight seriously. Therefore, tomorrow will be a great day to see my skills. IF, I get someone stronger than Riehlvelt or Gido..."

"Sure, we'll see tomorrow..." Killua got up, making his way over to the door "Oh, good luck... I'll be cheering for you, Daniel."

"If you're going to spell my name with the pom-poms, it's Urufu. U-R-U-F-U..."

"Ba-Baka, like I'll do that for you!" Killua slammed the door shut, leaving the room with a huff. _That idiot... always says weird things!_ Killua stopped, looking back at the door "But... why is he targeting me...?"

Killua turned back around, while letting out a huff of anger "Doesn't matter!" _He's just an idiot... who says weird things!_

"~"

Daniel made his way to the arena, stepping into the field first.

The crowd made some noise, filling the arena with cheers or boos. Daniel surveyed the people, spotting Killua and Gon. Having seen them, Daniel waved at his friends with a huge smile.

The crowd started to really cheer as a cloaked man stepped out of his hallway way, strutting casually towards the ring side.

Spotting the large sword behind the man or boy's back, Daniel fist pumped in his head. Yes _, this will be easy! When it comes to weapon mastery, I'll whoop his ass!_

Daniel eyed the person suspiciously, trying to figure out they fought.

He wore a hood which covered the man's head and hair, and a scarf hiding whatever the hood could not from Daniel. The person looked to be a bit bulky, wearing a weird piece of clothing. The jacket was a deep red, hiding the person's right side as opposed to the person's left side, which left nothing to imagination.

The sleeve was completely ripped off, showing the muscles and hand, that looked like it smashed rocks for a living. The person wore only one black glove on their right side, a pair of black slacks and army boots, and barely hidden by the jacket was the dark blue tank top.

Daniel looked at the man, barely seeing two golden eyes focusing on him.

"Today is an interesting fight. Because Sadaso forfeited, this will be Urufu's debut 200s match. What is Urufu planning? Today's fight will be featuring one of the most monstrous swordsmen, Yandere!"

_Yandere... what kind of name is that? Not that I can really judge... seeing as I used an alias too._

"And it seems Yandere is hiding his face from the crowd and opponent... What has brought out this sudden change?"

"Points and KO system. No time limit! Begin!"

The man or boy reached around his back, unsheathing the sword. Daniel jumped back, preparing for any kinds of attack. Yandere flipped his sword around, plunging it into the floor.

"And Yandere has made a rather unique first move... is this that same fighter whose won six fights so far and has two losses, we've come accustomed too?"

Once the man had finished burying his sword, he held out his hands in a rather unique gesture, a sign of respect which Daniel remembered to make before sparring.

Daniel eyed the man down before giving the same respect back. He pulled out Wolfbane from it's sheath, burying it in the floor in front of him.

"What's this...? Has it sudden become a battle of martial arts?"

Taking a step back, Yandere was the first to draw his large sword. Daniel pulled out his own, placing back in the sheath. He wanted to prove a point here; not only to Killua, but to the person in front of him.

Yandere brought down the weapon in an arc, using only his left hand. Placing his feet on the floor in preparing, Daniel stopped the blade, using nothing but his hands.

"Urufu has successfully stopped Yandere's blade, using nothing but his hand. Who is this boy?"

The man used part of his strength, trying to force the blade all the way down. Daniel began to smirk, pushing one foot back. With a quick sleight of hand, he disarmed the man, launching the weapon into the air.

Yandere quickly jumped back after losing his weapon, standing stiffly on the spot.

"And Yandere has lost his weapon?! What does he plan to do now?"

Daniel took the opportunity, jumping up into the air to grab the man's blade. The weight of the blade almost had made the boy topple over in surprise, having weighed more than he initially thought. _What the hell does this thing weigh... no wonder his got muscles, however..._

Daniel swung the blade a few times before pointing it back at the original user. "Seems like you're just a man now..." He smirked, eyes watching for the person's next move.

The person brought his arms up, slowly clapping "Sorry... I had to make sure it was really you."

Daniel's mouth widens at the voice, recognising it instantly "OH MY GOD! It's you, Yandere you!"

The person tilted his head to the side in disappointment. "W-What?! COME ON! I signed the letter with my original name. I'm not just, Yandere..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... my dad kept calling you that, to the point I refer to you only by that name..."

"Ehh...?" Cocco freaked out from how casual the two were speaking."These two know each other?"

Yandere let out a rather long sigh, reaching up to throw the hood back, and then unwrap of the large scarf. Having the scarf ripped off revealed the fifteen year old boy, that Daniel has come to known as his sparring buddy, he couldn't stop the roar of laughter that rocketed through his throat.

"W-What... what have you done to your hair? You look like you have a fight with a paint gun, and the gun won..." Daniel heaved; dropping to the floor as he almost preformed the worm, from flopping on the floor like a dead fish in laughter.

Yandere's eye twitched, showing signs of controlled anger "I couldn't choose one colour... so I picked them all. Do you not like it?"

Daniel forced himself to calm down his laughter, slowly getting up "No, no... You just caught me by surprise. I was so used to your blond hair, that the skittles caught me off guard..."

"Skittles...?"

"Yes, Yanick... Actually, I'm calling you Skittles... from now on!"

"Oh, you do remember my name!" Clasping his hands firmly together, Yanick smiled. "You wanna go on a date after this?"

Daniel's mouth dropped to the floor in surprise from Yanick's forwardness.

"W-What...?" Cocco roared in surprise. "Yandere has just asked Urufu on a surprise date! How will he respond?"

"I... Um..." Daniel continued to fumble around in surprise. _WHERE THE FUCK DID THIS COME FROM?_

"I'll do anything... including, kill someone!" Yanick's face darkens, showing his true nature to everyone in the arena. "Are you seeing someone else?"

"N-NO!"

"Have feelings for someone else?" Yanick cocked his head at someone in the seats.

"Ahh... No...?"

"No? Then, explain the situation with your aura, and your relationship with the white haired fellow, which, I believe his name is Killua..."

Killua stood up from the crowd, yelling down at Yanick "HIS A FRIEND! AND DAN- URUFU, STOP WITH THAT SHIT!"

"I don't even know how the fuck I'm doing that!" Daniel yelled back, furious that his aura is making the situation worse. "Like he said, he just a friend! And no, I will not go out with you!"

"Aww..." Yanick whined, rubbing his chin as if he was thinking another way of how to get his way. "I got it..." Yanick slammed his fist on his hand "Let's make a deal-"

"How about we forget about the deal, deal?"

"Nooooo... if I win, you go out on a date with me, deal?"

"How about instead, I knock you out, and force you to forget about this?"

"Good, deal! Winner takes all!" Yanick kicked off the floor, changing straight for Daniel.

"Hell no!" Daniel took a swing, missing Yanick completely. "Oh Sh-" Yanick tackled Daniel, pushing him into the ground.

"Clean hit and knock down!"

"Yandere takes the lead with a tackle!"

Daniel smacked the boy in the face with the hilt of Yanick's blade, making him stumble back in surprise.

"Clean hit!"

Cocco roars to the crowd "And Urufu returns a hit with a smack to Yandere's face."

"My nose, why would you do that...?"

"You're the idiot that tackled me!" Daniel jumped back, pointing the sword at the boy. "You left your face wide open. And you know me! If it's an easy target, I'll go for it, Skittles..."

Yanick's widen slightly, as a smile slowly plastered across his face. "Even though you're not saying my name, it's still a nickname. I like it..." Yanick nodded at himself.

Daniel's eyes narrowed, focusing on the boy carefully. _I have to beat him like good old times... but his weapon is slowing me down, slightly... I guess he must be an **Enhancer**. That... or he's a brick house..._

Daniel spun the blade a few times before charging down Yanick "I don't care what you like, you're going down!"

Yanick looked at Daniel, his smile never faltering "Prove it..." Yanick challenged the boy as his right hand was being held up. Daniel smirked, plunging the blade into the boy's right hand. Rather than hearing the sound of flesh being cut, a metallic sound echoed across the room. Yanick forced his right hand into a death grip, holding the weapon in place.

When Daniel failed to remove the weapon, he let go, sweeping the man off his feet and placing a well aimed kick in Yanick's chest soon after.

Yanick let out a grunt of surprise as he hit the floor.

"Clean hit and knock down!"

"Whoops, I forgot about that again." Yanick smiled as he jumped up, dusting himself of imaginary dust. "Now..." Yanick flipped the blade, holding it by the grip instead of the blade. "You must be wondering what that sound was?" He brought his hand to the right side, ripping the sleeve off.

Daniel's eyes widen, freaking in surprise at what he saw. Rather than seeing a normal arm, the arm had been replaced by a metallic arm, which connected to the shoulder.

"I got initiated, and lost my arm in the process. It sucks because I was right handed..." his smile faltered as he looked at Daniel, hoping to get pity out of him. Failing to get a comment from Daniel, Yanick smiled once again, bringing his hands together with the weapon held tightly between the two hands "Got a cool arm though!"

Cocco announced to the crowd "It looks like Yandere might be getting serious."

 _I won't lose, no matter what!_ Daniel reached around, pulling out his weapon, **Wolfbane**. He flipped the blade, holding it so the blade was facing behind him.

"I like that look in your eyes." Yanick smirked, wedging the blade into the floor. "I'll show you I'm not the same weak little boy!" Yanick wedged the concert floor up, launching it in Daniel's direction.

"And Yandere throws the concert tiling in Urufu's direction! How does he plan on blocking this?"

Daniel smiled, releasing the shackles of Wolfbane as he jumped to the side. He spun the blade, throwing it out in Yanick's blind spot. Yanick yelped in surprise as he was hit in the back of his head.

"Clean hit!"

Daniel twirled the chains around, swinging it towards Yanick's face. The boy brought up his right hand, stopping the blade from hitting him in the head again. Daniel smiled as the chain instead wrapped around Yanick's hand.

"Let's take that arm out for a SPIN!" Daniel roared as he used all his strength, making the boy sail out of the ring. Yanick flipped his body in mid air, landing calmly on his feet as he skidding along the floor.

Coming to a complete stop, Yanick kicked off the floor, charging towards Daniel once again. Daniel hit the button, returning the blade back to its original position just as Yanick jumped up into the air, bringing the blade down on Daniel.

As Daniel barely blocked Yanick's attack, the force of strength brought Daniel to his knee.

"Fuck!" Daniel swung his blade, making Yanick step back in the process.

Yanick was smiling, almost glowing in enjoyment from the battle, if it weren't for that faint bit of worry in his eyes. He took another swing, which Daniel brought his weapon up, hitting the blade so it rebounded.

Killua looked in shock at Daniel, finding the fight unbelievable to his standards. "Daniel... can actually fight?"

"He's so cool!" Gon chime in, finding the fight just as unbelievable.

Killua watched as Daniel took on Yanick, using every inch of Wolfbane to block Yanick's attacks. Soon, a slow smile crept along Killua's face as thoughts formed in his mind. _He is cool..._

As blush graced Killua's face, the boy objected his own thoughts. _I guess... But, I'll give him credit for his strength, even if he's mostly defending._

Another clash of blades made another smile creep along Killua's face. _What else can you do, Daniel?_

Yanick brought back his blade, clashing blades with Daniel every second. "Wow, look at these two go, easily matched in strength!"

"Daniel is matching Yanick strength, knocking Yanick back at every chance."

_Yeah right! I'm only rebounding Yanick's attacks, not matching his strength. There's always going to be that 'sweet spot', which allows me to rebound his attack. But each swing is still ricocheting within my body. I have to find a weakness, quick!_

"Can Urufu keep holding out against Yandere?" Cocco roared as Yanick brought down his weapon. Rather than rebounding off, the weapon slid against Daniel's own, creating a loud screech in the process. Yanick used most of his strength, pushing the boy back.

Having used his brute strength, Yanick managed to rebound Daniel's weapon, forcing the boys arms up in the process.

_SHIT!_

In a surprise moment of attack, Yanick hit Wolfbane out of Daniel's hands.

_Double Shit!_

Yanick then twisted the blade, bringing it back down to smash Daniel in the chest, with the flat side of the sword "I got you now!"

 _I'm gonna lose..._ Daniel brought his hands back into a cross, bracing himself for impact. _Its times like these... I totally wish I brought a spear... or a halberd..._ Daniel closed his eyes.

**_A scythe..._ **

The sound of metal clashing forced Daniel to open his eyes.

"~"

Killua watched with eyes wide open, a large scythe appeared in Daniel's grip, blocking Yanick's attack. _H-How...?_ Killua asked himself in disbelief, wondering how Daniel pulled off the technique.

"Daniel knows _Hatsu_?" Gon asked, while turning to face Killua. But the look in Killua's eyes already notified Gon that Killua didn't know the answer as well.

The boys faced Daniel, each trying to figure out in their own way, how Daniel managed to pull the technique off.

"Wow! Just when we thought Urufu was about to lose, he pulled a weapon out of thin air... Where has he been hiding it?"

"Someone has been hiding their _Hatsu_ for the last second." Yanick smiled slyly, while eyeing down the weapon for any weaknesses.

"Would you believe me if I said **this is as much as a surprise for you... as it is for me?** "

"No, you're always hiding TRICKS," Yanick used all the strength he could muster to hit Daniel back, while making sure to hold back just enough to not leave a permanent mark, "up your sleeves!"

Daniel spun the scythe a few times in one hand "Light and durable... nice!"

"You should be-"

Daniel swung the large scythe, knocking back Yanick a few feet "What...? Focusing on you? Come on..." Daniel spun the blade a few times, before aiming the edge of the scythe at his opponent. "You've lost now. This is the one weapon, that you never had a chance of beating..."

Yanick's eyes darken at Daniel's words. "While it's true..." He clenched his blade, filling it with aura. "I'll never lose after making this bet! I will-"

Daniel jumped, hitting back Yanick with all his strength "I will win? Just like every other time?" Daniel smirked, eyes burning with hatred. "I will not go on your stupid date!" Daniel clashed blades with Yanick, feeling the scythe crack from impact. _It's weaker than anticipated... Where did Wolfbane land?_

"I show you my true strength! **Kingslayer!** "

"Oh there it is!" Cocco yelled, drawing the crowd's attention. "Yanick is using his special attack!" Yanick lunged towards Daniel, bringing the blade down onto him. Daniel narrowly dodged, watching the blade slam into the ground.

The tile was destroyed, followed by the surround tiles being cracked in the process. Rage filled Yanick as he took one step the side, swinging the blade again in Daniel's direction. Daniel ducked the attack, filling the immense strength come off the blade in the process.

Having this opportunity, Daniel took a chance, swinging the scythe into the back of Yanick's head. Yanick grit his teeth, when he felt the back of the scythe connect with his head.

"Clean hit!"

Daniel took this opportunity, sweeping Yanick off his feet while the boy was enraged. He then twirled the blade, slamming it into the boy's back. Yanick howled as he forced himself to skid along the floor.

"It's not over!" Yanick taunted, eyes filled with a sense of desire. He brought the blade down hard on Daniel, which the boy effectively blocked. From the corner of Daniel's eyes, he spotted Wolfbane lying down on the floor just behind Yanick. _Bingo!_

Using all his strength, Daniel brought Yanick on the defence, while making sure Yanick step back towards Wolfbane. The scythe cracked again, weakening even further. _PLEASE, just last a little bit longer!_

Killua gulped, moving closer to the edge of he's seat.

The way Daniel fought lit a fire in the boy's chest. Even though he felt weird for it, Killua enjoyed watching Daniel fight. The boy moved with precision, fighting like he was on the defence, yet somehow attacking in the process of defending.

Killua couldn't look away if he tried. The match made Killua excited to see what happens next, considering Daniel never took any of his fights seriously until now. Killua's really enjoying this match, even if Daniel's seriousness was over a petty deal, which he didn't even agree to in the first place.

Daniel swung the blade, knocking Yanick to the side. _Run!_ Daniel told himself as he ran for his Wolfbane.

"Do not dare to try run away!" Yanick charged Daniel, yelling like a mad man who was willing to do anything to win. "I want that date!"

Daniel swung his body, turning as quick as he can, while swinging the scythe back with all his strength. Daniel clashed blades with Yanick, knocking the boy of his game. As the scythe clashed, the weapon shattered.

Yanick grinned at the loss of Daniel weapon, but soon shifted into face of shock. Daniel swung around, picking up Wolfbane to replace his just lost weapon, undoing the shackles in the process.

Daniel ran past Yanick, wrapping the boy in the weapon's chain and threw him as hard as he could outside the ring.

Yanick screeched in surprise, as he was sent flying out the ring, rocketing towards the wall.

The referee yelled, adding to Daniel's already high score "Critical hit and knockdown!"

"Check and mate!" Daniel smiled. "I won, right?" he dropped to one knee, feeling immensely tired from the fight.

The ref shook his head, letting the boy know he was one point away from winning. "Fuck!" Daniel growled, turning to look to see if Yanick was still able to fight. The concrete cloud started to settle, revealing Yanick still standing, but otherwise just as worn out.

"I won't... lose!" Yanick growled, while taking one step back towards the ring in the process.

Daniel felt his vision blur, feeling even weaker than he felt as second ago.

_Where...?_

Daniel dropped to the floor, unable to force his body to move another step. His eyes widen slightly in shock from the sudden fatigue, scanning the area one final time before they began to close.

_Did all my strength go...?_

"~"

The look of shock Killua sported was unbelievable. Daniel had collapsed in the middle of a fight, as if he just lost all his strength.

"Ehh...? Urufu just collapsed?! And he was so close to winning!" As Cocco just finished yelling in surprise, the referee started to count. "If Urufu fails to get up, Yandere will win, even though Urufu is in the lead."

Killua clenched his fists, wondering why he really wanted Daniel to get up. This was a thought that Killua was lease expecting. He really wanted Daniel to win, and not just the match, the bet to.

But as the referee hit ten, dread washed over Gon and Killua.

"Urufu fails to continue. Yandere wins!"

Yandere brought up a fist in surprise, cheering in triumph. "Yeah, I beat you! Although... looks like I'll have to wait till you wake up." Yanick walked over to Daniel, picking him up to sling the boy over his shoulder. "Hey, can you send a doctor up to Dan-Urufu's room?"

The referee nodded, letting Cocco or whomever to send one right away.

Killua stood up, motioning to Gon to follow him "I don't trust that guy! Let's intercept him."

"Yeah!" Gon yelled, while looking back at Yanick suspiciously, wondering what he plans on doing with Daniel. "Kil-" Gon stopped, blinking in surprise once he had realised Killua was already gone.

"Killua?!" Gon ran into the hallways, trying to catch up to the boy.


	34. Heavens Arena X Friendship X Animosity

**Name:** Yanick Derekrica

 **Gender:** Male

 **Aliases:** Yandere

 **Birthday:** 12/11

 **Age:** 15 years old

 **Eye Colour:** Gold

 **Hair Colour:** Blond (Originally), Rainbow (Dyed)

 **Hair Style:** N/A

 **Height:** 161 cm/ 5'3"

 **Weight:** 56 kg

 **Body type:** Masculine

 **Personality:** Direct, flamboyant and air head

 **Nen:** Enhancer

 **Distinguishing Features:** Rainbow hair

**Back story:**

Yanick was brought up in the Derekrica family along with his twin, Tsuneko. Yanick has a care free attitude and usually, doesn't like to get pissed. He cares a great deal for his sister. And he is willing to fight for what 'he' believes in, even if his 'wants' clash.

Unlike his sister who likes to hide her feelings, he is open and willing to say them out loud. Although Yanick knows _Nen_ like his sister, the only thing he was able to use effectively is _Shu_.

 **Personal Goals:** Get Daniel to like him, more than friends.

**Bad Habits:**

* Easily impressed

* Avoids hurting people he cares about, which makes him an easy target if someone was used against him.

 

* * *

 

 

Killua found Yanick, traversing through the hallways with Daniel slung over his shoulders. Although Yanick was limping slightly, he still somehow managed to support Daniel.

"You didn't used to be this heavy, you know." Yanick commented calmly. "You also used to smile a lot... hell, you were even happy to have a sparing buddy. But that changed..."

Yanick pushed Daniel a tiny bit up, moving the boy's body slightly higher so he didn't fall off. "It all changed when you were six... what happened?"

_That guy must be blind... I've never seen him without a smile. Not all the time though, like Gon is..._

Yanick suddenly stopped, turning to face someone behind him "I know someone's following me! Come out..." Yanick's eyes wavered for a moment, before looking in Killua's direction. "I know your hiding there."

Killua blinks in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that someone had found him so easily. That was until Yanick raised his hand, pointing out something really embarrassing. "This guy, Daniel... is letting me know with his aura. Ever since he fell unconscious, his control over that little _radar_ of his has become... what one would argue as being _harder_ to maintain. What do you want kid?"

Yanick lifted Daniel a little higher, trying to make it easier to hold the boy. Resting his metallic arm against his hips, Yanick continued to stare flatly in Killua's direction.

Killua took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before comforting the old boy. After having been told that Daniel's aura was searching harder for Killua, it's kinda hard to talk calmly.

_Why is Daniel searching harder for me when his knocked out? Shouldn't it be the other way around? WHY IS HE EVEN SEARCHING FOR ME? It isn't something a normal person would do... Is it?_

Killua shook his head, shaking the thoughts from his mind. Killua looked behind him, hoping to ask Gon for advice "Gon...?" Having seen no one, he sighed after having realised he had accidentally run off without Gon. Or did Gon get distracted, forgetting to follow behind him. With another sigh, Killua step out of the shadows, glaring at the boy as if he offended him just now.

"Well...?" Yanick asked, waiting as if he had forgotten everything he learned about the boy.

"I want a match." A cold voice escaped Killua, crawling up Yanick's spine. Yanick tingled in anticipation, wondering who this boy really is.

"Sure, go to the desk, put down your name and I fight you whenever." Yanick turned, heading back in the direction of Daniel's room.

Killua gritted his teeth in anger, before proceeding to yell at the old boy in anger "You don't know shit about Daniel!"

Yanick stopped, turning around quickly to glare at Killua "And you do...? How long have you known him, kid? Two days, a month, a year...? I've known him since I was six! Can you tell me his favourite foods? What he hates? What he likes?"

Killua was about to open his mouth, but Yanick had cut in, infuriated that Killua would even attempt to say anything "No, you don't! You don't know him like I do!"

"I know where he keeps his keys." Killua flashed a smirk. Yanick smiled, while pointing to his backside "Back right ass pocket."

Killua frowned after hearing that "You do realise, he doesn't have ass pockets..." _I... didn't think, I would ever say that line... EVER!_

Yanick clenched a fist, feeling more infuriated with each passing second from being near that boy. "So what...? I'll just search for his keys, fishing through his pockets until I find them."

"You mean these?" Killua dangled a pair of keys in the air, waving them as if it were a natural thing to do.

"Those are your keys..."

Killua pulled out a second pair, smile widened into a smirk "No, that would be these."

"Fine, what do you want for the keys?"

"I'm not giving you the keys!" Killua pushed the keys into his pockets, refusing to hand them over to the boy. "I want to make a deal instead, since Daniel doesn't want to be with you-"

Killua had stopped once he saw how pissed the older boy was. He was holding Daniel so tight; one false move could spell the end of boy's life span. "Put Daniel down... Before you hurt him..." Killua spoke flatly, briefly glancing in Daniel's direction for a second.

Yanick looked at Daniel for a second before commenting "What's stopping you from attacking me after I put him down?"

"My deal..."

"Alright," Yanick put Daniel on the floor, pushing the boy up so that he rested against the wall. "What's the deal?"

"I get Daniel, take him to his room, and let him rest. You and I fight tomorrow. Winner makes the rules."

"What are your rules?"

"You leave Daniel alone. And, you don't get to speak to him again..." Gon butted in, running up to Killua to poke him, while whining "You said to follow me! And you didn't even give me time to follow you. You must have been REALLY worried for Daniel."

"You shouldn't have stared at the wall, baka." Killua blushed, arms crossed in embarrassment.

"And who are you, gravity defier?" Yanick held out a finger to Gon.

"Gon Freecss!" Gon rested his fist against his chest proudly. "Yandere-"

"Please, just call me Yanick."

"Yandere," Yanick's eyes twitched from being ignored. "I want to-"

Killua cut off Gon "Sorry, but I got first dibs. If I lose, you can go next. Although, I don't see myself losing to this idiot..."

"OK." Gon smiled, widely, stretching from cheek to cheek. Killua blinked in disbelief, wondering why Gon would even agree to the situation. "Fine..." Killua looked at Yanick, bringing him back into the conversation "I lose you have to fight this guy."

Yanick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself. "Alright, if neither of you win you have to leave Daniel alone. If one of you wins, I'll leave Daniel alone. Sounds like a shit deal on my end. But, it's not like I care. I get a chance at two wins. One more fight after that, and I get to fight a Floor Master. Then I can shower him in gifts, and train him to be the best fighter..."

Yanick rubbed his chin, smiling ever so softly "I like the sound of that... Alright, deal." He stepped to the side, allowing both boys to take Daniel. Killua walked over to Daniel, picking him up to give a piggy back ride.

As Killua started to walk, Yanick spoke to both boys "Take care of him until you lose. Because it will be the last time you ever see him..."

Killua stopped for a brief second, glancing in the older boy's direction. "I'm not one to speak on this topic. But... you're only _lusting_ after Daniel..." Killua smirked before leaving, feeling an intense rage emit from the boy around the corner.

"Killua," Gon smiled, eyes gleaming towards Killua "what's lust?"

"ASK MITO!"

"~"

Killua watched Daniel sleeping, wondering why he was the first to act, and why Gon didn't argue about wanting to fight Yanick or Yandere first.

It's as if there's something Gon knows, that he doesn't. Maybe it has something to do with Daniel's weird aura habits. Killua activated his _Gyo_ , staring at the aura surrounding Daniel.

_I can't believe he's right..._

Daniel's aura swayed, leaking out as if to find Killua. Although it wasn't as bad when he tried to follow Yanick, it still stood out.

**A wanting of some kind...**

"Hey, Gon...?" Killua cocked his head in Gon's direction, finding the boy within a deep trance, unable to look away from his **Water Divination** training "Yeah...?"

"Are you and Daniel hiding a shared secret from me?"

Gon stopped, blinking as he looked up at Killua "Like what?"

"Something to do with his bad habits..."

"Oh..." Gon pressed a finger to his cheek, deep in thought. "Hmm..." steam rose from Gon's ears, brain overloading from lack of ideas.

"Do you know the reason for his aura?" Killua blushed from having to say it out loud.

"Oh, that... well, he really likes you Killua."

Killua's cheeks brighten, turning a new shade of pink. "WHY," Killua hid his face, "did I even bother asking you...?"

"Honestly," Killua looked up; hoping Gon's next few words wouldn't be as embarrassing as his first response, "he would have been sad, if I had fought for him..."

Killua smiled slightly, having heard that. _He really wants me to fight for him...?_

"Plus, Killua is stronger! Killua would never lose!"

Killua's shade returned as he shook his face from side-to-side "Baka, it's weird when you say it!"

"~"

"Killua...!" Daniel woke up, yelling the first word that came to his mind. The sudden screech followed a glass falling over, made Daniel blink slowly.

"Jeez, why did you have to suddenly yell my name?" Killua mumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for Daniel to hear.

"Sorry..." Daniel smiled, bowing his head in apology towards Killua. "I guess your name was the first thing that popped out of my mouth. Though, I should have said Skittle's name first... I did lose to him after all... I think..."

Daniel paused, intensely rubbing the bridge of his nose as if it would suddenly make him remember.

"You did. And as for your deal, the dumbass pulled out."

"HUH?"

"He let it go...?"

Daniel's head snapped in Killua's direction, staring intently at the boy "What sorcery did you use? I've tried so many tactics to make him give up on any deal he has made with me!"

"I um..." Killua pause, cheeks turning a shade of red. "Said stuff..."

Daniel gulped, looking down at the bed. "You fought for me..."

"I- I-" Killua shook his hands frantically, trying to wipe the memories of his earlier fight. "All I did was-"

"Thanks..." Daniel looked up, smiling directly at Killua. "Thanks for doing what you did for me..."

"Yeah... No-"

"KILLUA...!" Gon slammed open the door, first noticing Daniel was awake. "KILLUA, why didn't you tell me Daniel was awake?"

"He just woke up now, idiot. Not even two seconds ago!"

"Killua's being mean! Daniel, Killua was-"

Killua ran over Gon, clasping the boy's mouth shut "Don't you dare say anything! You'll make the situation worse!"

"Meeh? I ust unted to-"

"SAY SOMETHING REALLY BAD!" Killua glared down at Gon, hoping his anger would subdue the boy's desire to blabber whatever he so desired.

"Seriously...? You sound like your trying to hide a secret!" _FUCK, I walked right into that one!_

"I'm not!" Killua argued, cheeks glowing red.

_Yes! Walked right out of that one, apparently..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A\N:** I seriously thought about doing a fight scene involving Yanick and Killua. But seriously, all that came to my mind is Killua ripping him a new one (AKA Mortal Kombat style).
> 
> Although I won't be writing the whole fight scene, I'll be including bits and piece were Killua hints at what happens.


	35. Heavens Arena X Embarrassing X Hatsu?

Daniel did end up pressing the two, working his magic in order to find out what really happen. Though, it didn't take more than one word to get it out of Gon. What Daniel learnt, was Killua had befuddled a sentence, mixing up 'best' with 'boy' somehow.

Having learned that, Daniel never let the situation go, teasing Killua to no extent. "So, _boyfriend_ , huh...?" Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at Killua's back.

"Stop that..."

"I'm just... abusing my title, Killua. Or should I say-"

"Shut it!"

"You do realise this is going to come back and bite me in the ass just as hard? What were you thinking?"

"I DON'T KNOW! It was a slip of the tongue..."

"Boy and best is a long jump... That's..." Daniel counted the number of letters, using his fingers as a way to over express the situation "At least ten letters jumped."

"Are you going to let it go?"

"No... Maybe if I was dead..."

"I could arrange that for you."

"Oh, did my _boyfriend_ just death threat me?" Daniel faked a gasp, a smirk threatening to spill from the sides. "I feel like I'm in a one-sided relationship."

"There is _no_ relationship..."

"Right, right..." Daniel smirked at the embarrassed boy. "Still, thanks for beating the shit out of Yandere."

"No problems..."

"Then again..."

"Don't you dare!"

"That's what b-"

"One word out of you and I'll bury you alive!"

"Best friends? Killua... as much as the idea sounds nice to me."

"W-What?" Killua blushed madly from Daniel's comment.

"Well, a surname like yours carries meaning. No one would dare touch me, unless they had a death wish..." Daniel fluttered his eyes at the boy, pretending to act cute on the situation.

"You would be the Uke."

Daniel made a surprised noise "I'm surprised you know that word. And no, I'm pretty sure **_you_** would be the Uke in this situation. Think about it...  
The constant blushing...  
Calling me an idiot whenever I praise you...  
I'm pretty sure you could cook better than me. Then again..." Daniel paused, nonchalantly holding out a finger out to Killua. "A baby could cook better than me..." A small noise of agreement escaped the boy's lips as he turned, smiling at Killua once he saw how heated the others ears were.

"Sorry, I just _love_ seeing how much I can tease you."

"You know," Killua stopped in the middle of the streets, pointing to some nearby garbage cans "that's where you are going to be soon."

"I know..." Daniel zipped his lips. "I've run out of stuff to say, other than..."

Killua shot Daniel a deep glare, wanting the boy to back down.

"I'm sure you can make someone happy..."

"Baka..." Killua cursed under his breathing, hating the all ready embarrassing situation.

"Which reminds me... where have you heard about Uke?"

"Otaku brother, you...?"

"My dad... well, one of them..."

Both boys kept silent, unable to continue the conversation from where they had left off. Although Daniel really questioned why he pushed the topic, the thought did make him smile on the inside. _My boyfriend Killua... has a nice ring to it. Daniel Zoldyck... I could so get used to that._

"Anyways, Killua... thanks again for..." Daniel coughed once to clear his throat "Destroying Skittle's... sense of pride. And right hand..." Daniel raised his right hand, expressing a fake gesture to show the loss of one arm.

"He was right handed..."

"Now his left... and he shall never be right, ever again. Pun intended..." Killua chuckled briefly at the lame joke. But the fact Killua had smiled at the lame joke, even though it was for a second, Daniel couldn't help smiling too.

"~"

Today was the day the boys had to reveal what their training had produced so far. Even though Daniel had apparently been knocked out for a day or two, he wasn't so sure because Killua decided to mess with him, by adjusting his phone and the date on the calendar one day forward.

But, regardless of Killua's pranks, Daniel set the boy straight with a few well placed words.

Wing spoke calmly, gesturing the four boys to the already prepared cup "Now, show me what you've accomplished with your training. Killua-Kun, you're first."

"Ok." Killua stepped up, holding up his hands to each side to the side of the cup. Once Killua had finished, he smiled at Wing "I'm done."

Wing, Daniel, Gon and Zushi stepped up to the cup, placing a finger in to take a taste.

Daniel freaked out "Whoa, that's sweet..."

"Wow, it tastes like honey." Gon spoke, still in a daze from the taste test.

"Excellent." Wing smiled, eyes closed deep in thought. Wing seemed rather impressed at Killua's training from the past month. "Zushi, you're next."

"Osu!" Zushi took his turn, channelling his aura into the cup. Zushi seemed to struggle, forcing what aura he could into the cup. Sweat dripped from the boy's forehead, sliding down his face to join the small puddle beneath him.

The leaf moved in the cup, slowly turning to the left. Having moved the leaf not even a quarter of a fraction to the left, Zushi let go, breathing heavily as if he just got into a fight with six armed men. "This is the best I can manage..."

Daniel blinked, mentally wiping away the fake sweat from his forehead. _And here I thought I'll be left behind..._

"That's fine. But it won't be enough to pass. You'll need to train some more."

"Osu!"

Wing smiled, offering his hand out to Daniel "Daniel-Kun, you're next."

Daniel smiled, holding out his hands once Zushi had stepped back. "Please give me a handicap. After all..." Daniel shot Killua a small glare "I had been knocked out for two days. So that gave them twenty-eight days, not, twenty-six days to study."

Wing continued his smile, only offering a small nod, even though his face said otherwise.

Daniel put his hands to the side of the cup, moving the leaf slowly clock wise. Daniel had rare talents; ones that he refused to come to light. During his childhood, he had taken up dancing. He moved to the rhythm of the beats whether slow or fast, he thought that would be an ideal technique when it came to **Water Divination**.

Once the leaf was moving at a slow pace, rotating ever so slowly, that's when he upped his aura, moving the leaf to a made up beat in his mind. The leaf began to dance, slowly moving from the middle of the cup.

An 'awe' of praise escaped Gon's lips as the leaf continued to move, rotating as it moved from left to right in the cup. He tried to replicate the same movements in a ballroom dance, if one didn't have a partner to dance with.

Wing clapped his hands in awe, offering a small smile of praise "Wonderful Daniel-Kun. You didn't even need the handicap."

Daniel smiled; running a hand through his hair in embarrassment once he had saw Zushi's pout. "I... guess I didn't."

Wing turned to Gon, offering a hand to the boy once Wing had pushed the leaf back in place. "Gon-Kun, now it's your turn."

"Osu!"

Gon held out his hands to the sides of the cup, eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, Gon opened them, channelling his aura around the cup. Water suddenly surged from the top of the cup, spilling over the side as another exit point joined the cup, shooting from the side.

Killua let out a sound of awe as Daniel jumped back, avoiding the shot of water that spurted from the side. "Whoa, watch where your aiming that thing."

"Stop..." Wing groaned, trying to clean up the spill that continued to leak forth like a volcano of water erupting. "Stop, Gon-Kun!" Wing finally snatched the glass out from between Gon's hands, covering the crack with the drenched cloth.

Gon snapped from his gaze, smiling at Wing as he had done nothing wrong.

"You really are something." Wing soon returned a smile. Although, the sudden shock of Gon's training had Wing on high alert as he held the cup closer to him, refusing to put it down.

He was afraid if he put the cup down, Gon would continue.

"I was feeling pretty good about this."

Daniel nodded after rubbing the wet spot on his shirt "A little _too_ _excited_ if you ask me..."

"Gon-Kun, Killua-Kun, Daniel-Kun." Daniel stopped rubbing once his name was called to look at Wing. "Today is your graduation day." Wing shared a smile between the three boys as Daniel and Gon looked startled, compared to Killua's excited nature.

"Really?" Killua asked excitedly as Gon and Daniel looked too confused to ask in his place.

"We did it, Daniel, Killua!" Gon snapped out of his trace, raising a fist in triumph at the latter boy's name. "Yeah!" Gon and Killua fist bumped, as Daniel snapped out of his confusion, sharing a high five with the two boys before he could be left out.

"Master, what about me?" Zushi asked in concern after having been left out.

"You still need to train a bit more."

"Osu..."

Daniel pat Zushi across the back, smiling at the shorter boy "There, there. Keep training and you'll get better."

"Better than you...?"

"Pfft," Daniel almost burst into laughter, waving the boys idea off "don't try to make the leaf dance. Stick to something more... linear. Like... spinning the leaf..."

Zushi frowned at Daniel's response, but soon started to smile again once Killua had spoke "Keep at it."

"You can do it! You can beat Daniel!" Gon fist pumped as Daniel rolled his eyes at Gon, having found the thought humorous. _Maybe in a hundred years..._

"Oh..." Wing raised a finger, drawing the boy's attention "Gon-Kun, Daniel-Kun..."

Having had their names called out, they looked at the older man, wondering what he had to say to them. "I have something important to tell you."

"Something important?" Gon looked at Daniel, wondering if the boy knew. Daniel shook his head, having no idea what Wing is about to say. The two looked at Wing as the man stood up right, looking serious between the two. "Gon Freecss-Kun, Daniel Darkscryer-Kun... you both have passed the Secret Hunter Exam!"

"Huh?" Both boys looked startled, having learned there was another part of the exam. The three shared a glance between each other before looking back at their Master. Wing smiled again "You both have passed. Congratulations."

Gon stood there stunned, unable to express his feelings. He was complete mixture of confusion and excitement. Daniel held out his hand, offering to question Wing's statement for Gon "So, there's like... a sixth phase to the exam?"

"Sort of..." Wing offered a smile. "It's more of a special course to those who pass the Hunter's exam."

"Wait..." Daniel paused Wing, one finger held to stop the older man. "I have to ask... what about those who already know about _Nen_?"

"They do not need to do the Secret Hunter Exam."

"That... lazy..." _Sack of shit!_ "I knew something felt weird when he said I had to pass the Hunter's Exam. I could have learnt _Nen_ prior to the Hunter's Exam! Then I would have totally been badass! Unless compared to Hisoka or Illumi... then I would have been totally hopeless!"

Killua nodded, choosing to use no more words than the ones Daniel had already argued with.

"That, being said..." Wing held up one finger up, drawing the boy's attention once again "You both were able to pass."

"What do you mean?" Gon pressed the question, hoping to delve more information out of the older man.

"You are required to learn _Nen_ before becoming a Hunter, as professional Hunters are expected to be exceptionally strong. One of your basic tasks as a Hunter will be apprehending evil poachers and criminals. You must be strong enough to fight crime. However, this power is highly destructive when used for wrongdoing. Revealing the existence of _Nen_ during the Exam would be dangerous. Therefore, the test is only administered to those who pass the public Exam."

Daniel smiled slyly after hearing that "I bet Illumi and Zaikaria were totally using _Nen_ during the exam."

Killua offered a small nod, eyes closed as he crossed his arms. "Oh, so you were going to teach us, or at least Gon and Daniel, all along..." Killua frowned, arms pulled back behind his head.

"Yes."

Killua frowned dropped even lower as Daniel turned to the side "Poor Killua would have been left out, if it weren't for Gon and me tagging along..."

"I should mention that the head Shingen-Ryu master is chairman Netero."

The three boys almost choked on the air having heard that. _HE... is the master? I thought masters were... scratch that thought!_

"The master has told me much about you."

"That old man..." Killua growled under his breath, extremely irritated from the situation.

"Killua-Kun. Please take the Hunter Exam again. You will definitely pass next time."

"Knowing him... he'll probably pass in the first phase." Daniel turned to Killua, smiling softly at the rose cheeked boy "Shut up, baka!"

Gon smiled widely, nodding in agreement from Daniel's statement "Yeah."

"You are more than qualified. I guarantee it."

"Yeah..." Killua shrugged at Wing as he looked away "if I feel up to it."

"Don't worry!" Daniel smiled, thumbs up in agreement "I'll make him go, even if I have to throw him there..."

"Baka, you'll be lucky if you can grab me."

"I'll... that would have sounded really bad if I continued that sentence. Even if I never end up reaching you, I'll find a way to throw you there!"

"Hey, Wing-San..." Gon spoke up, wanting to ask something. "Have you heard anything about the others who passed?"

"Sure. Hanzo and Kurapika have learned Nen from other teachers. Pokkle is struggling with _Ren_. Leorio has begun studying for the medical school exam. Hisoka, Illumi and Zaikaria already knew _Nen_ , so they were qualified."

"Then Kurapika and Leorio are working hard." Gon turned, smiling at Killua and Daniel.

Killua returned the smile "Yeah."

Daniel raised a hand, wanting to ask a question of his own. "I'm curious... because I've been trying to replicate the steps since I first did it. The only problem is... I don't know how I achieved it in the first place... What did I do in order to achieve my _Hatsu_?"

Wing smiled, producing a small CD from his pocket "How about I show you instead... the concept is pretty hard to prove without a video presentation." Wing walked over to TV, motioning to the boys to come over.

Slotting the CD into the machine, Wing began to fast forward, stopping at the moment before Daniel had brought out the scythe. "Now, play close attention because the way the ability works, would be the last thing you would think of..."

Wing hit play, letting the scene play out.

Daniel had held up his arms in cross, watching the area around his hands turn black before the scythe came into existence.

"I'm seeing nothing here..." Daniel commented before pointing to the scythe "I thought **Conjurers** brought weapons into existence like it was nothing."

Gon nodded in agreement as Killua cut in "Same here... except I would say the weapon came into existence before he was hurt."

Wing smiled, rewinding the video again "Don't watch Daniel's hands... watch his feet."

The boys looked at Daniel feet just as Wing hit play, repeating the scene again. Daniel carefully watched his feet in the video, barely seeing the shadow he casts flicker out of existence just as the weapon came into existence.

"So..." Daniel looked up Wing just as confused.

Wing pointed at Daniel's feet, making a comment on the situation "You didn't conjure the weapon out of nothing. You built it, using your shadow..."

"I made a weapon... out of my shadow...?"

"At first..." Wing hit pause, stopping the rest of the fight from panning out before continuing on. "I first thought it was just the lights playing tricks. But, the moment the weapon came into existence, you no longer reflected a shadow. I found your ability interesting to say the least."

"So, my _Hatsu_... involves me hardening my 'shadow' into a weapon...?"

"Yes and no. Your _Hatsu_ involves you controlling your shadow into objects." Wing pointed to the paused video "And I advised against repeating the process in which you created the weapon, at least, for any battles in the foreseeable future. Use _Gyo_ to understand what I'm hinting at..."

Each boy took the hint, looked at Daniel this time with _Gyo_. Looking at the scythe that Daniel held in his hand, they each noticed something peculiar. The amount of aura the weapon emitting was massive.

As Daniel was about to open his mouth to speak, Wing gestured to Daniel himself "The weapon may be strong, but you... are weak. The _Ten_ surrounding you is a lot weaker, compared to before the weapon existence... I may suggest practicing before using the ability again. But start with smaller objects."

Daniel bowed down in respect towards Wing "Osu!"

"Now, Gon-Kun," Wing looked down at Gon, focusing entirely on the boy "I have one warning for you. When you fight against Hisoka tomorrow, don't push yourself too hard. All right?"

Gon smiled at Wing, agreeing to the man's terms.

"~"

Having said their goodbyes to Zushi and Wing, the boys started to head back to their rooms. Gon was more excited to speak about Daniel's ability than his own upcoming fight tomorrow.

"You can control shadows, that's so cool!"

Daniel shook his head in concern, raising a finger up as he looked at it "Yeah, but it has problems. At the time I probably didn't even notice that I was over exerting my aura... which is probably why I fell unconscious in the first place."

Daniel focused, turning to create something in his hand. Every time the shadow made something, it flickered out like a candle. "What I don't get is why it isn't working now... Does it have some requirement I need to fulfil?"

Killua shrugged at Daniel, motioning to the surroundings "Maybe your ability doesn't work at night, seeing as your shadow became nonexistent after the creation." Killua pointed at the floor, motioning to Daniel's lack of shadow.

Daniel sighed, eyes glancing towards the nearest light source "So basically, I have to carry a light around me in pitch black darkness. So, if the lights are out, nothings gonna happen..."

"Not only that it may not work for the opposite as well. Too much light would make it impossible to control..."

"Hungh... screwed in two different scenarios. Too much or no enough light source could be my downfall..."

Killua gave a brief nod before pointing out "That... and you waste too much energy when you create the object."

"That too... but I'm sure I can find grounding where it **IS** practical."

"Hmmm... I'm sure you can." Killua flashed a smirk at Daniel. Gon whined, bringing himself into the conversation "Killua, Daniel can do it! I know he can..."

"Thanks Gon... shouldn't my boyfriend be the same as Gon?"

"I'm not you boyfriend! I stuffed up and said boyfriend, only because that dumbass kept insulating I was. And I only said it once... every other time I said friend... or best friend..."

Daniel smiled at the blushing Killua, happy to know his methods still work when it comes to embarrassing the younger boy. But one thing still ran in his mind, and it made him wonder why it hurts every time. _Why does it hurt when you deny the idea or thought of being my boyfriend...? OMG, if Gon's right... NO, GON CAN'T BE RIGHT! I'll never hear the end of it if he is..._

Killua turned, walking away from the boys "Stop making fun of a stupid situation..."

**_But... what if I fall for Killua?_ **

**_Will he eventually love me back?_ **

**_Or am I going to have a one sided relationship...?_ **

_No..._

_I just close off my feelings and push it to the back of my mind. It's probably better that way..._


	36. Heavens Arena X Gon X Hisoka

Daniel sat comfortable in his seat, getting excited for Gon's fight. However, the thought of Gon's opponent being Hisoka was terrifying to say the least. Calm eyes scanned the area, looking at all the onlookers that have come to watch the fight, either for Gon or Hisoka.

Daniel let out a sigh as he turned to speak to Killua "Looks like Gon's got a lot of people here watching him..."

"My bets are on **they're here for Hisoka** , considering his last fight with that guy..."

"Kastro...?"

"Yeah, that guy..."

"He was a good fighter... but... I seriously wish he murdered Hisoka. That would make one less creepy thing in this world..."

"How you think Hisoka got his arms reattached?"

"No clue..."

Daniel pressed a finger to his chin, leaning his head from one side to the other "It's not like rubbed gum can reattach and connect every one of his... umm... whatya-ma-call-it?" Daniel snapped his fingers, trying to recall the name on the tip of his tongue.

"...Nerves?"

"Yeah, those guys..."

"No clue... But, it wasn't just his nerves. His bones, blood vessels and muscles would have been affected as well."

"Well... his arm was **completely** severed... I'm just curious about his arms..."

Cocco started to speak, initiating the introduction to the main match of the night "Hello, everyone! In the arena today, we have Gon versus Hisoka. This fight you've all been waiting for. As you can see, the stands are packed. The tension in the air before the start of this match is almost unreal!"

The crowd started to get jittery, wondering out loud when the match would begin.

_Who knew Hisoka would be an idol here... the guy's way to crazy to be watched... unless you want to turn insane?_

The lights shut off, screens turning on with a video of a fire. A burst of smoke rose from the centre of the right side of the room, revealing Gon to the crowd.

"Gon is the first to arrive!"

Daniel wanted to scream and cheer for Gon, but the thought of Hisoka listening terrified him. He didn't want to arouse the monster known as Hisoka.

Gon started to make his way towards the small ring as Cocco continued to speak, noting all of Gon's current achievements "After four fights, he has a 3-1 record. He's on a roll!"

Some members of the crowd cheer Gon on, but Daniel kept silent, refusing to cheer Gon on. Others taunted Gon, saying he had no chance without his fishing rod, but, knowing Gon, with or without his rod... It's going to be a tough fight. That's for sure.

The left side of the arena lit up, announcing Hisoka's arrival. "And next, with a fiery display..." Smoke burst from the floor, hiding Hisoka's presence. Once the smoke had begun to dissipate, Hisoka was shown, smiling in enjoyment.

"Hisoka appears!"

The clown started to walk, pleased from the match ahead. Even when Hisoka was stretching, he was already riled up, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"His lethal battle with Kastro is still fresh in everyone's minds. His record is 9-3. If he wins, he can challenge a Floor Master. If he loses, he falls all the way down. However, he has yet to lose when he steps into the ring! Will his undefeated record continue?"

When Hisoka stood in the ring, he held a cocky smile, watching Gon like a hawk. The lights turned on once both Gon and Hisoka stood near the middle of the ring, each fighter trying to find a weakness in the other before the match was even ready to start.

Daniel started to shiver, feeling all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up "Hisoka's creeping me out!" _It's like my pedo senses are tingling or something..._

Killua raised a finger to his lips, hushing the boy.

Daniel frowned from being hush. He turned, focusing only on the ring.

Like usual, the referee spoke, detailing the rules of the match like clockwork. Gon took a step back, readying himself to get in the first strike.

Hisoka took two steps back, not even moving into a stance. He stood there, calm as a cucumber with a sinister smile. The referee begun the match but none of them had move to attack one another.

"This is the match you've been waiting for. The die has been cast! Who will make the first move?"

Gon took off after Cocco's question, charging Hisoka with the intent to strike first.

"It's Gon!"

As Gon threw the first punch, Hisoka didn't even move from his spot. Hisoka turned to the side, hitting Gon in the back with a swift chop. Gon turned back around, trying as hard as he could to hit Hisoka. No matter which direction Gon came from or which attack he used, Hisoka always dodged by leaning out of the way.

To Daniel, the way Hisoka dodged it felt like he was in a comfort zone and he refused to leave it. As Hisoka threw out an open palm strike which Gon narrowly dodged, he failed to dodge Hisoka next attack.

Gon was kicked in the face, sent spinning through the air like a windmill.

Daniel was mortified from Hisoka's kick. Not from Hisoka kicking Gon, but from Hisoka having enough flexibility to stretch his legs at a 180 degree angle without splitting his pants.

Even with a strike like that to his face, Gon kept moving, this time coming around to hit Hisoka from another angle. Hisoka turned, always keeping his sights on Gon. The smile that broke across Hisoka's lips made him somehow more menacing.

Gon turned, running straight for Hisoka. He aimed for Hisoka's head only to miss, and Hisoka to return with a chop. Gon barely ducked the strike, forcing his body to land on the floor. Jumping up for another missed opportunity, Hisoka hit Gon in the chest with a well aim open hand strike.

The blow had knocked the air out of the boy, forcing Gon back. Even with a blow like that to the chest, Gon continued to push his body, running back up to Hisoka. Even with all the blows, Hisoka dodged each one returning with a well aimed strike.

Hisoka's next hit Gon in the nose with his elbow, which Gon in turn tried to kick Hisoka. Blocking the first attack, Hisoka smiled in glee ready to strike. Having seen the smile, Gon jumped back, avoiding Hisoka's next attack.

Gon ran back up to the man exchanging blows. However, each one was dodge the other's attack.

Daniel's hands curled under the chair, gripping it tightly as he pushes his body closer to the edge of the seat. He held a breath, still waiting for the first point to be called. Secretly hoping Gon got the first point.

Hisoka ended up getting the first hit, punching Gon in the face.

As Gon was pushed back, the referee called it "A clean hit! One point to Hisoka!"

Daniel release the breath he was holding, infuriated that Hisoka was already in the lead.

"Wh-What an intense exchange. I never even got to sneak a word!"

Hisoka started to chuckle, lips curling into a smirk. "What's wrong?" Hisoka leaned in; grinning at the boy "I still haven't moved a step from where I started." He pointed at the floor, wanting to prove how futile it is to Gon.

"Huh? Really?" Gon's jaw dropped in surprise, shocked at Hisoka's lack of movement. Clenching his teeth, Gon looked infuriated at Hisoka, ready to go another round with the man "Damn! Just you wait!"

"Hisoka's enjoying himself..." Killua had casually blurted out, biting a lip in anger. "In terms of actual skill, there's an insurmountable gap."

"You're telling me..." Daniel growled in frustration. "I wish I had Hisoka's flexibility... That was a perfect 180 degree angle. I was surprised he didn't split his pants!"

"But," Killua turned, raising a finger up in the air at Daniel "he still has a weakness. Hisoka knows that he's stronger, so he won't retreat. That gives Gon an opening!"

Daniel and Killua shared an equal nod at each other, moving on to focus on the battle ahead. Hisoka's right arm relaxed against his side, unfazed by Gon charging him again. Gon aimed to punch Hisoka, pulling away at the last second to perform multiple feints.

Having failed to fool Hisoka, Gon jumped back, prying one of the tiles from the floor.

"There it is!" Cocco roared as Hisoka braced for impact. "Gon's Stone Flip!"

The second Cocco stopped announcing to the crowd; Gon kicked the tile, sending rubble towards the clown. Hisoka shattered the rock, looking around frantically for Gon.

The moment Hisoka looked behind him it was too late. Gon landed a heavy blow to Hisoka's face. Hisoka slid on his feet, looking up with a smile. Gon had just achieved the impossible, landing a strike on the man Daniel had deemed impossible to hurt.

"Critical! Two points for Gon!"

A smile soon broke against Daniel face, but the thought he kept to himself... made him think otherwise. _He landed a strike on Hisoka... Does that mean Hisoka is going to get serious now? If he does... will Gon survive by the end of this match? Or will he die at the hands of a monster... who looks like a clown._

"Amazing!" Cocco roared at the top of her lungs. "Gon managed to land a critical hit! He's come back to take a 2-1 lead. Gon is on top! However," Cocco tone soon changed, showing uncertainty in her voice "it appears that his punch hasn't dealt much damage to Hisoka. I have to question the referee's decision..."

Someone else responded to Cocco's question, but Daniel had no idea who the voice belonged to at the time. "The referee is entitled to award points as he pleases."

"Huh?"

"Some referees award points based on the amount of damage done, while some base scores on strategy and technique. I believe the referee in this case was rewarding the fighter for using the stone block in his attack."

"I see... So, who are you?"

Daniel burst into laughter, finding the situation funny. Everyone just had a lecture about 'points' given from someone who nobody knew. However he managed to get into Cocco's booth, was what made the situation even funnier and questionable at the same time.

Even with that sudden distraction the crowd was still roaring at the match which had stop for a break. Hisoka started to move, walking calmly towards Gon with a finger pressed to his chin.

"O-Oh..." Cocco was caught off guard by Hisoka's sudden change in demeanour. "For the first time in this fight, Hisoka has moved! And he's smiling ever so slightly."

_When isn't Hisoka smiling 'ever' so slightly...?_

"Is he finally getting serious?" Cocco finally asked, wondering on what Hisoka will do next. Gon broke his on guard stance, choosing to walk up to Hisoka without a hint of fear.

Gon and Hisoka stood next to each other, the latter with his hands resting on his hips. Rummaging through his pocket, Gon pulled out a disk, offering it to Hisoka. Hisoka took the disk, keeping eyes on Gon as if he was thinking seriously on whether or not he should keep it.

Daniel leaned toward Killua, asking a question to see whether or not he knew what was going on. "Killua, what's going on?"

Killua held a finger to his lips, silently hushing Daniel. Although Daniel was partly peeved from being hush, he chose to look back to the fight; hoping one of the two would blurt out what was going on.

In a split second, the two jumped back as if someone threw a grenade between the two.

"Oh, what was that about?! I have no idea!" Cocco yelled, just as lost as everyone else in the room at that point. Hisoka preformed a magic trick, multiplying the disks before making them vanish into thin air.

As quickly as the trick was preformed, Hisoka's eyes narrow, wondering what was going through Gon's mind. Parting his lips slightly, Hisoka began to ask "How much have you learned about _Nen_?"

"All of the basics."

"I see..." Hisoka held out his finger, pointing at the young boy with a gleeful smile. "You must be an Enhancer."

"H-How did you know?" Gon's defence crumbled, allowing Hisoka to lead the battle on how he seemed fit.

Hisoka chuckled, standing upright. "You're so adorable..."

 _And you're creepy..._ Daniel retorted in his mind, hoping Gon was thinking the same thing.

Hisoka held out a hand to Gon "You should do a better job of keeping a secret."

"Shut up! How did you know?" Gon yelled in ager at Hisoka comment, puffing cheeks as soon as he had finished.

"I used a method similar to the blood type personality test. And it's just as unreliable."

Daniel burst into laughter, but otherwise still listened to Hisoka lead the conversation. With a hand to his chest, Hisoka leaned slightly forward "I devised my own way of using personality to classify aura."

Hisoka reeled his arm back before bringing his hand back to dramatically point a finger at Gon "Enhancers are simple and earnest."

Killua and Daniel looked at each other, sweating in agreement.

"He nailed it."

"So true..."

Hisoka pulled his hand back, pressing it against his chest "By the way, I'm a Transmuter, fickle and dishonest."

"Really...? I don't think of you as fickle..." Daniel offered.

"So you think I'm dishonest?"

"Well... you did call me-"

"Shut up!"

A sinister smile crept along Hisoka face, continuing his little personality test "Emitters have short tempers. Specialists are independent. Conjurers are high-strung. Manipulators are argumentative."

Daniel frowned at Hisoka's comment, slightly pissed from being referred to as being argumentative.

"His got you there..." Killua smirked, relieved that Daniel was pushed into a corner.

"Be quiet..." Daniel retorted back, fuming at both Killua and Hisoka's words "Hisoka's trying to be creepy."

Hisoka brought his hand back out, hold it out to Gon "The two of us are quite compatible. Our opposing personalities attract. We could become very intimate."

Daniel shivered from having heard Hisoka use the word 'intimate', it was a word he hoped Hisoka never used... at least in his life time. "You're what... twenty-five Hisoka... don't use that word so casually!"

"But you should take care, because Transmuters are fickle. It takes a mere second for treasure to turn to trash. So..." Hisoka took one step forward, letting his sinister aura flair up. "Do not disappoint me, Gon."

A second after finishing his speech, Hisoka kicked off the floor. Gon had no time to react from Hisoka's elbow strike, but the force from the man's strike sent Gon flying. Hisoka ran past Gon, moving into a position to hit Gon square in the back.

"W-Whoa... Hisoka's fast!" Daniel's eyes shot open from the way Hisoka moved. And all he could do is watch as Gon's fight continued on.

Gon forced his body to land, trying to stop himself from being used as a tennis ball. But Hisoka was already in front of Gon, getting ready to deliver a kick. Even though Gon managed to jump out of the way, Hisoka kicked up the floor right towards one of the entrances.

Killua and Daniel stood up in shock, unable to believe that Hisoka was capable of pulling off that stunt. Cocco jumped to the microphone, trying to dictate what was going on "Wh-What a strong kick. He sent that stone block flying all the way to the entrance!"

Even though both boys knew Hisoka was strong, he wasn't going to leave Gon alone. Even though that fact existed, there was no chance Gon was going to forfeit the match, and Hisoka wasn't going to let the boy either.

Step after step Hisoka kept right on Gon's back, destroying a part of the arena every time he missed. And when Hisoka hit Gon, it was like Gon got hit by a ton of bricks.

"Fast, fast, fast! Hisoka is demonstrating his true power."

Gon managed to catch a break when Hisoka stopped pummelling him, but he was unable to stand straight, wobbling in pain and in disorder.

The referee managed to catch a break in this chaos, giving the score for the fight "Critical for Hisoka! Add points. 3-2!"

Hisoka stood in a neutral stance just as Cocco was ready to speak "His nonstop flurry of attacks has been scored as a critical hit. He's regained the lead."

Gon started to walk, trying to catch a breath and his demeanour as Hisoka watched, staring at the younger boy like a hawk.

"Gon appears to be confused... does he have no way to fight back? He's backing off."

Daniel grits his teeth, wondering how Gon is going to live past this fight. If Hisoka kept going, would anything of Gon be remaining after the fight?

"What's wrong?" Hisoka asked, a smile broadcasting his wicked intent. "Attack me."

"Forget it. I'm brainstorming!" Gon yelled at Hisoka, frustrated that his losing the fight already.

Hisoka raised his hand, bringing a finger towards himself.

At that moment, Killua yelled at Gon "Gon, use _Gyo_!" At the moment Killua mentioned Gyo, Daniel activated his own. A thin pink line connected Hisoka's finger to Gon's cheek, and Hisoka was smiling at that "Do you understand what's happening?"

Gon struggled to hold his position, and the situation got worse when Hisoka twitched his finger towards his own body. Like an elastic band, Gon was pulled towards Hisoka, and all he could do was brace for impact.

"Gon has been drawn towards Hisoka!"

Hisoka punched Gon hard, knocking the poor boy to the ground. "You won't be able to escape." Hisoka's smile widened as he looked down at Gon, watching the boy struggle to move.

"Critical and down. Plus three points to Hisoka. 6-2!"

"Hisoka hits him with a strong straight right! Gon is down!"

Daniel turned to Killua to voice his concern, but he was met with an aggressive stare at was only looking at Hisoka at this point. _SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! What are you going to do Gon! You have to survive! Or at least forfeit if given the option! If given the chance however... Smash that clowns face in!_

"Stand up, Gon..." Hisoka wiggled his finger, trying to entice the boy into continuing the fight.

"The score is 6-2. Hisoka increases his lead. Will his undefeated record continue?"

The crowd was yelling at Gon at this point, wanting the boy to continue this fight as if they were betting on him.

"Can you fight?"

Gon yelled at the top of his voice, even though he stumbled as he stood up "Of course!"

"Oh, Gon is standing... But he has sustained significant damage!"

"Okay, I have a question for you." Hisoka's smile twitched, betraying his hidden agenda. "If you answer correctly, I'll give you a free hit."

"What?"

_Wahoo! Free hit! Smash his face in when you get it right!_

"When did I attach my **Bungee Gum** to your cheek?  
One... When I elbowed you?  
Two... When I landed a clean hit?  
Three... When I landed a critical strike?"

"None of the above... Hisoka has to be lying!" Daniel held his hands together in prayer, hoping he was right.

"Three!" Gon yelled as he raised three fingers at Hisoka "When you hit me with both hands!"

"Wrong!" Hisoka smiled. "The answer is four. When I was giving you my aura personality analysis."

"I KNEW IT!" Daniel screamed at Hisoka as the crowd turned dead silent. Hisoka turned, looking at the boy. Much to Daniel's embarrassment for yelling so loudly, he sat back down, hoping everyone would stop staring at him. _Please stop staring... I didn't mean to yell so loudly..._

Daniel turned to Killua, hoping the boy would say something in his defence, but instead, he saw the boy trying to hold his laughter in, hands pressed up against his mouth.

Daniel stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Killua "He said I'm his boyfriend!"

Killua gawked, mortified at Daniel for blurting that so casually. "I- I- DIDN'T!" Killua tried defending himself, but the words stumbled out as a squeak.

Having drawn everyone's attention to a different topic, Daniel pointed at Hisoka next as if he were trying to interest the crowd in a set of dangling keys "Look... a creepy clown!"

Hisoka ran a hand through his hair, barely hiding the laughter in with a smirk. "Now that's over..." Hisoka turned back to Gon, offering the boy a stern expression. "I have a warning for you. Had you been using _Gyo_ , you would have been able to notice my aura, and you could have avoided it during my aura personality analysis. However," Hisoka's expression darkened at the next few words, letting the boy know how futile his fight was. "What about situations one, two, and three? Have you figured it out? I could have also attached my **Bungee Gum** while directly attacking you. You only need to conceal your aura when you wish to catch your opponent off guard. Normally, you use your aura while attacking. It doesn't matter if your opponent sees your aura when landing attacks."

 _Hisoka's right...best plan of attack is to make sure they never see your attack coming. Then again... when you're fighting someone like that you can't predict anything coming..._  
Then again, he does have a tear drop and star on his face! Who draws a star and tear on their face!  
Only Hisoka would...

Even though Daniel was thinking seriously, Killua managed to snap the boy out of his thoughts. "This is bad."

"The 'Hisoka's winning' or 'Gon's screwed'?"

"Gon's screwed..." Killua picked the one that fit his thoughts best before deciding to continue on. "His power's far more difficult to handle than I expected!"

"Hisoka is a pretty tough nut to crack... not that anyone I know would want to crack that nut." Daniel smiled, trying to lighten the mood. But no matter what he says, the fact is... Gon is still fighting Hisoka.

"Okay," Hisoka smiled at Gon, seeing how far he could push the boy "that's enough talk. Let us prepare for battle." The moment Hisoka had finished his speech, was the second Gon attacked. Not leaving anything for chance, Gon attacked first.

Hisoka started to make a strange face... A face that Daniel had never seen before, and hoped he'd never had to witness it again. Hisoka was licking his lips in bliss as if he was getting some sort of excitement at out Gon's attack.

The first punch hit hard, knocking the saliva out of Hisoka's mouth. But Gon didn't stop on the first punch. He kept going until either Hisoka was knocked out or his fists were bleeding. Whichever one came first, someone was bound to be left hurting the next day.

Cocco was chanting 'Rush!' like a mantra at this point, almost repeating the word on each and every hit Gon made. Daniel stood up and yelled at the top of his voice "Knock that clown's teeth out!"

Even though some of the audience was looking at him weird, at this point he didn't care. Gon had to knock out Hisoka right now or the man was going to bring Gon to a new level of pain.

Hisoka suddenly hit Gon after receiving a good few hundred hits.

"Oh, not again! Hisoka draws Gon into another punch from his left fist!"

Hisoka pulled his hand back again, drawing Gon into another punch from his right fist. But luckily Gon blocked that punch with his arms, receiving less damage.

Gon forced his body to land, sliding on the floor for a fare few feet before coming to a complete stop.

The referee took this chance to tally the score "Critical for both sides! Plus two points! Plus a knockdown for Hisoka!"

Daniel gawked at the referee's second comment. Yes, Gon was on the floor. But he was kneeling rather than lying on the floor. "What?" Gon was just as startled as Daniel, wondering why that extra point was assigned.

"Total scores are now 9 points for Hisoka, and 4 points for Gon!"

"I was never knocked down! I got right back up! I even blocked his attack!" Even though Gon was right in the situation, the referee continued to shake his head at Gon's remark.

The next point Hisoka receives would be Gon's downfall. Although Daniel was secretly happy for the situation, he couldn't help but feel bad for the thought. The crowd booed at the referee, arguing that he was in the wrong.

"Oh, we have another strange call. In response to the ref's decision, the crowd has filled the arena with boos."

The referee ignored the pleas and yells of anger towards his points, and instead raises his hands to force the fight to continue on "Fight!"

Gon stood up, turning to face Hisoka. Even though he hated how slim his chances of winning were. Gon looked as though as he was still thinking of a way to win the fight.

Hisoka chuckled at Gon's expression "You must be more vigilant, Gon." Hisoka raised his hand, pointing to his right. "Look to the right."

The moment Gon looked, a rock from the floor sprung into action.

"He means his right Gon!" Even though Daniel tried to warn Gon, it was too late. The chunk of rock hit Gon square in the face, knocking the boy to the ground.

"Oh, sorry." a sly smile crossed Hisoka's face "I meant my right..."

"Down, and clean hit! Plus two points. 11-4. The winner, by, TKO, is... Hisoka!"

Only some the members in the crowd were cheering. Daniel and Killua both felt relieved to know Gon survived, but each boy felt a tinge of guilt, from being happy after Gon's loss.

Hisoka never lost his smirk during the crowds' cheers. And he chooses this time, as well as any to point out Gon's mistake. "While you were complaining to the referee, I sent my aura on my left hand to the stone. Then I immediately activated **Bungee Gum**."

As soon as Hisoka finish explaining, he left without another word. Leaving the arena with a few parting words "You've made incredible progress. But you lack experience. About ten more fights, and you should stand a better chance. If we're in Heavens Arena, at least. Therefore, I will not fight you here again."

Daniel gulped, hoping that the next fight wasn't for a long time to come. He had his fare share of Hisoka's creepiness to last a life time. And he hoped the next time he met Hisoka... was at least fifteen years later.


	37. Three X Boys X Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I decide to post this on not only my character's birthday... But mine too...
> 
> *Throws confetti* Now, back to farming blood echoes in Bloodbourne...

As the boys walked out of the arena, people around them discussed Gon's match with the madman Hisoka. However, none of them seem to notice that Gon just walked past them. The further out the boys got, the less and less people seemed to care, or maybe everyone was still inside to busy discussing it.

Gon stopped once seeing Wing and Zushi out in the front waiting for them, and right now, the only thing that occupied Daniel's mind was **what's next?** What was indeed next for him? Could he keep going... travelling the world with Killua and Gon?

Or was now the time to pack his stuff and head home like he promised his sister?

The boys were lead away from prying eyes, talking with the man whom they had spent several months training with.

"I have nothing to say to you about the fight with Hisoka. You were the one fighting him, so I'm sure you understand best of all."

 _I would have felt terrified... Not even my dad's brutal morning competes against Hisoka's... normal day._ Although the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but argue again in his mind which was worse. Hisoka's normal day or Vastorie's morning before coffee presence...?

Although those were the thoughts crossing his mind, he couldn't help but notice Killua questioning Wing's speech "Understand what?"

"What he learned from the fight." Wing smiled at Killua, hoping the boy would understand where he was getting at.

Even though Killua was slightly confused with a raised eyebrow, Gon couldn't help but acknowledge Wing "Yes!"

"Gon, what did you learn?"

Gon looked over to Killua, smiling innocently "A secret."

The moment Killua frowned, he turned from away the boys which in-turn made Daniel smirk, aiming a finger at boy "Probably how terrifying Hisoka could be... up close."

"Sounds about right..." Killua smirked, pressing both of his hands to the back of his head.

"Not even close." Gon's smile got wider, hiding the secret well. Both boys fumed, turning away from Gon.

"Gon-Kun, Daniel-Kun, Killua-Kun... You will need to master your own styles of _Nen_ , as you continue down your chosen paths."

Each boy said a single word of acknowledgement. But Daniel could help but wonder what would be the best chosen path. Although the thought lingered in his mind, Zushi soon had Daniel's attention "I'm glad I was able to meet you. You've set a worthy mark for me to surpass!"

Even with Zushi's wide smile, Daniel couldn't help but silently laugh at the younger boy.

"You think you can pass us?" Killua grinned.

"One day, for sure!"

"Won't happen."

Daniel raised a finger, objecting Killua's retort "Let's give the kid the benefit of the doubt."

Gon and Zushi both looked confused at Daniel "Kid...?"

Daniel and Killua shared a silent agreement, even though neither of them knew what they were agreeing to in the first place. "Zushi, if you can **manipulate** something better than my **shadow**... I'll agree that you can surpass us... or specifically me." _Maybe if the three of us stopped training for a year... maybe..._

"Yeah," Gon nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to see you do it, Zushi."

"Osu!" Zushi laughed awkwardly, even though he really wanted to prove he could do it.

"Well," Killua turned, waving goodbye first "let's go."

Daniel turned after silently nodding to Wing, following after Killua.

"Yeah!" Gon started walking backwards with Killua, keeping his attention drawn on Wing and Zushi. "Thank you for everything, Wing-San!"

Killua turned to agree with Gon "Yeah, same here. Thank you."

Daniel held a hand out, not wanting to be the only one to not thank them. "Thanks... I dreaded learning this with my father... considering his very cryptic!"

"Take care, you three."

"Zushi, until we meet again!"

"Osu!"

Once the three had gotten an ear shot out of Wing and Zushi, Killua couldn't help but ask the dreaded question. "Well, you finally accomplished your objective, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Then we don't have any more business here."

"Yeah..." Daniel agreed with Killua. _What next...?_

"Gon, what are you going to do?"

"Go back to Whale Island."

"Whale Island?"

"Uh-huh. I was able to return the favour to Hisoka, so I want to go back to the island, and show Mito-San my license. It's been over half a year since I left..."

"What about you, Daniel?" Killua turned, diverting his attention to the boy.

"Dunno..."

"Guess I'm going with Gon then... not that I would ever want to be stuck alone with you, Daniel..." Killua flashed a smirk at Daniel.

"Not even on our dates?" Daniel flashed a smile at Killua.

"For the last time-"

"I know... its just fun teasing you! My favourite tomato..."

"Baka..." Killua muttered under his breath, however, Daniel already achieved his goal. Killua was as ripe as a tomato, and those cheeks weren't going to cool down anytime soon.

After the conversation between Daniel and Killua finally ending, Gon couldn't help but ask in the confusion "Why Killua?"

"I'd like to meet Mito-San." Killua turned to face Gon, cheeks still red from Daniel's last comment.

"Really? You should come too Daniel!"

"WHAT? NO!" Killua argued, but was soon cut short when Daniel smirked "I would love to, Gon... beats going home..."

"Yes, the three of us are going together."

"Fine..." Killua shot Daniel a death stare for a split second, before turning to Gon to smile "I'll tag along... with this guy..."

"Daniel..." Daniel smiled slyly in Killua's direction.

"~"

"Mito-San!" Gon screamed while running up a hill. Daniel and Killua couldn't help but look at each other as Gon screamed. _Couldn't he wait till he was closer... rather than yelling from the other side of the Island?_

Reaching half way up a cliff, a woman with orange hair was turning in Gon's direction, confused from hearing her name being called multiple times. The moment Gon came into her field of vision, a smile swept across her face "Gon!"

Killua and Daniel sighed from having Gon almost leave them behind. Even as the two traversed the hill, they could still hear Gon talking from a mile away. "I'm home, Mito-San."

Daniel seriously wanted to cheer Killua up at the moment. But, from his current track record, he didn't think anything he could conjure up would work. Sighing, Daniel pats Killua on the shoulder, trying to cheer the boy up.

Even with the sudden contact, Killua didn't seem to notice Daniel's touch.

Once the two boys came into view, they could finally put a face to Mito's name. Like Gon, she has amber coloured eyes but her hair is light orange. She looks young maybe mid to late twenties. She is wearing a red sweater with the sleeves rolled up, cream skirt, a light teal apron and brown slipper booties.

"You must be Killua, right?" Mito spoke up, startling the boy in the process.

"What?"

"And you would be Daniel, correct?" Mito let a finger linger out towards Daniel.

Both boys blinked, wondering how she knew about them. Was Gon somehow secretly relaying information about them while he was training? Even then, how did Gon manage to relay what each boy looked like, and how much did he tell her about them?

_Did Gon tell her about my... questionable feelings for Killua? I swear to God if he did... she's going to have no, son...? After this!_

"~"

"Sheesh," Mito whine as she frantically walked around the house, grabbing plates and utensils "you should have let me know you were coming home."

Killua took a sip of his hot tea Mito graciously left out for them as Daniel's eyes followed her, wonder what was going through her head. "I didn't have time to prepare anything..." During Mito's rambles Daniel payed little attention to Gon's grandma, whom was sitting in front of them.

Gon's grandma had a light greyish-pink hair and wore an orange dress over her white sweat shirt, and white sweatpants. A dirty-yellow scarf was also wrapped loosely around her neck.

Daniel reached out, grabbing a biscuit from plate which he silently snacked on while continuing to watch Gon and Mito casually fight amongst themselves.

"It's not a big deal, whatever is fine."

"What are you saying? Your friends came all the way out here to visit."

"No, it's okay." Killua argued as he joined in the fight.

"Honestly," Mito argued, completely ignoring what Killua had just said. "You should have said something first..."

"Speaking of first..." Daniel spoke into his drink before taking another sip "I'm allergic to tomatoes..." _That was a total lie._

Mito stopped rummaging through the dishes to argue "Huh, really? Gon said you don't like them..."

 _Damn it Gon!_ "Well, I don't turn into a beach balloon but... it doesn't exactly agree with my stomach."

Mito sighed at the younger boy, returning to look through the dishes "Honestly Gon... you should clear some things up before telling me certain 'things'."

Daniel shot Gon a glare, wondering if the boy mentioned anything to Mito. Although Gon was smiling sheepishly, Mito proceeded to rip out a plate, pointing it at the boys "Are you even listening to me? Oh," Mito stopped looking for a second to glance in their direction "that's right... Take a bath while I make something to eat. And put out your dirty clothes. I'll be doing laundry."

"You don't have to wash mi-" Before Daniel could even finish, Mito stare him down "I insist."

Daniel closed his mouth, not wanting to argue with the lady.

"Okay, later." Gon spoke out, but as soon as he finished, Mito death stared the younger boy "Now! You have ten seconds!"

Gon ran away, taking off his jacket as Mito began to count down. Daniel and Killua sat there too stunned to move.

"Is she always like this?" Killua spoke, still unable to move.

"Pretty much." Gon immediately pulled off Killua's jacket, and ran, ripping off Daniel's jacket soon after.

"Hey! That's a vintage jacket, Gon..."

"We have to move fast!"

"~"

This by far, had to be the most awkward situation Daniel had been in. Not even two feet from him, Killua was naked. His heart was hammering in his chest, and for the worst reason that came to his mind. It was that Killua was smiling.

Why was Daniel's heart hammering in his chest, over a smile?

"Yeah, this is the life..." Gon groaned in bliss, relaxing on the edge of the bathtub.

"Agreed..." Daniel failed to stop staring at Killua.

Killua was about to respond to Gon, but stopped short once he saw Daniel staring at him "What...?"

"Nothing..." Daniel quickly turned, running his hands through his hair.

"Must be a pain to get the shampoo in your hair..."

"At least mine doesn't break logic..." Daniel raised a finger, gesturing to Gon's hair which flattened immediately after being submerged in water. Gon could have been the next girl for the L'Oreal commercial, if _he_ were a girl to begin with. The moment water hit the hair it went straight to _almost_ silky smooth. A little rough around the edges but otherwise smooth... or at least graceful in the way it moved.

It swished as Gon ran the soap through, as opposed to Daniel's long tedious strokes through his hair. But no matter how tedious it was, he would never get it cut short... it looked weird to him. "You know, Killua..." Daniel began, but didn't know where he was headed in the conversation. "I would dare say... you look cute when... smiling."

The very moment Daniel mentioned _cute_ and _smiling_ in the sentence, Killua opted to frown, while failing to hide his embarrassment. "I-Idiot, don't talk so casually about that kind of stuff...!"

Daniel failed to hide his smile, but before Killua could yell at the boy, Gon stepped in "Yeah, Killua... you do look cute!"

"Not you too!" Killua rubbed the soap through his hair harder, trying to get the bath over and done with. Gon was about to grab Daniel's hair, but was soon cut short by the boy slapping his hands away "Don't touch the hair... feels weird..."

"Huh..." Killua's eyes widen slightly, looking at the boy like something strange had just come from his mouth. "What you mean?"

"It feels wrong... when someone touches my hair..."

"You're weird..."

"It's better than being **normal**..." Daniel taunted flatly, motioning to nothing in particular with his hands. "Whatever **normal** may be in this day and age..."

Gon poked Daniel on the back next "Say, Daniel... what's with this scar on your back?"

"What scar?"

"Yeah..." Killua joined in, wondering out loud the same thing. "What is with that scar? It looks... out of place..."

"When I remember... I'll tell you..."

"How did you forget about this scar?" Gon pressed the question, curious about the unknown scar.

"Dunno... It was around six when I got that scar... maybe it was so traumatic, I forgot about it... or maybe, I did something so stupid... I forced myself to forget about it."

"Looks deep..." Killua focused on it, wondering what caused the damage.

"Well," Daniel smiled while lifting his finger "the past is the past... I suppose something will make me remember, something... Til I find that 'something' it's up to debate."

"You fell on the side of a table..." Killua smirked.

"Sure Killua... I got a deep scar... from the edge of a table... sounds legit!"

"You said it was up for debate..." Killua's smirk faltered, although only slightly.

"Well, let's assume it was a table... I couldn't think of a table that sharp in my household that could cut that deep."

"Outside your home...?" Killua raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Possibly... I think Vastorie knows... but his always 'dancing' around the topic. Nathaniel has no clue. And Zaikaria looks like she's about to kill someone as soon as I mention the scar."

"She definitely knows..." Killua raised a finger to Daniel.

"Yeah... but she's more interested in killing the person rather than telling me who they are. So, she's a no go. Speaking of scars..." Daniel randomly pointed at one of the many scars that graced Killua's backsides. "Who did you piss off...?"

Killua looked behind his back, barely even looking at them. Killua looked irritated as he sighing at Daniel "I touched my piggy brother's collection... turns out training is harder with a fat pissed off brother..."

Daniel's hands grasped his hair tightly, almost ripping it out "Really now..." Daniel loosened his hands, calmly returning back to the soap suds. _I'm_ a _dding him to the bucket list of whom I want to murder for touching M-Killua... His not your angel, Daniel..._

**_His..._ **

**_Killua..._ **

"~"

Diner had been serene, with the exception of Gon and Killua attempted to steal each other's food. Daniel kept to himself, laughing when Gon and Killua grabbed a piece of food before the other could snatch it up.

He smiled at the image, but secretly felt jealous of the two. Gon and Killua could alone, argue over anything and everything. When he saw the two conversing, his own feelings for Killua would have crushed under the pressure from what the two shared.

Although Killua couldn't see it for his angle, Gon definitely saw the sadness in Daniel eyes. Whether it was from instinct or the desire to clear the sadness from Daniel's eyes, Gon brought the boy into the other's little game of 'mine'.

Daniel shot the boy an intense look, soon smiling from Gon's contagious smile. But the moment Gon brought Daniel into the game, Killua was jealous.

In the end everyone had been smiling at some point of the game.

The moment dinner had finish, Gon remembered something he had to talk about "Oh, right, Mito-San." Gon produced his Hunter Licence, showing it proudly to Mito. "Look! This is a Hunter License."

Mito took the card, looking over it as she flips the card "Hmm... It looks pretty normal." She took the card between her fingers, bending it like piece of rubber.

Gon freaked out, snatching the card out of Mito's hands "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Just Kidding..."

Daniel chuckled between the two's reaction, pointing a finger lazily in Gon's direction "From the things we've learned... I highly doubt the card would be that easy to break."

Mito laughed as well, smiling at the younger boy "I would never do anything like that."

"Hmm..." Gon expected the card, flipping it to see if there was any permanent damage. "What if it doesn't work anymore?"

"Highly doubt it..." Daniel flashed Gon a smile.

"~"

Time travelled by as Gon decided that he'll show the others around. Rushing out of the house, Gon ran to the side of the house, yelling out to Mito "Mito-San, I'm going to show Killua and Daniel around the island."

"Won't that take a while? Want me to pack some food for you?"

Gon was really excited, too excited to wait for Mito's reaction. He turned around quickly running towards the path "That's okay! We'll find something to eat in the forest."

Mito smiled at the boy, quickly yelling out something she had just remembered "Oh, there's some visitors on the Island. If you run into them say hi and see how they are doing?"

Gon stopped, turning to face Mito "Visitors?"

"Yeah, they should be in the forest camping... a man and his daughter. I think she's about your age, Gon."

"Okay, we'll drop by!"

Daniel and Killua looked at each other, wondering on what Gon is going to do having heard about the new girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter a new character is introduced.


	38. Exploration X Adventure X Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger approaches!

The boys raced each other through the forest, trying to one up each other. Gon used his knowledge on the area to navigate the forest; Killua used his speed to run ahead, while Daniel used his weapon to swing ahead.

The moment one got ahead, the third boy took his place. Navigating through the forest, Gon took the boys to a cliff side which overlooked the sun set. The sun barely setting lit up the sky, creating a beautiful colour which lit its surroundings.

To Daniel it made Gon's smile even harder to look at, the boy glowing too brightly. With Killua it added a hint of colour to his skin tone, but Daniel was more interested in something else... his smile.

Killua's smile made him looked serene, peaceful like nothing could disrupt his happiness. He was having way too much fun, and nothing, could ruin this day for him.

And even if there was something, Daniel wouldn't stop at nothing to make sure Killua's smile **never** ended.

Gon ran, jumping into the water below, creating a large splash of water. Killua grinned following after the boy as Daniel could only smile at the shadow that was once Killua. He could never stop enjoying the boy's smile, wanting to see it grace the Killua's lips for every second of the day.

But a sense of sadness over came him, hitting him hard in the chest once he realised Gon was making Killua smile... not him. Not wanting to be left out, Daniel jumped off the cliff, following the boys into the water below.

"~"

The fishing trip that Gon took his friends on was well rewarding. However Daniel caught virtually none of them. And Killua couldn't stop the fits of laughter when Daniel was ready to go Indiana Jones on the fishes, whipping them out of the water if they so as much came within two feet from the water's surface.

The evening soon crept up on them and Gon was leading the others to a great stargazing spot.

As the boys were traversing the forest, Gon came to a complete stop.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked in concern, looking at Gon for a clue to what was running through the black haired boy's mind.

Gon looked around the area, turning to focus on a track he picked up "Oh, I think I found where the father and daughter may be headed."

Having head that, Killua pointed in a different direction to where Gon was looking "Come on, let's keep exploring. They should be fine..."

Gon pouted at Killua, finding the sudden change of expression in Killua a little concerning. "But Mito-San said we should drop by!" Gon whined, already starting to walk with a bounce in his step.

Killua frowned at Gon, begrudgingly following after the boy. Killua seriously didn't want another person to be a part of the group. It's bad enough Daniel was there, following the two of them like a lost puppy. Although, Killua felt like Daniel was slowly growing on him, til the boy decided to either tease or embarrass said boy. But by then, Killua was already planning where to hide the body.

The crunching of leaves soon brought the boys to a small section of the forest, startling someone nearby "W-Who is it?" someone squeaked, sounding a cross between a boy and a girl.

As the boys looked around, trying to spot the person; the same voice called out, this time a little more peeved "Above you!"

The boys stopped looking around, this time focusing on who was above them.

Above the boys was a large net, holding a young girl and a middle-aged man. "How's it hanging?" Daniel grinned, showing off a tooth to the strangers.

"Ha-Ha, very funny! Can you help us down? The rope is tied to the tree on your right."

"First off..." Killua glared at the person, pointing an accusing finger at the girl "who falls into an obvious trap?"

"One, who obviously wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings..." The girl spat back, infuriated at the white haired boy. "Now can you cut us down...?"

"Killua," Gon whined, shifting his gaze to the rope which held the net up. "We'll help you!"

"Gon, they could be spies!"

Gon looked at the girl, asking her casually "Are you a spy?"

The girl fell quiet, over thinking the question "Who casually asks that?!"

"Gon Freecss!"

"It was a figure of speech, Gon..." Killua rolled his eyes at the boy.

Daniel shook his head at Gon, amused by how direct the boy could be. With a sigh, Daniel slowly walked towards the rope "I'll cut you down..."

Daniel whipped out Wolfbane, only to be stopped by the girl "You not gonna just drop us like a sack of potatoes?!"

"No..."

"Do it!" Killua flashed a smirk.

"Killua!" Gon frowned slightly, staring up at the father and his daughter trapped in the rope "Is your father ok?"

"Not really... he has been passed out since he went vertigo."

"Ahh..." Daniel stopped at the rope, holding in his hand while pressing the blade to the rope "He passes out when his sense of direction suddenly changes?"

"That's what I said..."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch..."

"I'm not wearing panties! I mean... I don't wear panties. SHUT UP and cut us down!"

"Ungrateful..." Killua growled under his breath, seriously looking at the people trapped in the net.

"Say, Killua... should I drop them like a sack of potatoes...?"

"No!" Gon pressed his lips into a thin line, looking angrily at the boy for even suggesting it "Mito-San says we shouldn't be mean to girls!"

"I'm a boy..."

"Eh?" Daniel freak out from the sudden news, cutting through the rope by accident. Daniel immediately grabbed the rope before they could hit the ground. "What you mean you're a boy? Aren't you the same girl and father that went into the forest?" He slowly let the rope go, lowering the person and their father to the ground.

"About that..." the supposed boy mumbled as he was lowered to the ground. The moment they touched the floor, the supposed boy flicked the net off them, revealing an androgynous looking child. She (he) wore a burgundy skirt and loosely fitted, white, buttoned up shirt and a pair of boots that were a cross between hunting and Ugg boots.

They immediately blew the hair out of their face, fixing up frizzled hair.

The girl's (boy's) hair was medium length, stopping just at the shoulders. She (he) also had two stands of hair that hung on the sides of their face, barely hiding their ears.

Although, a barely noticeable, tuff of hair stood up, bouncing as if it was attached to their personality "My name is Sakura Furawā! Thanks... for saving me and my dad, Aroebera."

"Sorry, but I just have to ask." Daniel immediately raised a finger, pointing out Sakura's attire "If you're a guy... why are you dressed as a girl?"

"Is it wrong from me to dress however I like?"

Daniel wanted to object, but immediately stopped once he remembered his past "Yeah... I'm not gonna step into THAT dangerous territory."

"The wh-"

"Hush, Killua..." Daniel raised a finger to his lips, stopping Killua from asking anymore about that topic. "I do not want to talk about my childhood... dilemmas..." He looked shifty eyed to the left and right before glancing back at Sakura. "So... what are you going to do now, Gon?"

"Huh...?" Sakura looked confused at the boy, wondering why he was asking another boy instead of her (him) directly. "Don't you mean-"

"Look, Sakura... no matter if I ask you or not, whatever you choose, I guarantee Gon will have his own ideas."

"Huh..." Sakura focused her (his) attention on Gon, wondering why the boy had complete control on the say.

"Well..." Gon hummed, thinking seriously on what they should do.

From the corner of Daniel's eye, he saw Killua slowly get irritated with each passing second.

Gon raised a finger "We could take them to Mito-San. We have a spare room for-"

"Hold on!" Sakura raised her hands, objecting to Gon's plans "You've already helped enough as it is. I can handle-"

"See Gon, _he's_ fine. Let's g-"

"It's fine." Gon smiled between Killua then at Sakura, making the young girl (boy) blush slightly. "Then Sakura can-"

"No way, I am... I have to make sure my dad is... ok..."

Gon looked at Sakura, whining at the young girl (boy) "Ehh?"

"Look at this way, Gon." Daniel raised his hand "If your dad... mum... Mito-San was hurt, you would want to be by her side too, correct?"

"Yeah, that's true. Ok, we'll take you to Mito-San and then-"

"Continue with what we were doing?" Killua asked, a hint of hope flashing between his eyes.

"Yeah!" Gon smiled, flashing a smile and thumbs up at Killua. "Are you sure-"

" _He_ is perfectly fine with _he's_ decision, Gon."

Gon looked at Daniel, hoping the other would object "Daniel...?"

"Sorry, Gon... I'm with Killua on this. Can't change an Ox's mind..."

"So I'm an Ox now?" Sakura asked while glaring at the boy.

"YEAH..." Killua smirked, slowly looking at Daniel to add something else to the topic "Well, I would say more like a..." Killua looked towards Sakura before finishing "bull..."

"Arrgh... can't believe you two boys!"

"Well," Gon smiled "I think Sakura is more like a swan... because, he's pretty."

Sakura started to choke, gasping for a breath of air after being caught completely off guard "You..." Sakura stamped her (his) foot, irritated at the situation "you three are mean!"

"Two maybe... threes..." One look at Killua made Daniel change his mind immediately "On second thought, Gon's mean too. Day- Nightlight is burning! Let's get Sakura to _your_ house and then go back on our way."

"Yeah, Gon..."

"Okay..." Gon looked worried between Killua and Daniel before looking back at Sakura "Sakura do-"

"I'll give her-him a lift..." Daniel offered out a hand, smiling sincerely in Sakura's direction.

"How sweet of you... for someone who just called me an Ox and messed up my gender..."

"I can be a gentleman... when I want to be. As for gender... you could seriously pass off as a girl. Better than I could ever attempt. And I'm the one with long hair...!" Daniel held out a hand, bowing down to Sakura. "Now, if it would please you..." Daniel then bent his knee, lowering himself so that Sakura could climb on top of him.

Gon frowned, walking over to the Sakura's father, Aroebera. "I'll hold Sakura's dad I guess..."

"Wait!" Sakura looked between both boys, multiple thoughts clashing through her (his) mind "Wouldn't Daniel be better off holding my dad? He did after all... which, I'm still trying to wrap my head around; hold us both up."

"Gon and Killua are just as strong as me." Daniel looked at Killua "Hell, Killua's stronger than both of us combined."

Killua blushed from the compliment, looking away completely before taunting back "W-Whatever..."

"Anyways," Daniel looked back towards Sakura "We all are capable of carrying you and your father. Now, do you need a boost or are you more than capable to walking on your own?"

"I..." Sakura held out her hand to grab Daniel's own, looking in his eyes before continuing "Would like the help..." Sakura had been blushing in embarrassment from asking for help. For some reason, Sakura had just reminded him of Killua. Even the most mundane of things were now reminding Daniel of Killua.

He was curious to know why Killua would not get out of his mind. Why, was Killua occupying his mind about everything? All he promised to do was protect Killua. Then it escalated to making sure the boy smiled. What's next...?

Daniel could only dread for what came next.

Once Sakura had climbed up on Daniel's back, he boosted her (him) up, pushing Sakura so that she (he) was slouching over his back. "Ready, Gon?" Daniel paused, looking at the boy for guidance.

Although Gon had just picked up Sakura's father, he was already walking in the direction of his home, slowly pacing his movements so the others could catch up to him. Even though the silence was brutal between them, Sakura decided to ask a question that had been plaguing her mind "Seriously, you two... are you in a relationship?"

"Which two...?"

"You and Killua..."

"N-"

"Sure! Is it wrong for two guys to be in a relationship?"

"You... didn't just twist my words on me?"

"Yup...!"

"Are you lying about the relationship?"

"YUP, why you ask?"

Killua shot Daniel a dark glare, infuriated from the boy abusing an old topic he thought they settled weeks ago.

"It's just... I don't know... You give off this weird... vibe."

"Believe me Sakura... you aren't the first to say that. And you certainly won't be the last..."

"Seriously, Daniel... if you so as much mention 'that', I'm going to bury you... alive."

"Noted..." With a quick smile in Killua's direction, the boy had unexpected blushed. _That... worked better than I had hoped..._

"~"

After arguing longer than they had hoped, the boys finally departed with Sakura, leaving her (him) behind with Mito-San to deal with. On closer expectation, Sakura managed to sprain her (his) ankle, most likely from the trap Sakura and Aroebera had sprung.

Sakura was in no condition to be walking about. And Sakura had made it very clear; she (he) didn't want to ruin the others' already planned events. Even after departing, Gon showed clear signs of guilt for leaving Sakura behind. Even if one of them didn't want an extra member added to their gang.

The area was serene where they decided to setup camp. The crickets could be barely heard, and the crackling of the fire gave off enough light for the boys to see around them.

They laid side-by-side, each with questions plague their mind.

"Hey, Gon..." Killua spoke first, wondering what came next. "What are you going to do now?"

"For now, I'll rest up here while I gather information... The information I'll need before I go to Yorknew to look for my dad."

"Hmm... what about you, Daniel...?"

Daniel looked at Killua, too many questions crossing his mind at the moment to make a proper statement. "Whatever you plan on doing Killua, I'll be following you... even if I have to stalk you."

"Oi, Oi..." Killua pushed himself up; looking at the boy in hopes it was a joke.

Daniel however didn't want to admit it was a joke. And neither was it a joke to him. It was a real plan, but poorly executed "I'm serious Killua... I don't plan on changing my plans. I _want_ to _be_ around _you_ , Killua..."

"G-Gon...?"

"What, Killua? I like the idea of Daniel sticking around..."

Killua frowned between both boys. The fact that they were willingly complementing or calmly admit about wanting to be near Killua, was something he wasn't about to get used to anytime soon.

"Arrgh..." Killua grabbed at his hair, almost ripping it out. He moved on, pressing his head back against the floor "What am I going to do... or what should I do...?"

Daniel failed to hear Killua's question, but Gon heard it, and he questioned the boy "What do you mean? You should stay here and then go to Yorknew with me! You too Daniel!"

"Yeah, I'm coming with... WAIT! Why is he coming?"

"Would you rather I stalk you guys...?" Daniel wiggled his eyebrows mischievously at Killua, amused at the boy's delayed reaction.

Killua glared at the boy, unable to think of a retort. He turned away, looking towards Gon and completely ignoring Daniel's presence "AS I WAS ABOUT TO SAY..." Killua let out a brief sigh before continuing on "that wasn't what I meant earlier..."

"The _'me'_ coming part...?"

"I rather sink you to the bottom of the ocean and-"

"Remember me for all eternity?"

"Sure... as the guy I just sunk. Now, stop interrupting me. What I was saying..." Killua sat upright, focusing completely on the stars "I was thinking that you, Gon; are sort of admirable."

"And I am...?"

"Annoying!"

"Awesome..." Daniel responded sarcastically, a frown spreading across Daniel's face.

"There's nothing I really want to do... I don't really have anything I want to do like you do." The moment Killua locked eyes with Gon; all the other boy could do was blink in disbelief. Killua smiled at Gon before looking away towards the water "Though there are plenty of things I don't want to do. I don't want to stay in that house... Or inherit the family business. I guess I'm a little jealous... even of you Daniel."

"How sweet of you, Killua..."

"And now you just ruined it."

"Runs in the family... Or maybe it's a genetic thing..." Daniel rubbed his chin, pondering the thought.

"Killua... I think it's fun to be with you."

"Wh-What's" Killua scooted back "that's about?"

"Whale Island is a place for fishermen to stay during extended outings. There aren't too many native residents. Not including Sakura, there's one other kid here that's around my age, and she's a girl." Gon turned, facing Killua with a smile "So you're one of my first few friends who are the same age as me."

"My situation was similar..." Killua sighed "Struck in that house all day. I spent all my time learning how to kill."

Daniel's aura flared, angry about Killua's past situation.

"But, you were my first friend... and I guess Daniel is one too..."

"I feel loved... slightly..."

"Do you have fun when we're together?" Gon asked with a smile.

"I guess, yeah... until Daniel ruins it..."

Daniel's smile twisted into a half assed frowned when he faced Killua. _I'm not that bad..._

"Then let's stick together! The three of us! We can travel around and see the world together!"

Killua stiffened at the thought "Don't... Don't you ever feel embarrassed for saying that stuff?" A slight blush spread across Killua's face, making Gon laugh lightly and Daniel smile sincerely. It was both adorable and cute, to see Killua arguing over something so simple.

Gon looked up at the sky, smiling widely at the stars "I'll be looking for my dad. Killua will be looking for what you want to do. And Daniel is going to protect Killua!"

As Killua blushed madly, shaking his hands at boy; Gon stuck his tongue out at Killua, smiling genuinely at the boy.

"Wh-What? Daniel can't protect me... He couldn't protect himself!"

"Oh... is that right... I say I did a damn fine job at protecting myself. If I had a fraction more of my aura, I would have definitely... beat him! But if we really want to use that example, I'm still thankful for my B-"

"DON'T YOU _DARE_..."

"O-"

"I'm warning you!"

"Y-"

"I will do it!"

"...friend."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Killua got up, chasing Daniel into the forest.

"First you got to catch _me_..." Daniel sung playfully at the boy, using the forest cover and the night to his own advantage.

Gon smiled in the direction at the boys, whispering barely under his breath "This is gonna be a blast!" Gon leaned back against the floor, focusing up on the stars "I wonder what Sakura is doing..."


	39. Family X Box X Sakura

No matter how quiet and how well Daniel thought he could hide, Killua found the boy with ease, hiding amongst the bushes. Although Killua didn't kill him in embarrassment like he said he would, Killua made sure that Daniel had learnt his lesson.

Daniel gained a lump on his head, a reminder to never push Killua into that position again. Even when Gon was telling off Killua, the boy hadn't seemed to care. Something else was bothering the boy.

Killua parted his lips slightly, closing it immediately.

Gon tilted his head to the side "Hmm... what's wrong Killua?"

"Well... what's your mom doing?"

Gon blinked once, looking up at the sky in deep thought. It hadn't been a question Gon was used to receiving. But no one could say it wasn't a question he hadn't broached or thought of before "It's hard asking about my dad, but asking about my mom is even harder. Since Mito-San raised me by herself, it would feel wrong to ask her that..."

"Is that how it works?"

Daniel looked over towards Gon "At least you're not compared to your dad... well, more like bunched up in his category. I'm used to people saying we look alike. That's natural we could pass off as brothers. But, as soon as someone says I'm exactly like my father, I get super defensive..."

"Yeah..." Gon pressed his face up against his legs, holding his body as close as he could "At first, Mito-San told me my parents died in a traffic accident."

"That's brutal... WAIT, but you asked Pokkle to look up information on... um... Ging...?"

Gon nodded before continuing "She was worried that I might end up like my dad if I learned he was alive and a Hunter..."

"You knew...?" Daniel raised a questionable eyebrow just as Killua cut in, stopping the earlier boy's question short "And she was right."

"When I found out about my dad, I kind of figured that my mom was probably dead."

"That's pretty harsh!"

"So I've always thought of Mito-San as my mom. She's the only mom I have."

"Seems logical..." Daniel smiled "I would have never figured out my sister was adopted. I grew up around her and by that time, I just didn't care. She was family and I loved her."

Gon turned to Daniel, smiling widely "Yeah!" He turned his head back to the sky, continuing his endless smile "So there's nothing for me to ask. I don't need to."

"I see. Man, I wish I had a mom like Mito-San..."

"Agreed!" Daniel turned to look at Killua "Having two dads can be crazy at times..."

"She's the best! Though she does nag a lot..."

"Who doesn't...?" Daniel grinned at Gon. "I'm sure everyone's parents' nag. Vastorie nagged... and I'm sure Killua's mum was ten times worse than Mito-San and Vastorie combined..."

"Ten times is an understatement..." Killua smiled. "My mom started crying the second I said I wanted to go outside! She actually goes into hysterics!"

As Gon burst into laughter, Daniel raise a questionable brow "Crying?! Hysterics?! Hey mom, I want to have a life and she starts crying. Jeez... she should cry over something more, worthy. Like... um... what's something a mother cries over? I can't relate here..."

Gon rubbed his chin "When you get hurt!"

"Baka, she wouldn't cry over that!" Killua faked a frown and then immediately burst into laughter a second later.

Soon all three were laughing together, each sharing their own ideas of what a parent should really cry over.

"~"

Time travelled quickly and it was soon time to head back. Each were sent to do their own chores; Gon was downstairs helping Mito out while Daniel and Killua were up stairs, each making their own futon bed.

"Daniel, honestly... what is taking Gon so long?"

"Lots of dishes..."

"Tch, I'm stuck with you..."

"Ehh..." Daniel whined with a smile, lying down as he got comfortable in his futon "Am I really that painful to be around...?"

"You embarrass me with all these compliments..."

"Only because you deserve them..."

"Baka..." Killua blushed.

"I'm serious... you're soooo easy to tease. I bet if I said 'you're cool' you would still blush."

"I wouldn't!" Killua tossed a pillow at Daniel's face.

Daniel caught the pillow, then smiling cunningly at boy "I bet you a hundred Jenny!"

Killua clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Honestly Killua, I'm only picking on you because I like _you_..."

"Yet you don't pick on Gon..."

"He doesn't blush..."

"I do NOT, blush!"

"Explain why you're blushing?"

"It's hot!" Killua snatched the pillow out of Daniel's hands, hiding his face behind it in an effort to hide the truth from Daniel.

"Killua..."

"No!"

"I think you're cute..."

"CUT IT OUT!"

"Cute boy says what?"

"I'm not falling for that!"

"Oh... but you acknowledged you're _cute_."

Killua growled into the cushion, stopping himself from replying to anymore of Daniel's taunts.

"Your dad and mom must be tossing in their sleep, knowing that you're travelling around with me..."

"Huh...?" Killua dropped his cushion; brows stitched together in questioning "What you mean?"

"Well... you said early on that our families don't get along..."

"When...?"

"Maybe I'm imagining things... or maybe it was Gon I told... No I remember now it was something Zaikaria told me. Our families are like polar opposites... Vastorie's free willed and Silva's strict and by the books..." Daniel hummed as he tilted his head to the side.

"Hmm... dad just says _Vastorie_ is annoying..."

"I can't argue with that..."

"What you think is wedged between us...?"

"A pillow...?"

"No! I mean Darkscryers and Zoldycks..."

"Oh... Maybe Vastorie hit on Kikyo as a joke in front of Silva... Sounds plausible after looking back on his track record..."

"I thought you said he wasn't a cheater..."

"Doesn't mean he _isn't_ a _perverted_ joker..."

"Hmm..."

"Well, if I had to seriously guess... Vastorie somehow snuck in your house, and read a book in your library without anyone spotting him..."

Killua burst into laughter "Between all the butlers... I highly doubt that!"

"Alright wise guy... what do you think my dad did to your dad?"

"Kill steal...?"

"Probably more like denied... I don't see him as a killer..."

Killua raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin to see if any ideas popped into his head "You really think he couldn't kill?"

"He's a pacifist... the only hand I've seen him raise was when... um... he hit me because I fell into a ditch..."

"A ditch...?"

"Almost died..."

"You mean a cliff..."

Daniel frowned slightly as he looked away "It was a cliff... my dad was upset because I could have died... you know how- my dad's over protective..."

"I see..." Killua sighed, pushing his weight back to lie down on the pillow "Man you two are lucky..."

Daniel shook his head, pushing his own weight into the pillow beneath him "Hey, Killua...?"

"Say something weird and you'll be asleep before me..."

"Ok... Well... this is just a thought... If you could... there's no easy way around this. I just want to see you smile and make you happy..."

"IDIOT, who casually blurts that out..."

"I do..."

"It was a rhetorical question!"

"I'm being serious though... I want to see you smile... that sounded creepy just now. I just want you to be happy... forget about you family... let's go on an adventure and see that smile..."

"Shut it..."

"You're cute when you smile!"

Killua got up, whacking Daniel across the head and knocking the boy out instantly "Baka, stop saying weird shit!" _Who does he think he is; asking to see me smile... creepy idiot... asking to see me smile..._

Killua pressed his hand against his chest. _My chest is pounding... And it's all that dumbasses fault... Now I'll never get asleep..._

"~"

Killua rolled around in his sleep, moving to the point he was within arm's reach of Daniel. Killua rolled over again, striking Daniel in his sleep and waking the poor boy from his slumber.

"Ow, Kil-" Daniel stopped himself from arguing once he heard Killua's soft snores. He turned his head to his right, finding Killua closer than he had anticipated. Killua's nose was almost touching his, yet Killua's arm was stretched out to slap Daniel across face. Moving Killua's hand, Daniel inspected the boy.

Killua was sleeping like a starfish, limbs all over the place. He was half in his futon and the other half was closer to Daniel's futon. The sudden thought of Killua being closer to him, made his heart race quicker.

Daniel pushed Killua's hand off his body, careful enough to not wake the boy. Having moved out of the boy's arm length, Daniel moved far away from the boy, hoping his quicken heart beat would calm down.

The moment Daniel's back touched the wall, Killua rolled again, this time taking Daniel's futon to himself. It was strange seeing the boy move around like that.

If Daniel hadn't moved, would Killua have roped his body around the boy? Limbs clashing for dominance... As the thought crossed his mind, his heart beat quickened again, almost to the point it was pounding out of his chest.

Daniel pushed his weight up, turning to open the window. His body felt hot, hotter than it has ever felt before. Thoughts, ideas and desires all making it imposable to calm he's own nerves.

The fresh air filled Daniel's nostrils, barely calming the heat running though his body. "Damn... I feel hot..." he let out a brief sigh, eyes left to wander the surrounding area. He hadn't expected to find anything, but seeing Sakura lying down on the floor and arms propped back as if she was leaning against something.

Seeing Sakura like that made her (him) seem peaceful at the time. She (he) was focusing nothing in particular, only looking in one direction as if they were taking in the sights of the entire forest.

Daniel turned to face Killua, seeing the boy had already moved again. Daniel looked carefully at the boy, wondering if it would be okay to throw a blanket over the boy. Killua was moving all over the place, and if Daniel threw a blanket over him, who knew how long it would stay on the boy.

Deciding against it, Daniel jumped out of the window, dropping down next to Sakura. Before she (he) could freak out, Daniel pressed a hand to Sakura's mouth, muffling her (his) voice "Sorry... I thought I might join you..."

She (he) pushed Daniel's hand away, acknowledging the boy's presence "You gave me a heart attack..."

"I said I'm sorry..."

Sakura turned, giving the boy her attention "Where did you even come from?"

"The second floor..."

"Wha-"

Daniel held his hand against Sakura's mouth, stopping the girl (boy) from freaking out any further "Calm down I said the second not the roof..."

"Still, are you an idiot?! What if you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine... I just needed to get away from the... octopus in the bedroom..."

"Octopus...?"

"Killua... who knew he was a roamer in his sleep..."

"Oh..." Sakura turned away; looking back at the forest as she (he) took in a deep breath.

Daniel calmly followed Sakura, but only breathing calmly in an out. The natural scent was calming his nerves with each passing second, and he felt as though he could have slept outside. Thought the thought of sleeping outside could have been dangerous.

"Can't sleep...?"

"Well, like I said there is an octopus inside..."

"That would keep me up too... but I mean... you could have moved beds..."

"He almost was in my bed... and he started in his..."

"You could have pushed him back in his bed..."

"Can't..."

Sakura frowned, turning to give the boy her (his) complete attention "Seriously? What's your deal with that boy? You in love or something..."

"You know... you aren't the first to say that..."

"Aren't- Aren't you going to deny it?"

"Why?"

"But... didn't you say you aren't together?"

"Yeah... your point...?"

"...That's the point I'm trying to make! Shouldn't you be denying it...?"

"Probably... I don't know anymore..."

Sakura shifted her (his) weight, as she (he) eyed down the boy next to her (him). It was unusual to her (him) to see someone so confused, and coming to terms with themselves so easily. Nothing prepared Sakura for this "Why do you say something that fights against your emotions then?"

"I..." Daniel pressed his lips into a thin line, gathering his thoughts before continuing "I'm just happy being around him I guess... but I want more sometimes... way more than normal."

"You want _him_...?"

"If by _him_ you mean hold, then sure. But, I'm scared of rejection... he isn't the most... huggable person..."

"In a bad or really bad way...?"

"I'd probably get executed on the spot if I tried to hug him... because I know, I would do it in the most embarrassing way as possible."

"You're weird..."

"Speaking of weird... what is your gender? My mind is boggled right now..." Daniel eyed down Sakura. When Sakura was focused she (he) looked more like a boy but soon as features relaxed, Sakura looked feminine. It was a constant game of Guess Who and the participant could change their appearance on the fly.

"Ugh... your one of those people... The ones who are like _is that your son or daughter?_ And then they take a double look and pick the opposite gender they first went with..."

"You're a guy because you've admitted it... you're by far one of the most naturally feminine guys, that I've ever come across... it's uncanny..."

"Is that so..." Sakura grumbled flatly.

"You look better than any girl that I've ever come across..."

"Really...?" Sakura choked on some air, quickly turning away with an apparent blush. "I don't-"

"Nonsense, I don't believe you should put yourself down. You're attractive to people out there and anyone who says I'm wrong well... they should jump in a closet or hide in their parents' basement."

"You... you know how to butter people up."

"I learn from the best..."

"Well... what do you think I am?"

"My mind screams... transgendered...? You look like a girl but your mind says otherwise..."

"Nope, not even close!"

"Really...? Hmm, that only leaves... no way... really?"

"If you're thinking of the third gender... your right... in a sense..."

"Male or female counter part?"

"I'll leave it to your imagination..."

"Trust me... no one wants to go there. You've actually blown my mind!"

Sakura carefully looked at Daniel, seeing if he was lying to generally curious "You're not _weirded out_?"

"I have two dads... unless you told me you were alien from another planet, which happened to be visiting earth under the guise of an herbalist and his _son_... no, I'm not _weirded out_..."

Sakura turned to look back at the forest "You're weird..."

"Thank you! I try to improvise on the spot."

"Welp," Sakura pushed herself (himself) up, dusting her (his) hands off before entering the house "I've had my daily dose of... weirdness for one day. I'm going to check on my dad then go to bed. Are you staying out here or coming back inside?"

"Staying... I still need the fresh air."

"Alright, I'll let Gon know your outside."

"Thanks Sakura..." As Sakura entered the house, Daniel waved the girl (boy) off. Once Sakura was inside, Daniel took in a deep breath "Interesting turn of events..." he calmly spoke as eyes turned to look at the moon "Still... now he knows... I'm just wondering how I sort out my feelings.  
I like Killua... but I'm afraid I'll mess something up and ruin the friendship...  
Maybe its best I bottle up my feelings...  
This could be just a phase I'm going through...  
Yeah... a _phase_..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A\N:** Anyone can guess Sakura's gender? You get a... free virtual cookie of your choosing...


	40. Never X Ending X Nightmares

Daniel looked around, slowly memorizing the area. Daniel hadn't remembered falling asleep, or how long he had been out. The night was dark, and something or _someone_ was calling out to him.

At first, Daniel thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but the voice was real. It sounded like someone was whispering from a distance, yet somehow they felt a lot closer. Daniel got up and started walking. He felt strange at first, like his legs were moving on his own.

With each step he took, the voice got louder; and more... unnatural...

It spoke like a viper lashing out at its victims. Though, at first, all it did was call his name.

The louder his name got, the more he wanted to run away. But the problem was a part of his mind wanted to stay and keep walking towards the voice, even though he wasn't the one walking towards it.

Suddenly he came to a stop and the voice grew dark and silent. The air felt thick, unnatural, like a dream...

Daniel's head slowly turned, facing a tree that looked both alive and dead at the same time. It beat to its own rhythm, a heart that pumped endlessly. And then it spoke "And look what the cat dragged in..." it cooed, similar to the voice he had heard calling his name "Do you know why you are here?"

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but the words were lost in his own mind. He had too many questions to ask, and he wasn't sure if he should be asking any of them. With each passing second he was losing his sanity. He was called by a tree of all things. Eventually the boy got the courage to ask a question "What is this place?"

"Let's call it..." something stepped out of the tree's shadows alerting him of the new person's presence "Your dream... for now..."

Daniel finally could move his body. Rather than running like any normal person would do, he choose to look at the man.

The man was unnaturally tall and slender, standing at least 7 feet tall. He may have looked disturbingly young, but his features suggested he was in fact older than he may have look. He may have had a similar hair style to Illumi, but the hair was not only longer, it almost touched his feet.

Daniel was surprised the man didn't trip on his hair. It was pure white, with red tips. Like a flash fire threatening to melt the snow.

He wore a Victorian silk like shirt, with puffy wrist cuff, dress shoes which were pointed and for some strange reason, jeans... His jeans looked out of place compared to the man's shirt.

Oddly enough, the man somehow reminded him of Hisoka, except not as creepy looking as the clown and a much more... tamer dress code; if it were even considered a normal dress code. And to top it off, he was generating the same presence as Hisoka, sinister... evil...

"Who are you...?"

The man slowly turned, looking down the boy in disgust. Daniel didn't know why however. He barely even met the man, and it looked like he was expecting Daniel to know him already.

"You should know... but... I guess I should introduce myself. Tempest..."

_Tempest...? Sounds more like a villain name rather than an actual name..._

"At first... I thought about just playing a game with you. BUT..." Tempest raised a hand, generating a rather large and sinister aura. "I thought... there's no fun in that. Why not make the boy grow, and then rip his very heart out at the last moment."

Daniel instinctually took a step back, preparing to run at a moment's notice. The man laughed, strutting towards the boy rather slowly "Why run...? We've barely met..."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the man, slowly letting his aura run around his body. Daniel swung his hips, kicking off the ground as he ran in the opposite direction of the man. He didn't want to be here any longer.

Daniel ran as hard and fast as he could, but came to a sudden halt, jumping back the moment his foot had a grip. Somehow Daniel managed to make a loop, running almost into the man. He was sure he was running in a straight line. How was that even possible to be back at square one?

Tempest laughed at the boy, finding Daniel's reaction rather humorous. "You know... you could keep running but you'll only end up back here again." Tempest took one step back, and turned to face the tree. "I find this tree rather suspicious... wouldn't you agree?"

Daniel hadn't been sure how to react. Tempest was slowly walking to him before, and now he was talking about some tree... which had a pulse for some strange reason.

As soon as Tempest laid a hand on the tree, Daniel felt weird. His own heart quickened, and the tree began to pulse harder, glowing a different shade; a shade of red...

The moment Tempest reached into the tree, a dark red liquid began to ooze out, running down to make a small puddle at its very roots. It was strange... the boy felt not only excruciating pain, but questioned the tree for bleeding. _They shouldn't bleed... should they?_ The fact that he shouldn't be feeling pain made him think it was a lucid dream.

But the troubling thought was... who was this man? And how was he linked to him?

Tempest slowly pulled out his arm from the tree "Let's see what's behind door number one!"

The moment Daniel saw a white tuff of hair; he was woken by a starting scream. "Oi, Gon what are you doing in my bed?!"

"Eh..." Gon stirred awake slowly, wiping the sleep from his very tired eyes "But, Killua was sleeping in my bed. No matter how much I tried to move you, you just wouldn't budge."

"W-What...?"

"He's right Killua..." Daniel looked around, suspicious of everything in the room.

"What's wrong with you?!" Killua asked, eyes twitching in irritation and embarrassment.

As Killua got out of the bed, Daniel casually asked "I believe I had a lucid dream... or a weird one..."

"About...?" Killua raised an eyebrow, intensifying his confusion.

"Um..." Daniel scratched his head, raking his very mind for the dream. It felt like a blur, the dream was too hard to recall; and only a few fragments leaked through "Something about... I think it was Hisoka... a pulsating tree... and..."

A small white tuff of hair flashed through his mind, but he was unable to link it to the dream, or if that was his own thought process "that's all... something about Hisoka and a pulsating tree... At least I think it was Hisoka... the guy didn't have a tear drop and star on his face though like Hisoka... He had..."

Daniel clenched his hands a few time, hoping to recall the memory; but it never did come back, it stayed completely in the shadows of his mind "Nope, can't remember. Although, I feel like I should be remembering..."

Daniel started to glare at nothing in particular "Damn... that ship has set sailed. Enough about my dream... Killua, why are you and Gon sharing a bed?"

"I'm- We... I'm not!"

"But you are in his bed..."

"No I'm not!" Killua threw himself out of Gon's bed and jumped into his own, pretending he wasn't caught "I wasn't..."

"Ah huh... Speaking of beds..." Daniel looked over to Gon "did you drag me inside? I don't remember ever coming back inside."

"Yeah," Gon smiled widely "Sakura told me you were outside. I went to check on you, and you were fast asleep. Why did you go outside?"

"Uh... Killua slid his way into _my_ bed like an octopus... couldn't sleep..."

"I didn't!"

"You were a roamer last night..."

"I- I- I wasn't!" Killua blushed madly, having been told he was not only caught in one bed, but he managed to sneak into the other boy's bed as well during the night.

"Killua, sorry to point this out, but... if you didn't wake me up with a slap to my face or I had move a minute later... you would have tangled and coiled your body around me..."

"Y-You're lying!"

"And what do I hope to gain from lying?"

"Embarrassing me..."

"That... is so true! But, if I was really lying I wouldn't have been able to tell it with a straight face..."

"Prove it!"

Daniel tapped his chin, thinking of a good lie "Hmm, I got it! Gon, on Zevil Island, Killua..." Daniel's smile slowly began to crack "fell asleep on me. And while he was out cold..." Daniel stroked the air in front of him "I was slowly stroking Killua's hair. And every so often-" Daniel couldn't contain the laughter anymore. Between Killua's mortified look and the elaborate lie he burst into laughter "Kii...llua purred like ah ha ha caaaaa-at... Stop! Killua, I can't take this lie seriously when you're looking at me like that!"

"Daniel!" Killua stood up, pointing a finger at boy "YOOOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT! And you're the idiot who feel asleep!"

Gon burst into laughter at the boy's miniature fight "You two are great together!"

Killua slid right up to Gon, poking him hard in the chest "No, we aren't..."

Unfortunately, the poking didn't quall Gon's laughter "Ow, Killua that hurts! Oh... OH... I just remembered!"

Killua stopped poking Gon for a second "Re-" without even letting Killua speak Gon, ran towards the corner of the room, moving some things out of the way "Ta-da!" Gon produced a small metal box, showing to the other boys.

Killua took the box out of Gon's hand, raising one eyebrow as he inspected all the sides "A metal box...?"

Gon explained what the box was, giving the boys a short run down over his discussing with Mito. The box was left behind by Ging along with Gon. Gon was supposed to have received it as a gift, once he had become a Hunter.

No boy could figure out what the box was supposed to be exactly. It was just a plain metal box, fragments of metal welded together like a constant link.

"Oh? I see... how exactly do you open it?"

Daniel held out his hand, waiting for Killua hand the box over. As Daniel was handed the box, he looked it over with an inspector's eye "Maybe there's a secret switch... if there's even is one..."

"Yeah, I tried a bunch of methods, but it wouldn't open."

Killua held out his hand to Daniel "Pass it here." Daniel handed it back to Killua "Hey, Gon. Mind if I use force?"

"Go ahead."

"Okay..." Killua used all his strength, trying to twist the box apart. After a few seconds, Killua took in a few breaths "What is this made of...? It's definitely no ordinary box... I should be able to twist open an ordinary steel box."

Gon nodded in agreement as Daniel thought to himself. _Not ordinary huh..._

Killua waved the box around, dangling it in front of Gon "And since we don't know what's inside, we can't break the box. It's not making a sound."

"Maybe it's packed tight... Or maybe it's an empty box..."

Killua looked at Daniel for a second before looking back at Gon "Your dad said to give this to you once you became a Hunter, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard."

Daniel clicked his fingers at the boys "That's it! Backup Killua..."

"To what...?"

" **Once you became a Hunter**..."

Killua looked at the box, saying the words out loud "Once you... became a HUNTER! That's it! I figured it out! Gon, there's one thing we haven't tried yet!"

"Huh?"

Killua held the box out to Gon, smiling widely "What's **something** you have as a Hunter that you didn't have before?"

"Oh," Gon smiled widely, grabbing the metal box out of Killua's hand "I know!" Gon pulled out of his Hunter's Licence from his back pocket "My Hunter License!"

Gon looked over the box, inspecting it for an opening where he could put the card "But there isn't an opening for the card..."

Killua and Daniel face palmed in shame.

"No, Gon..." Killua sighed "that wasn't it..."

"It was _Nen_..." Daniel grumbled out in shame.

Gon snapped his head in the direction of the boys "Oh..."

Gon turned around, crossing his legs as he held the box in his hands. Soon the boy relaxed, letting his aura flow and surround his body. The box started to react, each shard of metal box expanding in a brilliant blue glow.

The boys stepped back as the metal shards on the box fell off, revealing another box which was contained within. Unlike the previous box, this one was a little more elaborate. On two sides was a red square with a hollowed out plus sign and another side was a button, with a small slot which could fit a card.

"There's another box inside..." Gon beamed in delight as he reached down to grab it.

Daniel and Killua each took a shard of metal in their hand, inspecting it more thoroughly.

"These are just steel plates."

Daniel flipped his shard around, seeing the blue incantations like the ones Gon had on his string that Wing tied around the string "Flip it Killua..."

Killua looked in shock at the symbols.

"What's wrong?"

Killua threw the piece of metal towards Gon as Daniel continued "It has the same symbols-"

"Yeah!" Gon looked in shock "It's just like the pattern on the promise thread Wing-San gave me."

Killua pressed his fist to his chin, thinking out loud "Wasn't that designed to snap if Nen was used?" Killua reached down, picking up another piece "I bet this pattern holds a power similar to _Nen_."

"Maybe we're supposed to put the card in here now." Gon slid the card in without waiting for an answer. The box lit up, unlocking the clips. "It worked!"

"Bingo!" Killua grinned while Gon smiled back in turn. Daniel mentally frowned from being left out, but still smiled for the group.

Gon opened the box, inspecting the items inside. Inside was a ring, a memory card for the JoyStation and a small cassette.

"A ring and a cassette tape..."

"And a..." Killua and Daniel shared a weird look "memory card?"

"What a unique selection of items..." Daniel hummed out loud to Gon.

Killua picked up the ring, interested in why it was there. Daniel immediately saw the same symbols, pointing them out to the others before they could "Look, it's the same symbols haunting us..."

"Gon," Killua looked cautiously towards the boy "you should take care before you put it on."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Gon looked a little bit cautiously towards the ring "you think that Ging might try to hurt me?"

"I highly doubt it..." Daniel hummed at the others "So far _Nen_ has made things with those symbols either snap or fall apart... so far..."

Killua looked towards Daniel "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Well," Gon got up; walking towards the cupboards "we can start by listening to the tape."

Killua placed the ring back in the box "I guess. Oh, can you copy it?"

Gon stopped for a second, looking over towards Killua "Sure, why?"

Killua smiled at Gon "Just to be safe."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, choosing to keep his next thoughts to himself. _Hmm, I wonder what's going through your head Killua... Sounds like you're expecting something bad to happen._

Gon plugged in the cassette player to the wall, and then inserted the cassette with the box as well as an empty one into the second slot. One everything was in place, Gon hit play.

The cassette started to play and the boys were met with silence. After a few seconds, a voice started to speak. "Yo, Gon... So you became a Hunter, too. Anyway, I have a question for you." The voice paused for dramatic effect, slowly choosing their next few words "Do you want to see me? If you do, keep on listening. If you don't, press the stop button."

"So that's Ging huh..."

Killua hushed Daniel, intent on hearing everything the man had to say.

"I'm guessing that's a **yes**. Then I'll ask you once more. Are you prepared?"

_For what exactly, to find the Holy Grail...? You're being over dramatic now..._

"Hunters are selfish creatures. They're willing to sacrifice anything to get what they want. If you're only slightly interested in seeing me, you should stop the tape now. I'll give you a minute to consider it."

Killua turned to Gon, curiously asking the boy "Well?"

Gon was smiling widely, too focused on the man's words. Killua could only smile at Gon, finding the boy's response interesting.

Daniel sighed at both boys "I rather a thirty second wait. This guy is drawing out the inevitable..."

Killua hushed that for the second time that day. Rather than being annoyed for being hushed, he kept silent. He chose to remain silent until one of the boys involved him in the conversation.

Ging started to groan through the tap "I guess you really do want to see me. But I don't want to see you."

All three boys gawked at the cassette player.

Daniel's face twisted into anger _Start the conversation with that! Not lead us into a false sense of hope..._

"I don't know how I could face you now. After all, I chose my own desires over my parental duty."

_Asshole!_

"I'm a bad person."

_I pretty sure you are worse than bad..._

"I'm guessing that by the time you hear this tape, at least ten years have passed. But one thing still hasn't changed. I'm still me. As you listen to this tape, I'm off doing reckless things. If you want to see me, find me. But as I said before, I don't want to see you. If I sense you nearby, I'll make myself scarce. Catch me if you can. You are a Hunter, aren't you?"

Killua smiled at Gon "Your dad isn't gonna be easy to track."

Daniel smiled at Killua and Gon "Yeah! We're about to play Carmen Sandiego."

Killua looked at Daniel smugly "At least she'll be much easier to find that Gon's dad..."

As Killua reached to stop the cassette player, Gon stopped him "Oh, wait..." Killua stopped, looking towards Gon.

"Ging's still there."

Without missing a beat, Gon was right. Ging started to speak again "Oh, I forgot to mention something... It's about your mother. If you want to know more, keep listening. If you're not interested-"

Gon pressed stop, silencing Ging's voice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"But he might have left a clue."

"I doubt it." Gon focused on the cassette player. "That's what my gut tells me. Besides," Gon looked between Killua and Daniel "I already told you... My mom is Mito-San."

"I see..." Killua briefly smiled at Gon.

Daniel sighed out loud "Ging sounds like a hermit... like, to casually say that he **'doesn't want to meet you'** so calmly... I don't know what to say... he's just a hermit..."

Gon got up, smiling at Daniel "Hermit or not. I want to meet him. Are you guys' hungry? I'll go grab something."

"Starving..." Daniel groaned out loud.

"Yeah, but not as hungry as this sponger..."

"Hey, at least I don't eat people out of the home!"

"W-What?!"

Gon giggled at the others "Its fine. We had fun last night at dinner!"

Daniel felt something weird suddenly. He quickly turned to face the cassette player "We have a problem!"

Killua freaked out as well "Gon, the tape started moving all by itself!"

Gon ran to the cassette player "What?! There's aura around the tape player!"

"It's _Nen_... _Nen_ is rewinding the cassette!"

"Nen? Is he nearby?"

"What is Ging, a professional _Nen_ user?! Who uses their life aura to rewind a tape?!"

"No," Killua looked peeved at Gon "he infused this player with _Nen_ over ten years ago! So it would start rewinding, once it was stopped!"

"Why?"

"I having a feeling we are about to find out..."

The moment the payer stopped recording, both play and record were pressed in.

"Now it's recording!" Killua freaked out. "I get it! He's erasing his message!"

"What?" Gon pressed down hard on the stop button. But the button remained firm, not budging in the slightest. "It's not working! Damn!" Gon ran to the wall, unplugging the machine from the wall. Unfortunately the thing didn't stop either.

"It still won't stop!"

"I pulled the plug!"

Killua stood up, reeling his fist back "Sorry, Gon. I'll have to break it!" Gon punched the machine but it remained untouched, not even damaging the wall Killua had punched the machine into "Damn! No good! There's _Nen_ protecting the player!"

Daniel stood up, running to the machine as he held to fists up " _Ren_! I'll break it open!" Daniel slammed both fists into the machine, but like Killua's strength, it remained unparsed. Not even the floor was damaged when Daniel punched it into the ground "WHAT THE HELL?! Not even my aura can break it...? Even the floor remains untouched..."

"What are you cavemen doing?" Sakura walked into the room, her (his) hair cutter shorter than it was the night before.

"We can't stop the cassette player from recording!" Daniel spoke aloud, startling Sakura in the process.

"Haven't you heard of a stop button?" Sakura walked over to the machine about to press the stop button, but the machine suddenly clicked. Sakura freaked out, jumping away from the machine "Is this thing possessed?"

"It's finished..." Gon looked stumped at the machine.

Killua and Daniel sighed together as Sakura's eyes focused on the machine, suddenly realising it was unplugged the entire time "W-What...? Is the machine possessed?!"

"Ah..." Daniel shared a look of concern between the others. _Nen_ should remain hidden amongst the general population, but Gon, had ideas of his own "It's just _Nen_..."

Daniel looked shocked at Gon, finding the boy to be way too careless in the situation.

"Nen...? As in like... magic?"

"Hmm..." Gon twisted his from side to side "More like magic involving life energy..."

"So like photosynthesis...?"

"Yeah!" Gon began to explain _Nen_ to Sakura as the other two boys dealt with the Cassette player. Even though Killua's jealousy skyrocketed, Daniel got Killua to keep his attention on the machine instead. They had to check if both taps were affected. They had to see if they really lost the tapes, or if they had a slight chance of finding Ging with the recordings help.

But now that Sakura was in on this, what will change between the boys. Will Sakura be joining, or with the boys remain as a trio?


	41. JoyStation X Gaming X Jealous?

Daniel attentively held out a hand, stopping the cassette from playing further "Well damn... All that hard work recording for what...? Us to hear our voices through a cassette... Oh, and I do not sound like that!"

Killua ejected the second cassette "Can't believe the second tape was erased too... He really thought it through." Killua tossed the cassette into the air, catching it again only to have thrown it back up into the air again.

Gon stopped his conversation with Sakura, already finished with his discussion about _Nen_ "Why would he go to all this trouble?"

"I'm guessing he didn't want to leave any clues." Killua glanced over towards Gon, ignoring Sakura's presence completely. Something about Sakura ticked Killua off. She (he) managed to get so close to Gon in such a short time, it was like Sakura was out to steal Gon from the others. At least in Killua's mind.

Daniel took in a deep breath before casually joining in the conversation "Considering that he doesn't want to see you... he probably thinks everything is a clue to his whereabouts..."

"Clue...?" Gon asked curiously as Sakura remained passive, pretending that she (he) wasn't even in the room. Killua looked at Sakura for a brief second before looking back at Gon "Yeah. You can extract a lot of information from an audio clip."

"Really...?" Gon and Sakura asked together, almost in sync. Killua gave Sakura the stink eye out of the corner of his vision. Daniel scooted in, hiding Sakura behind his own back as if she (he) didn't exist "You telling me a single tape can tell what type of person I am...?"

Killua nodded "You can determine the speaker's height, weight, gender, age, facial features, chronic diseases, and state of mind."

"Huh..." Daniel rubbed his chin "So if you called my dad right now, you could tell me he's 7'1", sixty-one kg, male, fifty-two years old, clean shaven with medium length spiked back hair, not sure if he has chronic diseases. But, his state of mind, I'll leave that to your imagination..."

"So worse than you...?"

"Should I take that as an insult?"

Gon put up his hands, laughing awkwardly.

"Oh yeah," Killua lifted a finger as he continued "from the background noise, you can also determine the location. But he was more worried about something else." Killua's eyes slightly darkened as he lowered the tape down.

"Something else...?" Gon asked curiously as Daniel interjected " _Nen_ , right?"

Killua's eyebrows stitched together, briefly nodding to let Daniel know he was right.

Gon's eyes widened as Sakura peeked out from behind Daniel "You guys know some really strange people..."

Killua's eyes narrowed on Sakura "I wouldn't be surprised if there were a _Nen_ user somewhere who could analyse data better than a machine."

Daniel leaned to the side, covering Sakura again "I wouldn't be surprised if there were a person out there who could analyse data better than a _Nen_ user."

Killua grinned at Daniel "Someone who would know everything about a person just from hearing their voice. I don't know... sounds like something a _Nen_ user could do..."

Daniel looked smugly at Killua "Ten Jenny says you could do it by... six?"

"Four..."

Daniel shot a brief glare at Killua "Point proven. You _were_ better than a _Nen_ user at some point..."

Killua shot Daniel a half glare and half embarrassed look "Wh-What?"

"Now you're considered better than a _Nen_ user because you too can use _Nen_."

"B-Baka!"

"Killua's blushing!" Sakura chimed in; barely peeking from behind Daniel's back as she (he) smiled brilliantly at Killua.

Killua shot her (him) a dirty look, which Sakura slowly then hid back behind Daniel. Killua followed Sakura's moments.

"Why are you giving me the dirty look?"

"Gee, I wonder why..."

"Oh, I get it!" Gon smacked his fist into his hand.

"Get what...?" the others turned too looked at Gon, Sakura still hiding behind Daniel.

"About being scared of _Nen_..." Gon smiled innocently.

Killua grinned slowly at Gon "Your dad's a tough nut."

Gon nodded, determination spread across his face.

"Since the tape's useless now," Killua picked up the tape looking over towards the two remaining objects "we only have two clues left..."

Sakura got up, patting down her (his) shorts which Daniel failed to realise Sakura was wearing. Actually, Sakura was wearing male clothing this time around. Apart from the similar white shirt she (he) wore last night, which was a pale checkered blue short sleeved shirt instead, dark grey shorts and her (his) Hunting Ugg boots, which was much easier to make out its dirty brown colour as compared to last night.

"I'm gonna leave you boys to your gadgets."

As Sakura was leaving the room, Killua blurted out "Yes, leave the _boys_ to their gadgets."

Sakura turned, glaring down on the boy "And that's supposed to mean...?"

Daniel stood up, walking over to Sakura as he looked at Killua "Killua, be nice to the young... boy!"

"You really had to stop and think there for a second."

Daniel turned to look at Sakura, smiling like a cheeky imp "Sorry, I got lost in Killua's eyes-"

"Wh-WHAT?!"

Daniel barely whispered loud enough to Sakura "You owe me your life! Trust me, don't stir the cat..." Daniel moved on, altering his voice so that he was speaking louder this time "OH, YES! Totally got lost in Killua's eyes..."

Sakura barely frowned at the boy "Right... I'll leave you to continue staring at... Frosty..."

"Keeping it chilled!" Daniel winked at Sakura, lifting two fingers up like a pair of guns.

Barely hiding her (his) laughter, Sakura left the room as she (he) closed the door behind her. Daniel blinked once when he felt something sinister run up his spine. _I'm gonna die..._

"So... Killua..." Daniel turned to look at Killua with an innocent smile "You have amazing eyes. I can get lost in them for decades."

"Oh, you are going to get lost... but I'll make sure you never return." Killua turned to look at Gon, barely able to control his heated cheeks "The ring and the memory card. HOW, are they going to help us? I doubt the ring will help, but the memory card could be important."

"Yeah," Gon smiled at Killua, happy that he didn't lash out at Daniel... this time. "It's smaller than a normal memory card. Maybe you need a special machine to use it?"

"Huh?" Killua and Daniel freaked out together. Killua shot Daniel an interested look before continuing "You can't tell?" Killua reached into the box, pulling out the memory card "This memory card only works with the JS."

"The JS?" Gon pressed, still as confused as ever.

"A JoyStation, if you want to refer to it by its full name." Daniel blinked in surprised, unable to come to terms that the boy hadn't heard of it until now.

Killua continued off of Daniel's comment "It's a gaming console. It's three generations old."

"It has some great classics. Like Fatal Tournament and Undead Survivor!"

"Fatal Tournament isn't a classic..." Killua dead panned, slowly looking at Daniel. "Although, Undead Survivor is a different story; which one did you play?"

"One to three; always played the girl because she had the badass weapons, except in number two... I don't know what happened there. As for Fatal Tournament, that probably isn't your cup of tea. And it's the only game I play for the brutal death scenes... You got to admit, sawing someone in half with a hat is a very... imaginative way to go."

Killua crossed his arms, carefully looking Daniel over "Which one did you like out of the three?"

"Two, it was the best out of all three of them. And I even played it in 'oh hell no' mode. Beat the game with only the pistol. Except for that part where you have to use the rocket launcher..."

Killua grinned smugly at Daniel "I beat it with just the knife!"

"Suuure you did. And I bet you even played the piece of Tofu."

"Yup, although... he looked more like a weird couch crossed with a refrigerator..."

"Good times..." Daniel smiled at Killua, wondering what else the boy played.

Gon listened to what the boys were talking about, however he had no clue about any of the games the two mentioned or argued about. Gon's lack of contribution made Killua end the conversation "You seriously don't know anything... do you?"

Gon shook his head at Killua and Daniel, refusing to say anything on the topic.

"In that case..." Killua turned to Daniel "If this island has tape players, it has to have the console as well!" Killua turned to Gon before Daniel could answer "Is there a toy store here?"

"Yeah, there is."

"Okay," Killua got up off the floor, turning to walk towards the door "hold on."

Gon looked confused at the boy, wondering where he was going. "Wait, where-"

Killua stopped, looking towards Gon with a smile "I'm gonna see if they got JoyStation."

Daniel got up as well "Oh, I'm so coming in that case."

"What for...?" Killua dead panned, watching Daniel carefully for any strange motives.

"I'm just curious to see what they've got in stock. You're telling me your not a slightly bit interested in seeing what they've got?"

Killua took a deep breath before turning to look at the door "Sure... And on the way I'll see if I can find a place to dump your body."

Daniel froze for a second, watching Killua exit the room without him. Daniel looked at Gon for a second, wondering if the boy knew Killua was serious. After Gon shrugged, a few seconds later Daniel ran after Killua "You're not serious? Are you...?"

"As serious as your earlier comment..."

Daniel shook his head at no one in particular before putting on his shoes to chase after Killua "Its fun teasing you!"

"You won't be saying that later..." Killua argued with a slight blush. He hated Daniel for picking on him, complementing and teasing the boy every chance he could get. Although Daniel was growing on him, he couldn't help but wonder where he could leave Daniel behind for dead.

Killua almost wanted to close the door on Daniel's face but after seeing Mito standing at the door, he didn't want to risk damaging the door with Daniel's thick skull.

"Oh, where are you two going?"

Killua smiled as he quickly picked up the pace "The toy store."

Daniel closed the door behind him, almost having to run after Killua.

Gon yelled out the window at the two boys "It's outside the port!"

"Got it!"

"Have a safe trip! Make sure you both come back!"

"Killua won't get rid of me that easily!"

The boys ran down the street, avoiding contact between each other. Daniel wanted to breach their earlier topic, continuing on where they left off, but he didn't know how. He somehow managed to create an endless void between the two while Killua was dead silent, wondering to himself how he could even face the other.

Killua liked that Daniel somehow had similar interests. But they only went as far as the horror genre. Daniel enjoyed the puzzles more than the actual fighting, unless it came to certain games, while Killua enjoyed the games that had more shooting then pressing a button, and then having to search half the level for the next area.

As Daniel was walking, the thought crossed his mind. Should he ask about Sakura? Killua has constantly glared at the new comer, and he really wanted to know why "Hey, Killua..."

"Hmm..."

"Curious question here... what has Sakura done to piss you off?"

Killua glared at Daniel for a second, turning away while commenting flatly "What is he to you?"

"Hmm... work, I guess..."

Killua gasped out loud, turning back to face Daniel in shock "Why?!"

"Well... let's see..." Daniel raise a hand, lifting each finger on every point he makes "First, when we first met Sakura you gave him the stink eye. Second, the constant need to hide Sakura whenever you, Killua look at him. Third, whenever he speaks, or makes his presence known I can almost feel the hatred spill from you."

"I do no such thing..."

"Killua..."

"OK, it's because he has gotten so close to Gon in what... one day?"

Daniel burst into laughter "Are you serious Killua?! You're so jealous of Sakura right now!"

"I'M NOT!"

"Oh, Killua... stop lying to yourself. Think of Gon like... a dip."

Killua stared at Daniel blankly for a few seconds "A dip?"

"Yeah, everyone is welcome to take a swipe and he doesn't mind. He makes friends quickly. Actually, his more open to connections unlike someone I know."

Killua shot a glare at Daniel "What you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to get at is: don't distrust someone who gives you no reason to and be open to building connections."

"Uh huh... like you do?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Killua in questioning "Name someone I've done that to."

"Gon..."

Daniel blinked slowly at Killua "Really...? I don't think so... I actually spoke to Sakura last night after you made your way into my bed-"

"DIDN'T happen!"

"In any case, he not as evil as you think he is. He cares about his father, and questions our motives..."

"I knew he couldn't be trust-"

"I said MOTIVES as in what we want; not, motives as in... well the other motive."

Killua sighed, holding his hands against the back of his head "I guess I wouldn't trust your motives too..."

"HEY," Daniel shouted as he shot Killua a dirty look "I'm a trust worthy guy..."

"You're not fooling me..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Killua "It's not like I get jealous whenever my friend makes a new friend."

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess the game parody references!


	42. JoyStation X Greed Island X Gaming

The toy store didn't contain that many games that managed to suck Killua and Daniel in; so they left, going back to Gon with only the console.

Upon arriving back at the house, Gon could only whistle in awe as Killua removed the console from the box "So this is a JoyStation..."

Daniel smiled at Gon "Well, it is written on the console... like every other console."

"This brings back memories. I used to play with this all the time. There were a bunch of hidden gems for this console." Killua smiled widely at the machine.

Daniel nodded at Killua "Agreed! Now let's plug in that memory card in and see what game your dad loved to play."

Gon look at the card "Hmm, I wonder if this memory card is one of those hidden gems? I don't see a title anywhere."

Killua and Daniel face palmed "Killua, this isn't gonna go as planned..."

Killua sighed as he hooked up the machine "Gon... You've never EVER played a video game, have you...? That's unusual..."

"Really?"

Daniel sighed at Gon's question "Yeah, you must have played a game at some point. Oh, and board games don't count... cause they aren't video games."

"Right," Killua interject before pointing at Gon "What you're holding isn't a game disc. It holds a game's memory data."

"So you can't use it to play..."

"No..." Daniel said flatly as he held out a finger to Gon "it's a save point where you can pick up from, where you last saved."

"Yeah," Killua pressed a button on the console "you're supposed to put the disc in here."

Daniel smiled, motioning after Killua "You can also play two games on this beast. But I usually put the second game disc in so I don't have to switch disks half way through gameplay."

"However," Killua held out a hand to Gon "if you insert the memory card and power it on without a game inside," Gon handed the memory card which Killua plugged in "you can see which games are using that memory."

"Oh, really..."

Killua navigated through the memory, checking to see what is saved on the card "It looks like there's only one game saved on it. It's called Greed Island."

Gon asked in confusion "Greed Island?"

Daniel shook his head at Gon, looking at Killua to see if he had a clue. However, when he saw Killua's face the boy looked just as stumped "There are a bunch of saves... I doubt it will do any good, but I'll copy the data just in case."

Killua inserted the card to make a copy.

**Copying Greed Island...**

"Okay..." Killua got up, walking towards the laptop on the desk. Killua started the machine, waiting for it to boot up before typing away.

"What are you doing?"

"Searching online... we know the game's name. So I'm looking for a store that sells it."

Daniel glanced in the direction of the computer, just in time to see the message **0 matches** pop up "Huh... must be really old..."

"WHAT?! Not a single match?" Killua's reaction was priceless.

Gon got up, walking up to Killua "Does that mean it's out of print?"

Killua typed away, checking other categories along the way "There aren't any used copies... An out-of-print game would still have some used copies floating around." Killua let the thought linger on in his mind before letting out a tiny groan "It's possible that this game isn't for sale."

"What you mean?"

"It could be an indie game that was never for sale or was banned for some reason."

"In that case hit the collector's sites. You might get lucky..."

"Good thinking! Too bad I already thought of that, centuries ago."

"Alright grandpa Killua... Not everyone can read your mind! But if I did... oh, I would so be speaking your mind."

"Sure..." Daniel caught a glimpse of Killua's blush, but that could only mean the boy reduced his life span yet again. "Anyways, I'll keep searching... There we go. This game was sold through legitimate channels."

" **Greed** **Island**..." Gon murmured out loudly, continuing on to read the game's description "A hunting game for Hunters."

"Sounds expensive..." Daniel murmured out loudly in a sarcastic tone.

Killua freaked out after Daniel's sarcastic comment "IT IS EXPENSIVE; what's with the price tag?!"

"What is it... 200,000 Jenny?!"

Gon yelled rather loudly "Five hundred, eighty million?"

"Almost SIX hundred million?!"

"WRONG, it's five billion and eight hundred million Jenny!"

Daniel burst into a coughing fit as he got up to see if Killua was joking "You're kidding, right?!" Once Daniel saw the price tag, he freaked out as well "YOUR NOT KIDDING! Who has that kind of money lying around...?"

Vastorie popped in Daniel's mind, but he immediately joked about it "Nah... That tight-ass wouldn't spend amount on a game... would he?"

"Who...?" Killua raised an eyebrow at Daniel.

"Oh, my dad is a gamer... but I don't think he would spend that much on a game..."

Killua darted his eyes back towards the computer "It is ridiculous!"

Gon decided to read out another piece of information that was mentioned along the details "Only a hundred copies were produced. That isn't very many..."

"Agreed," Daniel paused to gather his thoughts before continuing "A game on average sells at least more than ten thousand copies... You would think..."

"Yeah, this is nothing! The developers were cocky... The number is way too low!" Killua calmed down a second later before continuing "But it makes sense. The price is ridiculous, but Hunters can afford it. That explains how they sold out."

"Do the makers have any left in stock?"

Daniel shook his head "I highly doubt there would be any stock left..."

Killua nodded at Gon, completely ignoring Daniel's earlier comment "Yeah, I guess we could ask."

One call later, Killua had asked but frowned at Daniel during the whole call "I see, thanks."

"I was right... wasn't I...?"

"You jinxed it... Well, that's a no go..."

Gon looked down at the floor, humming his own thoughts out loud "I guess we'll have to find someone with a copy and asked them to let us have it."

"Yeah," Killua swived around in his chair to face Gon "our best bet is to advertise on a reverse auction website and wait for someone to offer to sell us a copy."

"I don't know about this idea... especially with a price tag like that..."

"Yeah," Gon beamed with a rather large awkward smile "where will we get the money?"

 _Indeed..._ "We aren't exactly the richest kids on the block."

Killu checks his phone, tapping away at the phone "If we pool our money from the arena, that's around a billion and two hundred."

"Then we need another umm..." Gon paused for a second, mentally doing the maths "Four billion and four hundred...?"

"Close..." Daniel smiled at Gon "Four billion and six hundred, but-"

Killua cut Daniel off before he could say anything "With these private deals, the seller holds all the power. Typically, they'll ask for more than the original price."

"So it'll cost even more?!"

"It could double, triple, or sky rocket to 30 billion if we're unlucky..." Daniel motioned in a rather flat tone.

The others' groans as Daniel slapped his hands together, bringing the boys back to reality "That being said, what we do now...?"

Gon got up, pushing Killua away slightly before moving his fingers across the keys "We can post a wanted ad, that's as good as any place to start."

Killua sighed "Yeah, but I doubt anyone will click it."

"Looking for the game Greed Island... Price negotiable."

"This isn't going to end well..." Daniel sighed.

As soon as Gon hit sent, the post counter sky rocketed, already hitting a thousand messages within a couple of seconds.

Gon and Killua gasped in surprise as Daniel shrugged "Told ya so."

"Wh-What...?" Gon stopped unable to speak his own thoughts. "We already have over ten thousand hits!"

"So that's it... they're trying to foist counterfeits off on us. That should have been obvious, considering the price. This plan is a wash. We can't examine every single offer."

Daniel moved between Gon and Killua, closing the topic before the website servers could be flooded "No point keeping the topic running then."

Killua got off the seat, groaning as he paced around the room, sitting calmly down on the bed "It's not like we can even tell if it's the real game or not."

"Then what should we do?"

Daniel hummed as he thought of multiple scenarios "We could..."

"If we dig more deeply on-line, we might uncover more information. But I'm not too familiar with that stuff."

Daniel pouted towards Killua "As I was about to say BEFORE, you cut me off... I may know someone who may have some information."

Killua raised an eyebrow "AND WHO... might that be?"

Daniel smiled "My dad, but, negotiations might get rough..."

"Would he know about games and the net?"

"Not the net... but games... he's a nerd when it comes to that stuff!"

"Oh," Killua's eyes shot open after a sudden realisation, dreading the thought of even knowing such a person "I know some who knows a lot about both."

Daniel and Gon blinked in surprise as Killua continued "He might even own a copy of Greed Island."

"WHAT?" Gon smiled brightly at Killua "Really?"

Killua got off the bed, looking down on the floor "But I don't want to ask him..."

"Who is it?" Gon continued to pester Killua as the later pulled his phone from his pocket "Oh, Gotoh?"

"Your butler...?" Daniel shifted his eyes to Killua, confused at the boy's choice of contact.

Killua shot a dirty look at Daniel "I wish... Sorry, that was directed at someone else. It's Killua. Yeah, I'm doing fine. Right now? Who cares where I am? If I tell you, my mother might find out. Anyway, put piggy on."

"Piggy...?" Gon hummed the name with a confused look as Daniel giggled at the boy "Gon, I don't think he means that type of pig..." _Thank god it's not Illumi...! That guy's as thin as the twig!_

Killua waited for a bit before suddenly screaming into the phone "DON'T LIE! He never goes outside! Tell him if he doesn't answer the phone in ten seconds, I'll break all his figures!"

Killua sudden smiled widely, a goofy expression spread across his face. Daniel would have dared call Killua cute, but he wouldn't risk his neck or worse... life, in order to say that out loud.

"I was kidding, Bro. You don't have to get so mad." Killua started to explain his dilemma, talking about the game Greed Island.

After a long silence, Killua continued "You don't own a copy?" Killua groaned at the answer, which Daniel mostly expected it to be yes. "Pretty much..." Killua listen to his brother's rant, smiling mischievously soon after "Oh? You gave up because it was beyond your ability?"

_Killua... reminds me of Vastorie right now with those shifty eyes he has going._

"Ah, so tell me this lead you have. Will you trade for a Greed Island memory card? I happened to get my hands on a memory card. You could probably decipher the data and recreate the game, right...? I don't lie when I make deals." Killua's eyes narrowed on his surroundings "Hold on... Don't say anything over the phone! Yeah. Yeah, I see. Okay, got it. I'll send you the memory card through the usual method."

Killua hanged up the phone, putting in his pocket before giving Gon a goofy expression "Sorry. I ended up trading the copy of the memory card."

"Sure, that's fine. It's just a copy."

Daniel crossed his arms "It's only a copy... That save could have had everything unlocked, and then we could have duplicated... now I just sound like a lazy cheater. Yeah, it's only just a save..."

Killua snickered at Daniel's guilty expression before facing Gon "In return, I got two pieces of solid information." Killua raised a finger "First, there's a website for Hunters, only accessible by Hunters. We can probably find leads on Greed Island there."

As Killua brought his hand down, he smiled at the raven-haired boy.

"Really? I'll have to use my Hunter License."

Before Gon could even attempt to use his laptop, Daniel grabbed the boy from behind "Hold on! Let Killua finish what he has to say..."

Daniel looked at Killua for conformation, but instead found the boy frowning "AND WHAT... makes you think I haven't finished?"

Daniel lips parted slightly, letting a mischievous grin slowly form across his face "Because I pay attention to you... watching your lips move to form brilliant speeches, which I happen to NOT be paying attention too..." _Oh god... I can't believe I just said that!_

The room fell silent as Killua hid his face behind his bangs, frozen stiff and dead silent, not even making a sound as he breathes. Daniel watch Killua's cheeks slowly get red, flustered at the boy's direct compliment.

Not only did Daniel mention he didn't listen to Killua, but he had been only watching the boy's face, entranced with his features. Killua got up, arms reaching out to both boys.

_Oh shit! I pushed it way TOO far this time his going to kill me!_

Rather than gripping Daniel by the neck and choking him on the spot, Killua reached out to Gon instead, shaking the boy like a rag doll "YOU IDIOT! If you use your home computer, they'll know your address!"

Daniel gasped in surprise, wondering if he made Killua snap.

"You'll have bad guys who want your license showing up on the island!"

Once Killua stopped yelling, the boy watched Gon's eyes slowly fall back into place, dizzy from been shaken like a bowl full of Jelly. Gon somehow managed to get his words out, but they sound rather distant "Oh... that's... right..."

Killua let go of Gon, watching the boy stumble around as he kept explaining his reasoning for shaking the boy like a crazy madman "You have to use public computers for this stuff... in a hotel or a Net café." Killua let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms in discomfort "Well, I still don't know the address. My brother promised to tell me, once he's received the memory card."

Killua raised two fingers up this time "The second lead is the auction in Yorknew City."

Daniel and Gon gasped together "What? Isn't Yorknew City..." Gon failed to continue his sentence as Daniel blurted out "Where we're supposed to go to meet the others?!"

Killua completely ignored Daniel, refusing to acknowledge the boy's presence in hopes the boy would disappear like a figment of his imagination "It's the place where we're supposed to meet Kurapika and Leorio. In September, the city will host the world's greatest auction. My brother said it's probably a hoax, but there's a rumour that someone will distribute dozens of copies at the auction."

Gon smiled widely at the Killua's last fact "Maybe that someone is Ging!"

"Yeah," Killua smiled from Gon's contagious smile "that makes the rumour more credible."

"We'll need a crazy amount of money to buy a copy."

Daniel looked between Gon and Killua, feeling slightly left out "We-"

"That's right..." Killua cut in, refusing to let the boy speak.

Daniel sighed, shaking his head at Killua. He couldn't stop the smile coming out, and neither did he want to once he realised how bad he got Killua. He was bound to apologise to the boy sooner or later, but he'll rather let the situation sink in. Or perhaps, he'll rather wait for the right opportunity to give the boy a present.

"~"

Dinner was rather exciting, and weird to be sharing a table. Though, Sakura was nowhere to be seen in sight, maybe she (he) and his father were out, hopefully not falling into obvious traps.

Daniel couldn't help but smile at the way Gon's family worked. It was nice, calm and relaxing. Not much was different if he were comparing it to his home as long as Vastorie wouldn't crack a joke; he would dare say it was lovely. He felt just a tiny bit homesick, missing Vastorie, Nathaniel and Zaikaria. He missed having dinner with them.

His mind lingered, silently wondering what the three of them were doing. What was Zaikaria doing at this very moment in time; he couldn't help but wonder _was she having as much fun as me?_ Maybe he should call later, asking what they are doing. Or maybe he should check up on Zaikaria, he missed her overprotective nature.

Another part of Daniel's mind wondered about Sakura, wondering what she (he) would be doing as soon as they left. Sakura didn't seem like the type to join in, but when Gon's involved, who knows.

"~"

The very next day when the three boys were leaving, they almost missed the boat because of Gon. Gon was talking to Sakura for a rather long time, discussing about who knows what. As the boat was leaving, Gon and the others were waving good bye.

Amongst the crowd Daniel saw Sakura, this time dressed in girly clothing, waving goodbye. Did Sakura change depend on her (his) mood, or was it every day? Even then, Daniel didn't seem to mind, he waved in her (his) general direction enjoying the brief meeting.

Even though they barely talked, he seemed to feel connected, enjoying a conversation here and there with Sakura if they ever met in the future... unlike a certain white haired boy whom was trying to hide the constant glare at Sakura. Killua projected a sense of jealousy or desire for Gon, for the boy to only ever look at him.

It was strange however that Killua never did it to Daniel, glare or anything that would make the boy turn the other way. Maybe Killua didn't see Daniel that way; competition for Gon's... attention.

Daniel snapped out of his trance as Gon declared his good bye "Mito-San! I'm going to find Ging! After I've met Ging, I'll return to the island. Good bye Sakura! I hope we run into each other again!"

At Gon's last comment, from his split vision he saw both Killua and Sakura react differently. Sakura for some odd reason was blushing madly, maybe because Gon just yelled out his goodbye to her (him). And the second person, Killua... reacted much more differently. No one had to take a second glace in order to see Killua's jealousy skyrocket.

Each after Gon continued to yell at Mito-San and Sakura from afar, the boy's emotions didn't subside in the slightest. However, once Gon stopped yelling the sudden smile projected by the boy subsided Killua's emotions, he too was smiling. Maybe it was from Gon's contagious smile or it was from the fact the boy was _sure_ , the three of them would never run into Sakura again.

Either way, Killua was happy it was just them now...

Daniel remained silent, sucking up the emotions of what Killua projected during the whole ordeal. He learned a valuable fact from this. Never get in the way of boy's friendship. It wasn't that he minded in the slightest, he rather enjoyed the fun those two created.

What was left is what happens next, in terms of fun. What kind of danger would the two of them create or rather unique outcome would occur?


	43. Auction X Competition X Gambling

Daniel enjoyed the cool, sea air blowing across his body from where he laid. From the top of the sails he couldn't help but lay like a plank of wood. Just a little behind Daniel, Gon stood and Killua sat, watching the view come into perspective.

If one of the boy's were to suddenly move Daniel, he would lose his balance, dropping like a bag of Mandrakes. It had happened before where Killua decided to suddenly push Daniel to one side. The boy would wake up, screaming loudly as he fell onto the sails and rolled all the way down.

He was rather embarrassed when some of the sailors would catch him in the act of screaming. Some even mistook him for a girl, from the pitch of his scream. Even some argued he could probably shatter glass with his scream. After the third time Killua did it, Daniel learnt his lesson.

If he were relaxing on the beams he would keep half of his brain working just in case Killua decided to creep up to him.

Gon suddenly spoke, waking him for his half slumber "There it is, Killua, Daniel."

"Yeah, we're almost to Yorknew."

"We'll see Kurapika and Leorio there. I can't wait!"

Killua slightly smiled after Daniel sat up right "After how many times...?"

"Only once..." Killua looked innocently at Daniel.

"Once, huh... whatever you adorable little cat!"

"W-What?!"

Daniel scooted next to Killua, using the boy like a scratching post for his cheek "You pushed me more than once! And you tried to do it another six times... two of which you managed to get me..." Daniel smacked Killua on the back good, making the boy fall forward "good!"

As soon as Killua fell onto the sail, he used his momentum to jump to the lookout and climb his way back up. Gon frowned at Daniel's treatment towards Killua "Daniel...!"

"Yes..."

"You shouldn't push Killua!"

"The boy's fine! He has cat like reflexes... besides... you're one to talk..."

"Killua said I should get you to move. And he made the suggestion that I should shake you..."

Killua smiled like cat at Daniel as he sat back down next to the boy. Daniel fumed at Killua before looking back at Gon "And what happened when you shook me...?"

Gon scratch his chin awkwardly "You fell down screaming..."

"I fell down screaming..." Daniel nodded in confirmation as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Lighten up." Killua pat Daniel's shoulder in a comforting gesture "He said he was sorry..."

"You're evil..." Daniel huffed in disgust.

Killua's catlike features never changed, smiling ever so cunningly at the boy "Now that we know you are scared of heights-"

"Hey!"

"- you're jumping the gun, Gon... We still have two weeks before we're supposed to meet."

"Oh, you're right."

Daniel burst out in anger, screaming loudly into Killua's ears "I'm not scared of HEIGHTS! You merely... caught me off guard..." Daniel whined the last part meekly, earning a chuckle from Killua.

Gon soon laughed alongside Killua, which Daniel failed to hold in his own. As the laughter began to break down, Gon looked towards the sky "It's been six months since we saw them, so I'm getting excited!"

Killua smiled at Gon before looking sternly at the sky "Six months ago, I'd never have dreamed that we would come to Yorknew for a reason like this."

"And less than six months ago, I would have never guessed Killua is the jealous type." Daniel winked at the boy, watching him soon crumble under embarrassment.

"I-I'm not..."

"Uh... huh... I'll say that to every boy and girl our age which Gon meets." Daniel commented dryly as Gon chuckled at Killua's embarrassment.

"An-Anyways, the auction begins on September 1st! We'll have to gather as much information on _Greed Island_ as possible beforehand."

"Yep," Gon looked down at Killua "there might be information about Ging."

"He left a memory card with his message. There must be a connection. Anyway, once I get the URL for the Hunter website from my brother, we can check it out."

Daniel watched the two boys nod at each other, envious of their relationship to share a connection without as much as a word. From the distance he spotted something heading in their direction, followed by the screech of an eagle "Speaking of the... pig... here it comes!"

Killua stood up, holding out his elbow for the bird to perch it's feet onto "This is it, alright. My brother sent the URL."

"Great! Let's get started."

"Yeah!"

Daniel smiled at them before looking at the horizon "Let's get this party started and show running!"

Once Killua grabbed the information from the carrier, he sent the bird back on its merry way.

"~"

The Net Café was nice and sweet, offering cut off sections for every computer. Daniel leaned against a fraction of the walling as Gon and Killua navigated to the URL provided by Killua's brother.

Gon hummed as the site loaded "This is the website for Hunters?"

The site was rather basic, a picture of bar being the navigation system.

"Yeah, I heard that Hunters worldwide post information here." Killua blinked, scrutinizing the site with his eyes for any unique details.

"Worldwide?" Gon freaked out, looking at Killua for confirmation to a question which had already been answered. "Wow..." Gon looked back, clicking on bar image.

**Please swipe your Hunter License, and enter your license code.**

Gon looked at Daniel whom meekly shook his hand in response "I've already used my card. Time to get some use out of yours..."

Gon nodded in response as he swiped the card, entering the license code as he double checked with the card. The site started to load, going through a short mini clip of doors opening.

Amongst the picture were seven highlighted charters which could be clicked on.

Killua lifted a finger gesturing to Gon on who to click on "Put the cursor on the bartender."

**What kind of information would you like?**

Several hundred categories popped up on the site, which Daniel casually glanced at. _Let's see..._

"Wow! There's so much!"

Daniel lifted a finger, pointing to a section "We might want to go to games." As Gon was scrolling through the games, Daniel stopped him "There it is! Greed Island..."

**It will cost twenty million Jenny.**

Daniel and Gon freaked out together "TWENTY?!" Daniel sighed after Gon "You got to be kidding... The game already costs 5.8 billion..."

Killua nodded in agreement before sighing "So they won't give out the information for free. Well, we don't really have a choice."

Gon typed out his details, transferring the money in "Depositing twenty million..."

The moment Gon hit enter, aura had surround the boys, sucking their consciousness in.

The room they were located in look exactly like the site, including all the characters that had been lit. Daniel looked around the room, focusing on all the characters which were frozen in time as Killua spoke "I guess only _Nen_ users can enter this site."

The bartender from the site spoke up "Okay, now listen carefully. _Greed Island_ is a game created by _Nen_ practitioners." The boy's eyes widened at the information the bartender continued to belt out "Apparently, there were multiple creators, but no one knows their objective. They put _Nen_ into all hundred copies of the game. When you start the game, the _Nen_ activates, pulling the player inside the game."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the bartender, wondering how the creators were able to do that. Just holding out his aura for a couple of minutes would make him tired, and yet... these games have held their aura for over ten years. _The creators must have been monsters..._

Gon casually asked "Inside the game?"

Without answering Gon's question, the bartender continued, casually making a drink while he was at it "Only _Nen_ practitioners can play the game. And as long as the player stays alive within the game, it will continue to run, even if the console is unplugged. It will stop if the player dies. One person who owned the game hired fifty Hunters to give it a shot, but none of them ever came back. I hear that you can return if you find a save point."

The man poured the drink, offering it to Gon.

"Is that true?"

Daniel looked at Gon with a blank expression "If you had forgotten... none of us had played this game..."

Killua crossed his arms, looking at Daniel "Even IF we hadn't played the game. The information is from the Hunter website. It's gotta be accurate."

Gon reached out to grab the drink, but his hand phased right through the drink, making it impossible to grab.

"Seven copies of _Greed Island_ will be up for sale. The lowest starting bid is 8.9 billion Jenny."

"8.9 Billion?!" The boys freaked out after finding the starting priced had increased again.

Killua groaned as he pressed both hands to his head in anger "The price has shot up! That's 3 billion more than the retail price!"

"Difficulty of obtainment is G-rank."

The boys looked in confusion at the mention of rank.

"The game is considered a legend, but there are plenty of copies. If you have enough money, it's relatively easy to procure."

Killua crossed his arms, thinking out loud "Hmm, a G... lower than I expected."

After the finished explanation, the virtual program ended. Killua sighed while looking at Gon's determined smile "Still, the money is a big problem."

"Hey, can we participate in the auction?" Gon swivelled in his chair, looking up at Killua.

"They're starting at 8.9 billion!"

Daniel interjected after Killua as the boy turned to look at him "If we were to join in the auction, we would need at least 30 Billion plus! And none of us has the time to generate that kind of money in two weeks... through legitimate channels..."

"Agreed!" Gon looked at Killua as the boy frowned, immediately regretting saying that out loud "It's waaaay out of our league."

Gon shook his head at Killua "No, I mean by selling stuff."

"Selling...?" both Killua and Daniel looked at each other, blinking once before looking back at Gon. Killua suddenly realised what Gon meant, clicking his fingers in surprise "That's it!"

"We can look for treasure, and then auction it off."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at both boys' sudden mental connection "So we are going to become bargain hunters... finding trinkets at a cheap price and then selling it at a higher price."

Killua clenched his fist, while smiling carefully at Daniel "Exactly! We can start with the 1.2 Billion we earned at Heavens Arena, and then go from there."

Gon smiled widely in agreement "Yep!"

Killua moved away from Gon, taking a computer from the booth to the side of Gon and placing it next to the boy "First, we'll start with online flea markets and auction websites." Killua plugged the power in, charging the laptop while he grabs the other chair to sit next to Gon "And see what we can dig up."

Daniel went to do the same as Killua, but choose to stay in the booth to their left, rather than joining their already small both.

"We'll increase our money, and get ourselves a copy of _Greed Island_!"

"Yeah!"

Daniel swivelled his chair over to the other boys, offering a cheeky smile "Let's make it a competition!"

Gon's eyes lit up at the word at 'competition' "YES! And we'll think of something the loser has to do!"

Killua grinned, looking over at both boys "You two are going to lose!"

The boys went crazy; bidding and creating multiple deals in hopes of increasing their pool of money.

"~"

Nothing had gone like they had planned. After making so much, their money bag plummet, leaving them broke. The fountain provided a way to let the boys wallow in self pity.

Gon looked at Killua in concern "How much do we have left?"

"Combined, we're at 10.84 million."

As Gon and Killua let out a sigh of disappointment, Daniel groaned in agony "that's not even... one-hundred of what we started with."

"Damn... Initially, we were making a profit."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Killua "I'm not trying to point fingers here, but... maybe one of us shouldn't of hit the _black market_!"

Killua shot Daniel an intense glare as Gon interjected "That's why I said we should only use trustworthy public sites."

Killua turned his glare towards Gon "I couldn't help it! Only the risky sites are profitable."

As both boys sighed again, Daniel commented "Seeing as we have give or take 3.61 million each, we need to somehow make it last... Or turn it into a profit of some kind..."

Gon looked over to Daniel in concern "How are we even going to do that..."

Daniel lifted a finger, twitching the corner of mouth into a cunning smile "We'll leave that to our imagination..."

Gon and Killua blinked once at Daniel "Hmm?"

"Ok, we have what...? Two weeks before the 1st of September. During that time, we'll try to rack up our money, through whatever methods we can... deal?"

Killua grinned smugly "I bet I could beat you two hands down!"

Gon leaned in close to Killua, pushing back the boy with his own forehead "There's no way you can beat me! You'll lose all your money in five seconds."

Daniel raised his hands, hoping to calm the boy's nerves down "We don't have to turn this into a competition-"

"It's a competition?!" Gon asked with a huge smile.

"It is-"

"YEAH," Killua pressed his fingers into Gon, pushing the boy back "it IS a competition! But we need to think of what the losers do..." Killua ran his fingers across his chin, running multiple ideas across his head.

Daniel blinked several times, wondering why the boys are ignoring him now of all times.

Gon poked Killua "Losers have to do one thing each for the winner, and it can be anything, deal?!" Both boys nodded at each other, and then looked Daniel.

"Ahh..."

"His in!" Gon and Killua declared boldly without waiting for a response.

_DON'T I GET A SAY IN THIS?!_

They looked at each other, smiling widely "On three!"

They charged off the moment they said three, leaving Daniel behind in a puff of smoke. Daniel blinked several more times after that, sighing as he looked down at the floor "That's a fantastic idea..." The words came out drier than he had anticipated. Raising his hand, Daniel clenched his fist, yelling in anger to no one in particular "I'll make them regret ever bringing me into deal I had no part of! But first, I'll need a disguise..."

"~"

Killua smiled menacingly, waving his fake ID in the air "Gon and Daniel won't know what hit them! I know the best place to make money..." Killua stopped walking for a second, looking up at the large sign "The Casino..."

As Killua continued walking, he noticed someone familiar looking to Daniel. The boy wore a white button up shirt, a black vest, black striped suit pants and elegant shoes. The moment the boy stood in front of to the casino, he look behind him in Killua's general direction. Rather than Daniel's blue eyes, he had deep red eyes and white hair, bits of black showing amongst the poorly dyed hair.

The boy didn't seem to notice Killua, and looked back towards the casino, entering casually at his own leisure. Killua blinked once, then twice in surprise before running after the boy.

The moment he the doors opened, he was stopped by the guard "Oh, apparently I'm underage now..." Killua showed his fake ID, while looking around for Daniel. As the security guard looked at the ID, Killua commented calmly "I always get asked because of my mistaken age."

As the guard gave Killua back his ID, he spotted the boy walking towards the poker tables. Killua hid behind every corner, following the boy without being spotted. _That can't be Daniel... he would have notice me by now._

The boy turned around, looking at where Killua was standing. After having his feelings of being watched satisfied, he turned around and continued walking as he scratched his head in confusion.

Killua let out a sigh, following after the boy again.

The boy stopped at a table, sitting down at an empty table. Killua grinned, walking up to take a seat at the same table "I'm in!" The moment Killua spoke, the boy flinched. _That's definitely Daniel..._

The dealer began the game, laying out the cards for this round. Daniel lifted his cards, checking what he had. Daniel made no attempts to mask his own voice when he spoke "I'm in..."

Killua smiled, joining in the game after finding his hand to be a pair of Aces.

The first three cards we're revealed, showing a King of diamonds, a 10 of diamonds and a 4 of spades. Daniel calmly checked his cards again, barely adding to his own pot. Killua matched Daniel's pot, while watching the boy carefully. He wondered if this was even Daniel.

 _He acts so differently compared to earlier... calm, relaxed... unless you count the flinch when I sat down beside him._ _This can't be Daniel... can it?_

The dealer flipped the next card, showing a Jack of clubs.

Daniel smiled for a second before calmly tapping, choosing not to place a bet. Killua eyed down, calmly making his own bet. The round continued on as Killua raised an eyebrow, wondering why Daniel didn't have to place a bet.

Daniel turned, looking towards Killua "I saw the confused look. This is a different kind of poker..." Daniel looked over Killua, pretending not to know the boy "Sir. It's where each player, plays against the dealer... I choose this table for that specific reason."

Killua shot a dirty look, before looking back over to see the last card, a Queen of diamonds. Daniel smiled cunningly "I don't like to clean my table member out," Daniel pushed his chips in before leaning back calmly into his chair "all in!"

Killua looked at his cards. Even if the rules were different to how poker was normally played, he was going to prove to Gon and Daniel that he wouldn't lose. Killua pushed all his chips in, wanting to prove he was going to make the most money in the group.

The dealer shows his cards, revealing he has a 10 of Spades and a 7 of Clubs "A pair of 10s."

Daniel flips his, showing his Jack and A of Diamonds "Royal flush. It must be my lucky day."

Killua fumed, flipping his cards to show the pair of Aces. Both boys won that round, doubling their starting money. The more the rounds continued on, Killua would have dared saying it was fun playing poker alongside Daniel. Daniel was relaxed during every round, rarely showing his emotions. However, unlike the first round, Daniel was never _that_ lucky again.

After so many rounds, Daniel would have been lucky to get four of a kind.

The moment Killua hit a hundred million and Daniel hit 50 million respectively, that's when everything changed.

Daniel's eyes narrowed as a man tap the dealer on the shoulder "Frank, time to switch out."

"Oh... huh, Sagi-shi-Chan...?"

Killua and Daniel glanced at each other, while thinking the thing. _Chan...?_

_He's old enough to be his Sempai..._

Sagi-shi's eye twitched as he looked down at Frank "That's SEM-PAI or KUN for you. The boss wants an early change he's requested you go to table thirteen instead."

"Thir...ughhhh... Not that table. Fineeeee..." Frank placed the stack of card on his left side, bowing at both boys "Sagi-shi-Chan will be your new dealer."

"For the last time, it's either...you know what forget the honorific!"

As Frank was leaving, Daniel could have sworn he heard the man mutter under his breath 'good luck'. Was this the warning his Dad mention, the sudden switch of dealers is the call to make 'gone with the wind'.

Sagi-shi picked up the deck of cards, fanning them out before shuffling. The shuffling technique was same one Vastorie would use... the **Illusionist Shuffle**. Daniel stood up straight, watching the man's movements.

_I have to cash out now, or risk losing it all... unless..._

Daniel brought his hand to the table, letting his _Ten_ run freely. The man remained firm, shuffling without a distraction. Killua however tensed up, looking at the boy. Daniel grabbed his Hunter's licence, holding it under the table "Last round all in!"

Sagi-shi stopped shuffling to look down "It hasn't even started... And I haven't even placed the cards on the table."

Daniel lifted his hand, showing his Hunter's License "I insist. I'm placing my Hunter's Licence as an extra bet of 100 million, giving me a total of 150 million."

Sagi-shi looked at the card, casually glancing back at Daniel "It could be a fake..."

"I'm thirteen years old. What kind of thirteen year old would walk into a casino with a fake license?" Daniel glanced in Killua's direction before looking back at the dealer "Here is how I'm going to place the bids. I'm splitting it in half. If..." Daniel looked at Killua, wondering what kind of name to give the boy "Frosty over here wins, I double my winnings and the same goes to me. If either of us lose or fold, I lose my Hunter's Licence. I hear those can sell for a fair bit... possibly more than I'm bidding it for."

Killua looked at Daniel, glaring at him "What's stopping me from folding on purpose?"

"I believe in the heart of the cards..."

Killua blinked once, and then twice at Daniel "I believe that you're an idiot..."

Daniel flashed Killua a smile before looking back at the dealer "But, I have one condition we each have to shuffle once. That includes Frosty over here..."

Killua raised eyebrow followed by the dealer "Uh huh..."

The dealer placed the cards on the table, pushing it towards Daniel "Deal, but I get the last shuffle..."

Daniel smiled innocently, fanning out the cards like the dealer had earlier. Satisfied, he pushed them back into place.

Daniel placed the cards on the table, pulling up his sleeves to show there are no hidden objects. He then picked up the deck of cards, performing an unusual technique. Using the **Dynamo Shuffle** , Daniel moved the cards around. Once he was done shuffling, he casually flips the cards, showing the order of cards to the dealer.

From left to right, the cards went from Ace to King in Spades, Ace to King in Diamonds, King to Ace in Clubs and finally King to Ace in Hearts. Daniel grinned widely "Took me two years to learn this trick. And that means..."

As the dealer grit his teeth, Daniel continued "You aren't dealing with a typical player." Daniel pushed the cards back, shuffling properly "And that also means you don't get the last shuffle... he does..." Daniel casually pointed to Killua.

Once Daniel was done, he handed them over to Killua "If you wouldn't mind, Frosty?"

Killua held the cards in his hand, barely looking at the deck of cards as he stared at Daniel. Daniel hoped that Killua would cut the deck, pushing the top half under the bottom half.

Killua smiled, splitting the deck in half. Rather doing than what Daniel had hoped for, Killua preformed a Riffle Shuffle in his hands "You're not the only one who knows tricks..." Killua handed the cards back to the deck dealer, smiling mischievously "I'll go all in as well, except, I have 100 million instead. And I'll only be betting on myself..."

The dealer looked at the cards, wonder if it was ok to void the deal. If he beats either kid, he could make more than 100 million in one hit. Going against protocols, Sagi-shi played on.

Daniel checked his cards, noting the seven of Spades and the three of Spades. When he looked at Killua, he caught the boy smiling widely like a cat.

The dealer checked his hand before placing the five cards face down.

The first three cards were flipped. A King of Spades, Eight of Spades and Ace of Diamonds lay on the table face up. The dealer held out his hand "Any bets or..." a maniacal smile spread from cheek to cheek "or do you want to fold?"

Daniel frowned, looking at the man "I've already gone all in..."

"Wh...What?!" He blinked twice in belief. "You were telling the truth?"

Daniel looked at Killua one more time before focusing on the dealer "I may not be a great liar... But I certainly didn't perform that magic trick just to kill time..."

Sagi-shi looked over to Killua "Did you go all in as well...?"

Killua nodded, casually checking his cards as well "Yup... not backing out..." Killua then looked up to smile "Not when I'm going to win!"

Sagi-shi grits his teeth, glaring angrily at the remaining two cards. He flipped the next card showing an Ace of Hearts. Killua immediately frowned, looking pissed. The dealer smiled, showing the final card, a Jack of Spades.

Daniel frowned, looking over his cards along with Killua. _Shit... was I off? Shit, I managed to cost Daniel his Hunter's License!_

"Show em..." All three of them flipped the cards.

Killua smiled widely "Three Aces. Looks like I'm going home rich!"

The man's eyebrow twitched as he stared at Daniel, whom sighed in defeat "I got nothing..."

The man double checked, smiling once he realised the boy's mistake "Well, I'm sorry to hear that..." As Sagi-shi's hand touched Daniel's Hunter Licence, Killua pressed his finger on the table, forcing the card to remain on the table.

Sagi-shi raised a brow as Killua grit his teeth, muttering out loud to Daniel "Look again idiot! You have a flush..."

Daniel blinked staring again at the cards.

On the table was a King of Spades, eight of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts and a Jack of Spades. In his hands he had the Seven of Spades and a Three of Spades. Daniel blinked in disbelief, failing to realise the Flush.

Daniel wanted to get up, wrapping his arms around Killua. He really wanted to hug the boy until he either crushed him to death or died from embarrassment. Knowing Killua, he was leaning more on the latter.

Daniel snatched the card of the table, smiling widely "I guess I'm going home give or take 400 million richer... that's if I sell my ever so useful Hunter's License. I believe I have... 300 million to collect. Would you be kind enough, to make the stack smaller? I wouldn't want to be carrying twenty bags of chips around."

The dealer grits his teeth, unlocking a secret compartment; he then moves the larger stacks of chips to the bin to deal with the sorting. Sagi-shi grabs a stack marked in ten millions, handing them over to Daniel "A fair trade kid. You beat me... "

Once Daniel was satisfied, he places a hand on Killua's shoulder, leaning in to whisper to the boy "Cash out now! You're going to lose it if you continue playing..."

Killua grinned, looking up at Daniel "No way loser! I'm going to keep going..."

"Your loss..."

Daniel left without another word, letting Killua deal with the pro dealer. Knowing Killua, he'll most likely be sent to the cleaners. Daniel sighed, shaking his head at the floor with a smile "I just **hope** Killua does back out when his losing badly... 200 million is a lot..."

He stopped, reaching into his eyes to pull out the contacts. Daniel poured a tiny bit of water into his eyes, letting the liquids replenish the somewhat dry eyes. Satisfied, Daniel continued on his way, stopping only to look in a mirrored window.

He felt weird looking at himself. The way the white worked with his eyes, he failed to realise that his looked similar to Killua "Maybe I should have chosen a different hair colour..."

Daniel ran a hand through his hair, letting the strands fall back into place "Ok... now I feel really weird! I'm going to-" Daniel turned around quickly, noticing a novelty shop behind him. A wide smile spread from cheek to cheek "I know EXACTLY, what to make the loser do... I'm going to get Killua a _present_..."

He chuckled to himself, running his fingers through the fake, non-existent beard "Killua won't know what hit him..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The **Illusionist shuffle** is a variation of the **Hindu Shuffle**. First the deck of cards is fanned out, allowing the shuffler to note specific cards are, or where every card located. The shuffler then pushes them back into place, performing the **Hindu Shuffle**. During the shuffling sequence, the shuffler moves the cards, putting it in favour of one of the players, usually himself.
> 
> While shuffling it requires precision, memory and a sequences which can fool any player into thinking they are shuffling normally. This method can also be use as a magic trick, fooling the person into believing your psychic.


	44. Cat Ears X Bargaining X Deals

Gon's eyes lit up like Christmas tree lights on Christmas Eve. His eyes looked everywhere, never once focusing on a single spot for more than two seconds. The market bristled with multiple shops containing everything from toiletries all the way to earrings. At one point, Daniel was expecting to find a bobble head of himself around the corner. "Wow, there are so many people!"

As Gon's eyes looked everywhere Daniel could help but smile from the secret plan he put into action along with Gon. Killua had his hands on his head, hiding the very object that Daniel brought and Gon managed to persuade Killua to wear out of his own volition; cat ears which would move on a whim, randomly twitching on its own.

"Can we move to where there are... less people?!"

Daniel flashed a grin at Killua "Nope!"

"The more I walk around... the less I think this is Gon's idea! And why aren't you wearing ridiculous ears?!"

Gon pressed his finger to his lips "Because..."

"Because I clearly made enough to over shadow the both of you combined! AND, you didn't even ask if I wanted to be a part of the competition. You were like 'Oh, Daniel would so want be a part of the game'..." Daniel attempted to mimic the boy's voice, only to fail miserably and sound like someone was drowning in a meat grinder.

Killua put his hands to his mouth, trying to stop the laughter and momentarily forgetting about the cat ears. The ears twitched suddenly, flicking around a few times before stopping, Killua couldn't unfortunately hide them again in time.

Gon stopped, puffing his cheeks in anger as he held out his hands to push down Killua's own "You lost the bet! Now stop trying to hide your cute ears..."

"No!" Killua's hands shot back up, hiding the ears again "And they aren't cute! They're embarrassing..."

Daniel waved Killua's comment off "Pfft! You act like a cat half the time so they should be normal for you..."

Killua turned to Daniel, letting a terrifying aura leak out towards the boy. At that moment, Daniel felt like he was shrinking to the size of a coin "I'll be good..."

"Kil~lu~aaa, do it for me..." the puppy dog eyes Gon pulled off afterwards made it impossible for Killua to say 'no'.

Killua turned his head to the side; dropping his hands to his sides "Alright... but if someone even looks at me funny... I'll not only murder them, I'll burn these things in a bon fire..."

"Ehh...?"

"I said I'll wear them! Just keep walking!"

Satisfied with Killua's response, he turned on his heels, continuing to look around.

Killua's eyebrow twitched as he tried to act casual; as if nothing was out of the ordinary "This market's purpose is to swindle people who come for the auction."

Gon was surprised by Killua's information "What? This isn't the auction venue?"

Daniel raised a hand to his chin, tilting slightly in Gon's direction "I would assume not..."

Killua frowned slightly at Gon's question "Obviously! Yorknew's dream auction is held once a year in the world's largest auction house. They say that, just during the ten days of official bidding, tens of trillions of Jenny exchange hands."

Gon was caught off guard "Tens of trillions?!"

Daniel blinked, scanning the area for anything 'unique' as he whistled casually "That's a lot of money..."

"Yeah, an item sold for ten thousand can be turned around for a hundred million the next day. You can make a fortune instantly. It's where dreams come true."

"Wow..."

"Well, that's why a lot of underworld auctioning happens at the same time." Killua smiled just as the cat ears randomly twitched.

Daniel held out his hands to the sides "And during these auctions, you'll be able to get great sales. And one of a kind products like, umm... Greed Island..."

"That's awesome..."

Killua blinked with a bored expression "And you would know this how..."

"This was a long time ago... maybe when I was around five. I came here along with my parents. Vastorie is a reading fanatic. If it's rare, he'll bid on it... And I'm talking really rare. Like first edition, only a few hundred copies exist to this day rare."

"... But he won't get Greed Island...?"

"I can't say for sure... he can be a tight ass at times."

"Right... so his selective when it comes to spending money."

"Where I lived my entire life, is living proof of how tight he can be..."

Killua secretly wanted to probe Daniel for information, but a part of him screamed it was a trap waiting to be sprung "Anyways, do you think Kurapika and Leorio will show up?"

Daniel eyes fell on Killua, smirking "Kurapika, yes... Leorio, not so sure... if he's a study freak, he'll probably have forgotten about today."

Gon smiled widely "They promised to meet us here. I'm sure they'll come."

Daniel and Killua nodded in agreement "Yeah."

"Gon is a magnet to the strange and curious..."

Killua raised an eyebrow at Daniel's comment "Sure... They might try to contact us."

As Killua checked his phone, Daniel blurted out "I don't think I remembered to give them my number..." Daniel dropped his head in shame, letting out a brief sigh.

"Hey," Killua interrupted Daniel's sigh "Gon, you need to buy a phone! It's standard Hunter gear."

Gon laughed awkwardly "Ah, that's true."

"You MEAN standard gear... WHO doesn't have a phone these days? I've seen kids half my age with those  _'hipster'_  U-phones!"

Killua slowly turned to Daniel "Says the guy with a flip phone..."

"Hey, don't dis my first phone! This thing has survived the great fall of mankind... and then some! Anyways, I have enough money to buy a new phone, unlike someone I know here..."

"Ha ha... pick on the guy that blew all his money while gambling."

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you..."

"Speaking of warning, what was with that poor... disguise?"

"Oh, my dad said he was infamous when it came to gambling. And seeing as I look like him... 40 years younger, I probably would have been kicked out. I regretted the hair colour though..."

"Speaking of regret... why was your choice of hair colour  _poor_?"

"Cause as soon as I took out the contacts... all I saw was you, with longer hair..."

Killua blushed at the comment. He turned away, cat ears twitching in a way Daniel never thought it to be perfect timing.

_He looks adorable..._

_WAAAAYYY too adorable..._

"Whatever! Lets... Let's just find Gon a phone..."

"~"

Daniel hummed to himself, looking over each phone carefully without paying any attention to the seller.

"Hey! Welcome! This one's great... It's the hottest current model! Super-thin and no bigger than a credit card. It has GPS, which comes in handy for meeting with people."

Daniel tapped his head, refusing to turn around "Hear that Gon? You gotta hold on tight or the thing will fly away... oh, and people can reverse track you... that's a nice feature to have, just in case a certain someone wants to meet you early."

"A certain some..." Gon shivered after realising who Daniel was referring to "Yeah, I don't think this is for me."

A voice spoke from behind; startling the boys "It's garbage anyways. The feature doesn't work in many countries, and it isn't even waterproof."

Daniel checked his phone.  _Mine isn't either..._

"That model is for people who only make calls."

"Leorio!" Gon yelled at the top of his voice.

"Yo!"

Daniel stopped looking so he could address the older man "Look who finally came out of his man cave..."

"Shut it! I would recommend..." Leorio looked over all the phones, stopping to pick up one that looked like a beetle "this Beetle 07. It's a little heavy and pricey, but includes a translator for the two hundred languages used worldwide."

"What? Seriously? Go with this one. I'll buy one, too!"

"Yeah!"

Daniel swiped the phone from Leorio, balancing it on one hand "Hmm... someone's gotten a little out of shape..."

"And someone has gotten bitchier in that time."

Daniel flicked his hair like a model getting ready to pose "You're just jealous cause I look fabulous... and my age."

Leorio snatched the phone back from Daniel, leaning done closer to the boy "At least I'm not posing for the next Pantene ad..."

"Touché, I'll let you get away with that one... Anyways, old man I'll get one too. Might as well upgrade my phone..."

Leorio's eye twitched as he turned to look at the shop owner "Three, please."

"Three will cost six hundred thousand."

"Six hundred thousand?! That's expensive, pops!"

Daniel rubbed his chin at that notion "Hmm, expensive. Leorio...?"

Leorio looked down at the boy, wondering why he was motioning him over. As he leaned down, Daniel whispered into this ear "Let's tag team this guy. I'll be paying so use every advantage you can get."

A grin broke out across Leorio's face "I can do that..."

"~"

Gon had checked his product for the second time that afternoon "Thanks, Leorio! Daniel!"

"But, Damn, 109, 580 Jenny a piece, huh? It's a new model, so that's a fair price in this market."

Killua rolled his eyes at Leorio "Still... talk about overkill between you two. I've never seen a cell phone purchase greeted with applause before."

"And I never thought I'll meet two people in my life, which happen to be resistant to the 'puppy dog' eyes..."

Gon laughed awkwardly "Yeah... I wasn't expecting you to do that, again."

"Speaking of unexpected..." Leorio commented as he focused on Daniel "Are you carrying a hundred thousand Jenny?"

"No, well yes... It's a trick I use when it comes to bargaining."

As Leorio raised an eyebrow, Gon confirmed "Yeah! Daniel used that trick last time... He pulled out his wallet, saying he was willing to pay in cash. The guy's eyes lit up..."

Daniel nodded as he joined in after Gon's comment "Yup, it's an old... really old school trick. Some business owners like the thought of cash as opposed to credit."

Leorio puckered his lips "Oh that trick... I would never use that."

Daniel looked around guilty "Yeah..."  _That was a part of the gambling money that I never used... Just in case I was sent broke. I needed_ ** _some_** _money to gamble away if I wanted to get my money back._

Gon smiled brightly "But you guys really saved us."

"Thank Leorio... he did most of the work."

"Just so you know, that was nothing. The serious dealing only starts when the seller tells you to leave." Leorio burst out in laughter as Daniel chimed in "Agreed, I've seen that happen so many times with my dad it's not funny!"

"Your dad knows how to bargain!" Leorio grinned, teeth glinting as he pressed a thumb to his chin.

"His also a cheapskate...!"

Leorio glared at Daniel "WHAT?! I'M NOT A  _CHEAPSKATE_  for wanting a deal! And if I'm a cheapskate, what does that make you, HUH?!"

"A bargain Hunter..."

Leorio bent down, poking Daniel in the ribs "You can't be serious?!"

"I'm as serious as I can be..." Daniel motioned flatly to Leorio.

Gon cut into the conversation "Actually, you did say the blood of the cheapskates runs deep within you."

"HAH!"

"I said they ran within me... I didn't necessarily say  _I am_  a cheapskate. Think of it this way, was I bargaining every time? No...? Point proven..."

Leorio glared at Daniel as Gon whispered to Killua "They're the last ones you'll ever find at an auction."

"No kidding..."

"So, Killua, what's that in your hair...?"

Killua grit his teeth, growling at the older man under his teeth "NONE of your CONSERN... old man..."

Leorio jumped back in surprise at Killua's hostility "Touchy subject...?"

"He lost a bet... so Gon made him wear those..."

Gon smiled innocently as he scratched the back of his head "Yeah..."

Killua slowly looked at Daniel, judging the boy's hidden smile.

"Ok..." Leorio looked between the three boys "Next question. How are you guys doing?"

Gon looked up at Leorio "What do you mean?"

"You've trained and gotten stronger, right?"

"Well..." Daniel relaxed his arms before pointing in Gon's direction "This guy punched a certain clown in the face..."

"WHAT?!"

"~"

Daniel calmly ate his burger, slowly taking in each bite with a sombre expression. The little restaurant the boys had chosen offered a nice view of the surrounding area, as well as a nice quiet area to relax away from the bustling market.

Leorio's reaction priceless during the whole explanation of what happened at Heavens Arena; he was hysterical and awestruck during the fight involving Hisoka.

"You returned the tag to Hisoka at Heavens Arena? And you have to be pretty good to make it to the 200s... How strong have you gotten now?"

Daniel objected with one finger "No, you could cruise by with just the training we had at the Zoldyck estate... Once at the 200s, now that's a different story..."

"Hey," Gon butted in, disrupting Daniel's train of thought "did you learn  _Nen_ , Leorio?"

Leorio leaned forward, calmly adjusting his glasses "Yeah, you bet."

"Awesome!"

Killua looked at Leorio, seriously judging the man's capabilities "Really?"

Leorio glared at Killua while leaning back into his chair "Why would I lie to you? It's the ability to build up a shroud of aura, one's own life force..." After explaining, Leorio looked at Killua with a cheeky smile.

Daniel blinked slowly, fluttering his eye lashes at Killua as if someone just hit the 'slow-motion' button "Cool! That's Ten! Now what about the others...?"

"W-What...?"

Gon's smile dropped slightly "That's  _Ten_ , one of the four major principles for learning  _Nen_."

"EH? There's more to it?"

Daniel slowly turned to look at Leorio, speaking as though he was a puppet "Did you even read past page one...?"

Killua sighed as he looked in Daniel's direction "I guess he didn't..."

"~"

Daniel sat at the window still of their hotel room, paying no attention to Leorio in the room. He watched time flow by slowly as the rest of the group talked about various topics, including what they were looking for.

"Greed Island...?" Leorio rubbed his chin as he continued to wonder out loud "Greed Island? What's that?"

Killua had taken the opportunity to take off the ridiculous cat ears, which Daniel only put on his head. Daniel was curiously interested in the ears, stroking the ears as they flicked in his hair a few times before settling once again.

He would have to agree with Killua... the ears were weird. But they looked weirder in Daniel's hair, seeing as his natural hair colour was black, and the ears were white.

Killua popped a piece of candy in his mouth shaped like a bunny as he watched Daniel absently stroke the fake cat ears "A legendary game." Killua would dare say it's weird that Daniel could act so natural with those ears in his hair. Had he no shame, when it came to wearing thing like that as if it was nothing.

Gon continued of Killua's long pause "We're trying to get a copy at the auction."

Leorio paused for a second, looking at Gon for any clues to why he of all people would want a game "But why a game?"

"I think this game holds a clue to finding my dad."

Leorio blinked several times, absently watching Killua serious stare at the back of Daniel's head, and Daniel's strange movements of stroking the weird cat ears before looking back at Gon "Huh? The Game holds a clue to finding your dad? What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a long story..."

Killua cut in after Gon "Anyway, the problem is the cost."

"How much are we talking?"

Daniel turned to join the conversation, just as the ears started flicking around "Try 8.9 billion Jenny..."

Leorio spat his drink out "8.9 billion?!"

"And that's starting at the lowest bid..." Killua commented with a mischievous smile.

"How much do you have?"

Gon laughed awkwardly, gently scratching the side of his head "We made some bad investments so we're down to 5 million..."

Daniel frowned "Damn right! We originally had 1.2 billion-"

"1.2 billion?!"

"-as a starting point. Well, I got back most of my money back through illegal means..."

Killua blurted out with cat-like features "Almost at the cost of your Hunter Licence..."

Daniel turned to smile innocently at Killua "At least I didn't lose 200 million from my ego..."

Killua's eyebrows twitched in anger as Leorio turned to look at Daniel "How much do you have?"

"First, am I making an investment where I lose?"

"No..."

"Three hundred million then..."

Leorio took a deep breath, calmly massaging the bridge of his nose "Listen up, kids... This event held at Southern Piece, the world's finest auction house. The money you have, unless Daniel is willing to pay won't cover the entry fee."

"But... the game has a low difficulty rank on the Hunter site's treasure list."

"Really...?"

"Yeah, you only need money to get a copy."

Leorio burst in laughter, comfortably adjusting his body so he relax more into the couch "It always comes back to money. This world runs on money!"

Daniel sighed as propped his arm on his leg, resting his head in his hand "My dad would kill you if he heard you say that..."

"Huh?"

"Well..." Killua interrupted Daniel's comment "That just means that a real treasure can't be brought. If you can't obtain an item like this with ease, you can't be considered a pro Hunter, right?" Killua put the bunny lolly back in his mouth before wiggling his finger in front of the others.

Leorio and Gon glared at Killua. After a few seconds, Leorio moved towards the computer "I don't need you to tell me that. But first, we need money... We'll need some starting funds. Let's find a way to make some money in Yorknew!"

Gon nodded in agreement "Yeah!"

As Leorio and Gon worked on the computer, Killua looked in Daniel's direction to whisper to the boy so the other's don't overhear "A simple fool. Leorio's probably also an Enhancer."

"Nah, he has to be an Emitter. Leorio has a short fuse... a REALLY short fuse..."

"Hmm... I guess you're right, in a way... Anyways, I bet your father runs on those same methods..."

"Which in the, what now...?"

"A real treasure can't be brought."

"Ahh, sort of... he doesn't believe that money can buy anything. Even though he can afford things, he loves to use this line  **'Just because money can buy a life, doesn't mean it can buy love!'**  That being said, he also likes to use this 'quote':  **Knowledge is power**. As he says,  **your deepest, darkest, secrets are worth more than any price tag**."

"He's philosophical... I'm starting to see why my dad hates him."

"Hmm...?"

"Personalities conflict..."

"Ahh... Your dad is the kind of person to always be serious. There's no room for jokes."

"Huh? Swap...?" Leorio's question lingered in the air, disrupting the boy's discussion.

Killua and Daniel looked at each other funny; questioning the other to see if they knew what was going on.

Gon spoke up "What does that mean?"

Killua got down, walking up to the others to listen in.

**'Swap,' an auction technique, slang for the exchange of goods. Also see 'Bind.'**

Daniel leaned forward from the window still, turning his head so he could hear more clearly.

Leorio blinked several times in confusion at the information "What's a bind?"

**'Bind,' the seller names a condition besides money as their price. The winning bid will be the one that comes closest to meeting that condition.**

This time Gon was confused "Condition?"

Killua sighed "No idea what that means."

Daniel raised two fingers, drawing the other's attention "Condition, using poker as the example... not that anyone does this. You have a chance at winning a car, and all you have to do is beat the dealer by having a better hand. If he has a pair of Kings you better have a pair of Aces or higher up your sleeves. And if he has a Royal Flush, you're screwed unless by some miracle, you get a Royal Flush of a higher suit."

Leorio chuckled, smiling menacingly "So that's it... There's another kind of auctioning... Hey Daniel...?" Leorio turned, looking at the boy carefully "I'll make an offer you can't refuse."

Daniel blinked slowly, looking as though he was about to fall asleep "If at any chance, I can go from rich to poor... I don't want to hear it! These two-" Daniel pointed at Gon and Killua at the same time "- already sent me broke!"

"I've got a fool proof plan that will get us rolling dough!"

Daniel leaned against the window still, smiling menacingly "Oh, do tell..."

"On one condition... you and Gon both participate."

 _I'm hating this idea already..._  "Go on..."


	45. Arm Wrestling X Deals X Watch what?

Crowds of people flocked towards the group, eyeing down Gon and Daniel. Daniel had no idea how it came to this, not only did he buy a ten million Jenny ring, but he also had to participate in arm wrestling... arm wrestling!

The 'game' was a discussion that no longer was his choice, much like the 'game' involving Killua and Gon. Daniel's eyebrow twitched in anger as Leorio explained to not only Gon and Daniel again, but to the group of curious onlookers "Come on down! Let's have some conditional auctioning fun! Here's what's up for bid; a diamond worth ten million."

 _Of my money!_  Daniel looked at the older man, glaring intensely at his back, to the point if someone were to look at Daniel with  _Gyo_ , they could have sworn they saw a large shadow of death leaning over him as if they were waiting for the command to strike.

Leorio had completely ignored Daniel's intense stare, continuing to entice people passing by into playing this obscured game "Comes with the appraisal of the store where I just brought it."

Daniel looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing Killua standing there with his eyes closed, holding the very object in the opening to lure potential suckers into playing. Killua looked quiet contempt with his position, even though his thoughts say otherwise. Although, out of everyone in the group, if someone were to lung for the item, Killua could easily snatch it back without any effort.

"Arm wrestling will decide the winning bid. The first person to beat either boy wins the diamond. Remember, if one beats the other before you, you lose the chance of winning this prize. You must pay a 10,000-Jenny entry fee, and you are free to choose either player. Now, let's start the auction!"

Daniel sighed as suckers already had money pulled out, ready to be the first winner, or loser in their case, from a game which had been rigged from the very start.

Leorio tried the calm group, culling them of their money one-by-one.

Daniel sighed, leaning one arm on the table, remembering the very words Leorio told both him and Gon  **"Adjust your strength to match the opponent. Every now and then, pretend to be struggling."**

Gon may have adhered to Leorio's rules, but Daniel had plans of his own. He's going to eject himself early from the game, pushing the suckers into choosing Gon over him. Daniel watched the second sucker choose him, as opposed to the first whom choose Gon.

Daniel's eyes lingered over the man as he smiled, thinking this was going to be an easy win. The man didn't seem very strong, considering he gave off no aura of his own. Average built, with long red hair and burgundy eyes.

Leorio held out his hand, dictating to the four participants "Okay, clasp hands." Leorio looked at each boy, sharing a stern look between them. Daniel knew what Leorio wanted, but he wasn't going to fall for it like last time, suckered in all the way till the end.

Leorio raising his fist into the air, yelling with enough enthusiasm to rival Gon's in a competition "Are you ready? You get a single round! Ready..." Leorio wait a few seconds before continuing to yell at the top of his lungs "Go!"

Gon pretended to struggle, making faces as the opponent grinned. Leorio's jaw dropped as he watched Daniel. The boy hadn't moved or shown signs of struggling at all; he was distracted, more focused on how Gon was doing.

Out of the corner of Daniel's eyes, he could see his own opponent get flustered and angry from the boy's lack of interest in his own arm wrestling match. Watching Gon pretending to struggle gave Daniel a sinister idea.

Daniel turned to his opponent, this time following along with Gon.

"Oh, oh...! Who will lose first?" Leorio taunted as he watched the two continue to lose.

Daniel slapped the table, adding effect to his pretend-to-be-losing match. The man barely pushed Gon to his limits, taking the lead by a bare fraction while Daniel was pretending to lose by more than half.

"Oh, it looks like Daniel is about to lose! And look at Gon go! He's managed to switch, taking the lead back."

Leorio cheered once Gon tapped the man out "Oh, so close!"

Gon's opponent groaned in agony "Damn, I lost to a little kid..."

"Speaking of close..." Leorio was starting to sweat, thinking Daniel was going to lose on purpose. However, a question lingered in Leorio's mind. Why would Daniel's lose on purpose? The ring was paid for with the same boy's money after all.

The moment Daniel saw the beads of sweat, that's when he switched, changing from pretending to lose mode, to acting like what Hisoka would  _almost_  do in this situation. A sinister smile spread across Daniel's face as he pushed his opponent to the limits, staring deep within his eyes.

Terror soon began to spread across the opponent's face as he could only watch Daniel take the lead, slowly leading the man to a loss.

"And Daniel's taking back the lead!"

Inch-by-inch, the man felt like he was staring into a monster's eyes. Once Daniel got the opponent close to losing, he held the position hovering the man's hand barely above the table.

Leorio held out a hand, offering the next person in line to take on Gon "Next, please."

At that moment, Daniel's opponent felt like he was staring down the barrel of the gun. If this boy tapped him out, would he lose his life at the same time? He looked deep in the boy's eyes, hoping he wasn't going to die screaming.

As Daniel was about to tap the man's hand on the table, his mood suddenly switched, smiling like a child whom got into the chocolate cookies just as the man's hand hit the table. The moment Daniel letting go of man's hand, he ran off screaming. Leorio blinked several times before slowly looking back towards the line "Ah... right! Next, please?"

The opponent next in line took one look at Daniel, seeing the boy smile. Even though Daniel was smiling, it looked as though he had a 'do not disturb' sign hanging from his clothes. If one had to take a second guess from the boy's mood, they would've assumed he had just woken up.

Even with a smile, everyone knew he was pissed "I'll... wait..."

Leorio turned, glaring at the boy with one eye closed. Daniel brought up his legs, leaning them on the table "I'll be sleeping until my next opponent then..." he closed his eyes, tipping his imaginary hat down as if he were covering his eyes from the sun. And within minutes, Daniel was pretending to snore.

As Killua snickered at Leorio's efforts to hide his anger, Daniel opened one eye to look at the boy. A smile spread across his face once he had seen he had a part to play in Killua's controlled laughter.

"~"

One after another, Gon beat every contender as opposed to Daniel who only managed to get a few opponents, whom ignored his 'do not approach' aura. Those who did managed to challenge Daniel left with either a broken finger or multiple fingers. He didn't control his strength in hopes that others would continue to ignore the boy.

His method did work to a degree, making it possible to count all his contenders with just one of his hands, where as Gon was working up a list, which had to contain at least a 100 names by now.

As soon as number 151 came along, that's when Daniel realised he was lucky to be pretending to asleep.

"Okay, next person, please..."

A young lady stepped up, holding out money to Leorio.

"Well, we have our first female challenger!"

The crowd cheers as the girl stepped up, looking between both boys. Since the second boy in front of her  _looked_  to be asleep, she took on Gon instead.

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow to why Leorio was hitting on someone. Opening his eyes, he saw a rather aloof girl sitting down with Gon "Let's have a fair contest."

Gon bowed towards girls as well "Oh, yes."

The girl wore a pair of oversized glasses on her face which she pushed up after bowing in respect to Gon. Once she shifted her weight, Daniel could make out the woman. Her indigo eyes made her seem distant or at least distracted and her black hair was layered.

Daniel looked at her, eyeing down her rather unusual combination of clothing. She wore a black sweater which covered most of her arms and hands, a bracelet on each wrist which was wrapped around the sweater and not around her wrists, like one would usually do. To complement the sweater, she wore blue jeans, with teal rounded dress shoes and a saint Peter's cross, which dangled around her neck, outside her sweater.

Daniel couldn't help looking at the bracelets, wondering why they were on her sweater and not under it.

"Ready... GO!"

Once the match started, Daniel saw Gon seriously struggling. Gon was gritting his teeth, pushing as hard as he could. Using that for initiative, Daniel focused on her with  _Gyo_. She had a rather small layer of aura surrounding her which raised Daniel's curiously.

_Is she hiding her Nen... or am I seeing things...?_

Gon beat the girl outright, even though he was struggling.

Leorio hid a smile in glee "Oh, too bad! You lose!"

Daniel felt damn lucky that she had chose Gon over him. Once she had lost, she bowed again towards Gon, taking her leave the same way she came in. Daniel took the opportunity to lean towards Gon just as Killua asked "That was your full strength, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..."

Daniel laughed awkwardly "It was a good thing she choose you over me..."

"Yeah, you would have lost!"

Daniel frowned at Killua as Gon continued to ask "I wonder who she is..."

"The world champion arm wrestler?"

"No way... but she was definitely a lot stronger than the average Jill..." Daniel paused, considering on voicing the thought "Umm, I think... she may have been able to use  _Nen_..."

Killua looked at her leave in concern "Seriously?! There's no way..."

"Killua, I don't think we-"

"I think Daniel's right! I definitely felt it while wrestling-"

"Ok, next up!"

Killua sighed at Leorio interrupting their conversation "We'll talk about this later tonight..."

"~"

The topic about the possible  _Nen_  user Gon fought was mildly discussed about. Who she was, and what she was doing was their main concern. Leorio seem to argue that the group was mainly focusing on an issue that had already passed and seeing that Gon already won against her, they needed to not worry any longer.

Even with the topic ended, the thought for concern still lingered.

"I'm heading out for a walk... You three better be asleep, kids need their sleep!" Leorio pointed at the three boys before leaving.

With a shrug, Killua calmly responded "Says the old man who can still only use  _Ten_..."

"I'M FINE with only being able to use  _Ten_! Just be asleep before I get back..."

"Suuurrrreee..."

Once Leorio had left, Killua raised a finger to point at the TV "Now that Leorio has gone, let's check to see if there're any  _exciting_  programs on cable."

 _Exciting...?_  Daniel's cheeks slowly flushed red at the thought.  _Is Killua asking me-US to watch porn with him?!_

"Ah... What do you mean by exciting?"

Killua hit mute before surfing through the channels "You know... it's one of the things that makes staying in a hotel like this fun!"

Once Killua found what he was looking for Killua smiled like a little child after finding the secret stash of chocolates "Let's make the most of this!"

Gon looked away, tucking himself into bed with rosy-red cheeks "I- I'll pass..."

Killua frowned slightly "Ok, I'll watch it by myself then..."

Daniel watched as Killua got up, plugging a pair of head phones into the TV. The boy sat motionless, watching every moment of the  _explicit_  movie.

 _How can you watch that with others in the room...?_  Daniel shifted his weight, making his way towards the couch. The room being rented out was rather small, able to fit only two beds, one of which was already an extra.

Gon took the extra bed while Killua had the original. All that was left was the two couches. Since Daniel didn't mind, he took one of the couches. He could have gotten an extra bed but the room was already filled to the brim, making it impossible to fit another single bed in the room. And seeing as Daniel couldn't get a hold of a larger room without a double bed, they had to settle for this one.

Daniel relaxed into the couch, barely hearing the sounds coming from Killua's headset. It was low enough to hear the sweet relaxing music, which for some reason was always paired up with  _those_  videos.

Daniel couldn't handle it anymore. He jumped out of bed and moved over to Killua's bed.

"Hey what-"

Daniel didn't wait to listen to Killua's question, instead he wrapped one arm around Killua's waist and covered the boy's mouth with the other hand "I'm watching it with you..."

The boy blushed at the thought of having someone so close and it made the situation worse, seeing as it was Daniel pressed up against him. Out of all the people, it had to be Daniel pressed up against him.

Daniel leaned towards Killua, pressing his ear against the boy's headset to listen in as well. Once Daniel's ear was pressed to the headset, he dropped his hand on Killua's mouth to join with his other hand already around Killua's waist. It was a typical scene involving a man and a woman  _fooling_  around.

Killua looked back towards the video, pretending Daniel wasn't hugging him with both arms "Didn't peg you to watch this stuff as well..."

Daniel remained silent, choosing to ignore Killua's words. Second-by-second, Daniel soon noticed he was playing less attention to the  _movie_  and more on Killua. Killua's breath was ragged, probably because Daniel was leaning most of his weight on Killua so he could listen as well, without having to share the same head set... not that they could anyways.

Something was bothering Daniel about Killua, and it wasn't because they were watching an  _explicit_  movie semi-together. It was Killua's cologne. It was intoxicating, unnaturally alluring. Daniel breathed in the boy's scent, almost tasting the lavender and cinnamon, mixed in with a mild smell of copper as if it was a long forgotten scent of its own.

It was weird to say in the least; what part of Daniel's brain suddenly turned on or off to make him start to pick up these things? When did this start happening? Today...? Yesterday...? Weeks ago...? He breathed in slowly, trying to pick up on any other scents Killua may have, without looking like a dog who wanted to know where its owner has been for the past few hours.

Daniel suddenly felt weird, removing his arms from around Killua so he could get off the bed.

"Huh, where you going...?"

Daniel paused to think of a good way to get out of the situation, without making the situation weird. "To the bathroom, the movie is getting... dull anyways."

"Your loss, it's just getting to the good part!"

"Sure..." Daniel flicked his hand out at Killua, heading over to the bathroom. Once Daniel was in the bathroom, he flicked the lock up, taking a seat on the toilet. His hands were trembling, and his heart was pounding in his chest from the thoughts that roamed around his mind.

He just couldn't get Killua out of his mind. Thoughts soon took a turn for the worse, running different scenarios of 'what ifs' in his mind.

He had been told, or more like warned about this scenario from his father, Vastorie, but his mind couldn't remember want to do in this scenario. It had something to do with  **touching**... but the only thing his mind wanted to  _touch_  is Killua again, to go back out there and pretend to watch the video with Killua as his hands held the boy.

He hated the thoughts, hated it because his mind wouldn't stop thinking about it. His mind wanted to try some of the things and see where they lead-no! He couldn't think about Killua like that, at least not with his own muddled up thoughts about the boy already.

Daniel moved to the sink to turn it on, splashing some water on his face in hopes of cooling down his thoughts. Daniel looked at the mirror, watching the water drip back down into the sink. Even with the thoughts at large, the water looked peaceful, at least compared to what his mind was thinking.

_Why...? Why the HELL is my mind thinking of nothing but Killua?! Maybe I shouldn't have watched the video! STOP! Stop thinking about what you want to do with Killua! He's watching straight porn for god sakes! It probably- NO, most likely never happen! I... I don't even want it to happen, do I?_

Daniel was no longer sure of himself at that very moment. Yes, he like being around Killua, but he couldn't picture himself around Killua like how his fathers are. The physical attraction is undeniable at this point. The problem is the mental issue. Daniel doesn't want things to change, or at least be destroyed.

He wants to continue being around Gon's and Killua's side without... awkward moments.

Daniel left the bathroom, walking over to the couch to sleep "Enjoy your, um...  _movie_ , Killua..."

"It's sensational! You don't know what you're missing out on!"

 _A white Christmas-_  "I'm good!" Daniel gestured with a hand as he curled into the couch, facing away from the others. "Don't sleep late! Also... try not to do anything weird, Killua."

Killua gawked at Daniel's back, taken back by the boy's very words "I... I can't believe you would think that!"

"Trust me... you don't want to know what I  _think!"_   _Weird thoughts about touching you..._  "Anyways, goodnight...!"

Killua turned back quickly to the video, watching it with flush cheeks as he barely mumbled under his breath "B-Baka..."


	46. Wrestling Moles X Fraud X The Phantom Troupe

Daniel gently rubbed the sleep from his eyes, while projecting an aura of gloom and despair. He spent majority of the night fighting away the thoughts of Killua, only to be woken hours later after managing to fall asleep.

Unfortunately, Daniel wished at this very moment in time, he could project his own father's presence when being disturbed before his morning coffee... or at least the same one he could pull of last night.

Killua curiously asked with a raised finger "Slept on the wrong side of the bed?"

"I wish it was the wrong side of the bed... It must have been that  _ **movie**_  I watch part of last night."

Leorio quirked an eyebrow at the boy, suspicious of the timing "What movie...?"

Killua held his palm out to Leorio, silencing the topic from proceeding any further, and especially Gon from rating him out "Oh, just a short horror movie that was half way though..."

"If  _that_  was horror, I dread the day its sequel comes out! The only thing that was even considered  **horror** , was the  **horror** -ible acting..."

Killua groaned out in agony "What horrible pun..."

"You try thinking when you're lacking sleep!"

"I can stay awake for days without having to sleep."

Daniel dropped his head slightly "Not all of us have been raised to do  **something**  that involves staying awake for days... you fill in the blanks!"

"Right..." Killua rolled his eyes at Daniel. Unfortunately, Daniel was running on a short fuse. Daniel slumped down, snuggling his head on Killua's lap before the boy could even react or move "Wh-What are you doing?!"

Daniel flicked the boy's nose "Sleeping, while using you as my own personal cushion! Move and... I'll think about killing you. You smell like lavenders and cinnamons anyways, which you the perfect candidate to put me to sleep!"

Killua freaked out, wanting to move from the spot, but for some reason Daniel had an unnatural amount of strength which was holding Killua in place.

Leorio and Gon were both holding a hand on their mouth, suppressing the laughter that was threatening to come out from the back of their throat. Once Killua threaten both Gon and Leorio with an intense stare, he patted the boy's head on his lap, hoping he could relax the boy into giving him an opportunity to push Daniel away.

Unfortunately, it only made Daniel whine in content and hold the boy tighter.

"Damn it! Leorio, let's just ignore him and move back to our original topic..."

"Right, right, don't want to wake  _your_  sleeping prince..."

Killua nails retracted at Leorio's words, to which the man freaked out and return back to the original topi at hand "YES, RIGHT! We currently have a 10,000,000 diamond-"

Daniel raised an accusing finger at Leorio, which ended up looking like a duck's face instead "Which is payed for with my money!"

"-yes... 5,400,000 Jenny in left over cash, and we also have the 2,790,000 Jenny from the arm wrestling."

Killua joined off Leorio's comment "Which Daniel barely contributed a measly 40,000 to..."

"No comment!"

Leorio sighed before looking sternly at the kids whom were wide awake "That gives you a total of around 8,200,000... 306,200,000 million if Daniel's funding plus the ring is added."

"WHICH IT'S NOT! Last time I trusted you with my money, I was left almost broke."

Leorio slapped his hand onto his face, dragging it down slowly in frustration "Then we somehow need to turn the 8,200,000 million into at least 9 billion, the minimum opening bid for Greed Island..." Leorio grumbled to himself incoherent words before continuing on "I don't see how we can manage that though legitimate channels."

Gon smiled innocently at the old man "I wouldn't call that  _arm wrestling_  legitimate."

Killua attempted to push Daniel off, only to have the boy remain firm and unmoving. He sighed after that failed attempt, and instead looked at Leorio, frustrated from his unfortunate position "All the challengers towards the end were half desperate losers trying for revenge."

"That's fine." Leorio slowly grinned at the boy "That was my goal."

"Huh?" Killua and Gon were taken back by Leorio's choice of words. What did he have in plan exactly?

"We want as many people as possible to embellish the tale."

Gon's face shifted, looking stumped from the lack of information "What do you mean?"

"The arm wrestling was meant as bait."

Gon still as confused as ever asked "Bait?"

"To draw out the moles..."

"Moles...? Why do we want moles?"

Daniel raised a finger, answering in a half asleep state "He doesn't mean the animal! He means a person who is a mole..."

"Mole people...?"

"At least I tried..."

Leorio groaned, crossing his arms at the boy's lack of knowledge "I'll explain everything."

Killua and Gon looked at each other, curious at what the older man had planned. The plan was simple, to draw out the moles. The moles were people who had connections to underground information on how to make money faster than they were currently.

Once every little detail was mentioned, the boys were a tiny bit enlightened from earlier. Daniel had fallen asleep during the lecture, which made it easier for Killua to slip out from underneath the boy's grip.

Once she slipped out, he replaced his legs with a pillow in hopes the boy would be none the wiser once he woken up later.

"~"

Daniel yawned into his hand, walking with the others after having been informed about one of the moles being surfaced. Although he would have liked to sleep longer, he was glad for the extra few hours of undisturbed sleep.

On the second large yawn, Daniel managed to blurt out his question "Soooo, this is what you were aiming for Leorio?"

Gon joined off Daniel's question "Yeah, are they the moles?"

"Yeah, looks like we landed a big fish."

"Huh? Fish...? Don't you mean moles?"

"Stop talking." Leorio's eyebrows twitched in rage at Gon's painful questions "It doesn't matter!"

"You don't tell him now Leorio..." Daniel yawned for the third time these past few minutes "He'll only drive you up the wall."

"Can it sleeping beauty!"

"Your funeral..."

Leorio brought out a hand to pat Daniel's hair "The only funeral here is-"

Before Leorio's fingers could touch Daniel's hair, the boy slapped away his hand almost at the same speed of light "Touch the hair and you die!"

Leorio crossed his arms, pouting at the boy "Hmph, Killua got to touch your hair..."

"Bullshit!" Daniel gawked in surprise, almost jumping back. Before anyone could respond, the short stubby man aptly named 'the mole' in Daniel's head pointed at a door to his left "Here we are."

The man led them inside as Daniel's eyes shook in terror. Had someone, other than himself touched his hair. Could the lack of sleep have been the reason Killua got away with touching his hair?

I couldn't be anything else...  **Could it...?**

There was no reason anyone should have been able to get away with touching his hair. It was instinct to flick a person's hand, no matter how much they meant to him. He had stopped his sister, and both of his fathers, especially Vastorie from touching it.

It was an impulse, a requirement he must fulfil. Yet, someone managed to bypass this impulse, possibly more than once.

Daniel had been over thinking, failing to realise he had gotten into an elevator at some point. Once the doors had opened, the loud screaming and cheering echoed off the walls, which snapped Daniel out of his trace just in time to hear Killua whistle "Oh! I can feel the bloodlust."

"I feel nothing..."  _Except confusion... I most definitely feel confused right now..._

The mole spoke, lecturing the boys on what this room was about "The arm wrestling competition here accepts all comers, and it pays out. The spectators bet on each match, and the winner receives ten percent of all bets placed. We're talking billions bet on each match."

Leorio couldn't believe his ears from what he just heard "That would mean millions with each win!"

"You could win even more... I'll be taking fifty percent of your earnings as my commission."

"Fifty percent...? Isn't that a little high?"

"You can't participate unless I enter your name. Besides, you can bet your own money. You'll get great odds with those kids, and earn back your stake a hundred times over."

"OH, NO!" Daniel flailed his arms around, refusing to jump in a ring filled with burly men "I'm not participating in this... I rather bet on Gon."

Leorio freaked out, furious from Daniel's reaction "What?! We could rig this game and win every round!"

"Leorio, let me stop you for a second... what's 300 million times a hundred?"

"HUH?!"

Daniel sighed at the old man, unable to believe that he was oblivious now of all times "Who here... has the most money?"

"You..."

"And I'm sure there's a rule that stops you, as a player from bidding..."

Leorio slid a hand along the back of his hair, embarrassed he hadn't thought of that before "I- I guess your right..." Leorio sigh before turning to look at the man "We're in! Go, Gon!"

"Huh...?"

Gon had been distracted during the whole conversation but once he saw the glint in Leorio's eyes, he knew what the older man wanted.

"~"

The referee in the ring held out a hand, yelling to the entire crowd filling the room "Well...? Are there any other challengers?"

The man who came in with the other boys held up Gon's hand like he was a prize winner already "Got one right here! This kid's up for the challenge."

The referee was startled by the offering. It wasn't every day a boy Gon's age or size wanted to arm wrestle a man whose biceps were larger than boy's head "Very w-"

The lights turned on disrupting the referee's conversation. A pale-pink skinned, blond haired man jumped into the ring, wearing almost nothing jumped into the ring. He wore a pair of dark purple boots, red bow tie, mini black tank top and a black jock strap.

The man stood proudly in his ridiculous getup. As the man looked up, Daniel immediately looked away, wishing he could have unseen the Man's face. He had a green and purple eye tattoo, and blue lips.

That man simply did not care how ridiculous he looked, or how scary the makeup made him look "Sorry, but the arm wrestling is cancelled! We'll be doing some conditional auctioning now!"

Daniel covered his eyes, walking up beside Gon along with Killua.  _And I thought Hisoka was scary..._   _After seeing this guy, I seriously need some bleach for my eyes..._

"Why was it cancelled?"

"U-Uh, I don't know."

Daniel turned to look at what Leorio was fussing over, seeing as the 'creature' barely just introduced himself. Daniel highly doubted that even the mole saw this guy coming, pretty much like the rest of the people in the room.

The ridiculous looking man spoke with too much enthusiasm "To win, you must play hide-and-seek! We'll start by passing out the flyers!"

As Daniel and the others took a flyer from one of the ladies, the man continued to lecture "Examine the picture on the flyer. Those seven people are your targets!"

Daniel's eyes widened in shock once he saw the second person in the list "Hey, Gon... isn't that the girl-"

"Yes, she arm wrestled me."

"In order to win the bid, you must capture and deliver a target to us. For each target brought in, you will receive a nice sum of 2 billion Jenny!" Once that little piece of information was released, the room erupted into loud murmurs "There is no time limit. It doesn't matter if the target is dead or alive. Please contact us once you've captured one!"

Gon looked up to Leorio, asking for confirmation of what he just heard "Two billion each?"

"If we catch them all, we'd have 14 billion!"

Daniel let out a deep sigh as he almost threw the paper behind him "I don't know... sounds like catching an Abra from Pokémon..."

"A what...?" Gon curiously asked which only made Daniel drop his head in shame "You had no childhood... Basically, it sounds impossible, unless you're really damn lucky!"

"It'll cost you 5 million Jenny to participate!"

Daniel let out another long sigh "And there's the condition!"

"We're joining in, right?"

Daniel looked up at Leorio "Only if you're buying!"

"You're the rich kid!"

"I only bid of odds that sounds possible... this doesn't..."

"Hah, think of all the money we could make doing this!"

"And that's why you're paying! Your money, your rules... Well, technically, it is Gon's and Killua's money, well... Gon's..." Daniel looked to see Killua barely fuming "But, in any case... you are the guys that decided to share..."

"Alright, alright..." Leorio waved the boy off as he went to line up "you're a cheapskate, I get it."

"Hmm... at least I'm not a dumbass."

Leorio's eye twitched in anger as he tilted his head to the side, slowly in Daniel's direction "Oh... I'll get you back."

"At your learning curve... I suspect in three years."

Leorio took in a deep breath, calming down his nerves "Watch me prove you wrong!"

Daniel smiled innocently "I'll be waiting..."

"~"

Now that Leorio had entered into the rat race to capture the seven hide-and-seek players, they set off as a group. Leorio spoke with a smile in his voice "We need to hurry."

Killua objected to Leorio's enthusiasm "There's no rush. They won't be able to catch our targets." The boy's words confused the others in their tracks, making them stare at Killua. Neither of them knew what Killua meant, except Daniel, whom had a vague answer "They're tough... aren't they..."

Killua nodded in affirmation "Yep. The Mafia's having trouble handling them."

Leorio quirked an eyebrow, still unaware of the whole situation "What do you mean?"

"This conditional auction is nothing but a bounty hunt. In other words, the Mafia is admitting that, alone, it can't capture these targets."

"You have a point... They were willing to suspend everything to track them down."

Killua's eyes narrowed slightly, informing the boys about something he had overheard "I just heard that the underground auction was attack last night."

"The underground auction?!" Leorio freaked out, just as Daniel barely managed to get his line out at the same time "There's an underground auction?! What would they possibly need an underground auction for?"

"Body parts, unique one-of-a-kind items..."

Daniel blinked, feeling slightly disgusted at what he had just heard from Killua "Who the hell would want to buy a dead body?! Or a..." Daniel stopped, feeling slightly disturbed from the after thoughts.

Leorio looked back at the photo containing the seven people "Was it them...? That's why there's a reward for their heads?"

"Yep," Killua smiled slightly "they must be nuts to steal from the Mafia. And we already know who would be crazy enough for that."

Daniel eyes widened at the possible thought "The ones Kurapika is after...? The Phantom Troupe!"

Killua nodded in confirmation, just as Gon's eyes narrowed "Oh, right... What's Kurapika up to?"

Killua's eyes lit up in response "Yeah, he should be in the city, but he hasn't made contact."

Daniel held a finger to his chin in questioning "Maybe he's busy...?"

Gon brought out his phone "Maybe we should call him..." Gon dialled, waiting for Kurapika to pick up. Once his call went unanswered, he looked towards Killua "He isn't answering."

Leorio hummed at the thought "Daniel's right... he could be working?"

Killua looked at Leorio, confused to why Leorio would mention that "Working?"

"I heard that he's been working as a bodyguard. Probably for some VIP... He's trying to track down the  **Scarlet Eyes** , so it must be someone in the underworld."

"Scarlet Eyes...?" Daniel raised an eyebrow in questioning "I never heard of that gem before..."

"They aren't gems, Daniel..."

Daniel massaged his eyes, letting out a deep sigh "I'll bite. Why does Kurapika want a pair of eyes?"

"They belong to his dead clan."

Daniel stiffened at the thought.  _His... dead clan...? Then, I just insulted Kurapika for a legitimate cause... I insulted him for doing something he felt like he needed to do._

Gon looked up, suddenly realising something "What if he was guarding that person at the auction house, and got caught up in the attack?"

"He wouldn't have been caught up in the attack." Leorio leaned down, holding out a finger to Gon "If the Troupe attacked, he'd be actively tracking them down. It's possible that he's already captured two or three."

Daniel chuckled "As much as I hate to admit this... Leorio might be right-"

"Hey!"

"- Kurapika wouldn't dare let an opportunity like this run through his fingers. As we are speaking," Daniel crossed his arms "I wouldn't be surprised if Kurapika was capturing one right now..."

"I hope you both are right..." Gon looked at the sky, distress falling across his features. He was worried, really worried about Kurapika.


	47. Finding X The X Spiders

Daniel ran his fingers across the keyboard, typing any keywords that might have helped in finding The Phantom Troupe members. Nothing concrete showed up, which made him groan. And judging by the others' groans, they weren't fairing so well either.

Leorio leaned back in his chair, being the first to voice his agony "No good... I've got nothing."

Daniel crossed his legs, calmly staring at the blank screen "I told you this is worse than catching an Abra! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack... full of needles..."

Killua nodded as he swived in his chair to face the others "Agreed. The two billion Jenny reward per spider may be attractive, but finding them is such a hassle..."

"Yeah..." Gon nodded at Killua's comment. Gon looked down at the floor for answers "Hey," Gon jumped up from the chair, smiling widely at the others "we could ask for concrete information on the Net. Like about the Troupe's current location. We could offer a large reward."

"Hold on... It's not like any of us have that kind of money lying around."

Daniel suddenly felt uncomfortable, watching the others eyes shift towards his direction. He looked down at the floor, feeling really awkward as he shook his head "Sorry, but I'm not some charity service here..."

Leorio held his fist in the air before holding out a finger to point at the boy "Oi, Oi, you have millions of Jenny to spend!"

"And...?"

"Well, you could help us bribe people..."

"And...?"

"You... um..."

"Forget it!" Killua groaned in agony as he turned to face Daniel "He won't give up, no matter how hard you try. He's stubborn..."

Daniel crossed his arms, refusing to acknowledge what Killua just said. He may be stubborn, but he has a good reason for it. He can't trust Gon or Killua with his money, and his not about to hand it to Leorio, god knows what the man will be like with that kind of money.

Leorio rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning back to Gon "Seeing as he won't put in... where are we going to get the money for that kind of reward...?"

"It's fine." Gon produced his Hunter's licence.

Killua, Daniel and Leorio shared a look of concern.  _What exactly is Gon thinking...?_

"~"

Daniel dropped his head in shame, feeling guilty from what Gon had done. Daniel was pretty sure Gon could have pulled out a loan on the card, but the boy instead... pawned it.

"That's crazy... You actually have money."

Daniel sighed at Leorio's comment, even though Gon did manage to get 100 million Jenny from it, he still felt guilty "Gon, why didn't you pull out a loan instead? If you're trying to make me feel guilty... you're doing a great job..."

Killua crossed his arms, barely looking at Gon with one eye opened "Agreed, did you really have to pawn your Hunter License? You're insane."

"He's crazy!"

"You do realise you're at fault here..."

"Hey! If I knew he was going to pawn his Hunter's Licence, I would have handed my money over to use as you please... then immediately regret that decision!"

"Just buy his Hunter's Licence back then..."

"Or... I'll give Gon a hundred million Jenny and he can buy his own Hunter Licence back..."

"It's fine!" Gon smiled widely at the two arguing boys. "I'll get my own Hunter License back. Besides... we should feel guilty..." Gon smiled apologetically towards Daniel.

"I..." Daniel turned away, blushing in embarrassment for the first time. "I- Now... Now I know how Killua feels whenever I complement him..."

"I- I DON'T BLUSH!"

"Oh yeah...?"

"Prove it!"

"You're..." Daniel rubbed his chin, trying to think of a good compliment. "You look... cute, today..." As Killua's jaw dropped in surprise, Daniel mentally punched himself in the face.  _OUT OF EVERYTHING YOU COULD HAVE SAID... You choose cute?!_  "I mean... Damn... I've got nothing I could say, that could get me out of this graveyard..."

Killua turned away, mortified for what he had just heard.

Leorio burst into laughter, pointing an accusing finger at Killua "You are blushing!"

"SH-SHUT IT... old man!"

"Hey, I'm a teenager!"

"So," Gon smiled widely, disrupting the argument between the others "what should we do first?"

"First," Leorio raised a finger in enthusiasm to express the main task at hand "we need to purchase a Southernbees catalogue."

"~"

During the whole walk to Southernbees auction house, Gon and Daniel had been arguing back and forth on who would end up paying for the catalogue. Even after arriving to the auction house, they were still going strong.

"Uh-uh, I'm buying and that's final!" Gon held one finger to his lips, stopping Daniel from further pursing the topic.

As Gon talked to the lady at the reception, Daniel continued to glare at the boy for a moment longer before turning to look at Killua "GAH! Why does Gon have to be so stubborn, Killua...?"

"I think someone else is being more... unreasonable, in the argument..."

"HUH?" Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Killua "What you mean...?"

"You're fighting over a lost cause..."

"LOST CAUSE?! I'm fighting for Gon to save money so he can buy his card back earlier..."

"Hence, lost cause...! You know, if you were willing to pay the bribery fee in order to get more information, you wouldn't be arguing..."

"I'm not giving some random strangers my hard-earned-money!"

"Hard, earned and money don't belong in the same sentence... considering you got it from gambling..."

"Gambling is hard... isn't that right, Killua?"

Killua turned away, pouting as he whispered at the nearby floor "I was on a winning streak..."

"What?"

Killua shot Daniel an embarrassing glare "NOTHING!"

Daniel looked at Killua just as the receptionist brought in an elaborate, large book "Here is this year's Southernbees auction catalogue."

_Drat! I was too slow to pay this time... but next time... I'll win!_

"~"

Gon flipped through the book, looking for the game Greed Island. The book was filled to the brim with all kinds of artifacts, books, clothing and who knows what else people have put up for auction.

Gon finally flipped to the right page, pointing at the game as if he just found Wally "There it is, Greed Island!"

Leorio stroked the stubble on his chin, humming his thoughts out loud as he silently read the game's details "Seven total copies on sale..."

Daniel sighed "Yup, the minimum starting bid is 8.9 billion..."

Killua flashed a grin at Daniel "Hoping for less?"

"Hmm... does a  _landslide_  explain how low I was expecting it to be?"

"Of course it would, you don't even belong in the bidding section!"

"Can't argue with that..." Daniel looked up to smile at Killua, which the boy returned the gesture with a grin. Sometimes, Daniel couldn't help but to agree to disagree with Killua... even if it meant going against what he really felt like saying.

"~"

After posting a few offers and obtaining the Southernbees auction catalogue, the only thing left to do is sit on the information, and wait for a bite. The four of them traversed the market, rounding corners as they headed back towards the hotel.

Leorio took the opportunity to voice the already known plan at hand "Now we wait for the information to come in. First, we catch one of the spiders and make them tell us where the rest are hiding, so that we can bag them all!"

Daniel sighed at Leorio's so-called bullet proof plan "If it were only that easy..."

"What you mean?! The plan is fool proof!"

"I mean... if the mafia struggling to catch them, I don't think running in with large nets and duct tape is a sound-proof-plan..."

"Of course we're not! We're going to use our  _abilities_  to catch the Spiders."

"You're going to catch them... with  _Ten_  alone... Hold on spiders while I pose and show my so-called awesome defence skills!"

"Why don't you come up with a brilliant plan then?"

"I... I lure them out, Killua trips them and Gon bear hugs them into submission..."

"Tch, like your plan is any better than mine!"

"At least I made an effort to point out what each of us could be doing! Isn't that right Killua?" When Killua failed to answer Daniel, the boy looked around "Ah... Killua...?" Daniel found the boy kneeling next to Gon, looking over an extremely sharp knife. He walked over to Killua; more interested in asking whose right than about the weapon Gon's holding "Isn't my plan better than Leorio's?"

"You both made a bullet proof plan; now check out what Gon found!"

Daniel huff as he held out his hand, carefully examining the knife "It's a Ben's knife... Number..." As Daniel failed to find the number, he awkwardly handed to Killua "one of them at least..."

Killua quirked an eyebrow "You know about these and their numbers?"

"Yeah, my dad's a weapon fanatic, remember? Well... one of them is..."

"I remember... just didn't think a Ben's knife would be a part of that list."

Gon cut into the conversation, still confused about the knife "What is a Ben's Knife?"

"Seeing as Daniel knows about them, he can tell you..."

"Well, a blacksmith by the name of Benny Delon, a hundred years ago designed them."

Killua interjected, adding some more information to topic "A mass murderer, who happened to be a blacksmith named Benny Delon..."

"He was?!"

"Yeah...! What, didn't your dad tell you?"

"It's news to me!"

Killua sighed at Daniel before turning to look at Gon "Anyways, Daniel's right Ben was a famous blacksmith, who doubled as a serial killer a hundred years ago. This is one of his original works. It's a lesser-known piece that a lot of rabid collectors are after, which, happens to be my next question. How did you recognize it Gon?"

"I didn't..."

"Huh?" Everyone stared dumb folded at Gon.

"It happened to catch my eye, so I got curious and I used  _Gyo_. That's when I noticed a faint aura on it."

"So..." Daniel held out a curious hand to Gon "let me get this straight. You saw a sharp, elaborately designed knife and thought  **let me try using** _ **Gyo**_ **on this**?"

Gon smiled, nodding at boy's statement "Yeah!"

Leorio blinked between the boys " _Gyo_?"

"Like I said earlier... you have no chance at catching the Spiders!"

"Agreed..." Killua turned to nod in agreement at Daniel before turning to look at Leorio "Like we mentioned earlier, it's a form of  _Nen_. Basically, you look really hard at something."

As Leorio glared at the knife like it had offended him, Daniel focused on the knife, seeing a faint line of aura surrounding the weapon.

"Yup, Gon's right..."

"You're right."

Daniel and Killua looked at each other, smiling mischievously at the déjà vu agreement. Leorio snatched the knife out of Killua's hand "Let me see!" after death staring the knife for two seconds, Leorio gave up "Nope, I don't see a thing..."

Gon offered some words of advice to Leorio, accompanied with his trade mark smile "You will, once you spend more time training in  _Ren_."

"That's right!"

Daniel frowned "Of course that's right... you need to learn  _Ren_  before  _Gyo_..."

"I'm not talking about that! There's another way to earn money! Remember how four-eyes mentioned that really talented people use  _Nen_  without even realizing it themselves?"

"Four-eyes...?"

"Sorry Leorio, Killua isn't talking about you... he's talking about Wing."

"Yeah, he taught us  _Nen_." Killua grabbed the knife out of Leorio's hand, holding it out to Gon "If we search for items with aura on them, like this knife, it's likely some genius made them."

Daniel's mouth widened into a huge grin "And if a genius has made them..."

"Exactly!"

Gon joined in on the conversation "We find hidden gems with no formal appraisal training, and we then auction the items at a higher price!"

Daniel and Killua spoke at the exact same time as each other "Exactly!"

"If you guys want that, write down your price."

Daniel startled, turned to the shopkeeper that had been listening the whole time "Ah...?"

As Daniel continued to stare dumb folded at the man, unsure of what the man meant Killua stepped in "Customers are supposed to name their own prices?"

"Yeah, that's how this market works. You write down what you're willing to pay, and when the time expires, the highest bidder wins the item. Understand?" The balding man picked up a bunny in a pink dress, showing the price tag to the boys "Popular items will see their prices shoot up."

"I get it now..." Killua smiled at the idea of how the market is run.

"~"

The group got up to leave, organising on who does what. Seeing as Leorio could not use Gyo, even if his life depended on it, he opted to leave and check if any information on the spiders popped up.

That left Killua, Daniel and Gon to search the markets for any valuables.

Daniel took a route different to Killua and Gon, replaying Killua's advice in his head as a reminder to what he should be doing.

_**If a bid has already been placed, enter one that's 2.5 times higher. Even if you end up bidding too high, you'll succeed in discouraging any rivals.** _

"Sounds easy enough... I feel bad for Gon though... what happens if someone bids a ridiculous amount... like 563 Jenny, which happens to be 1407.5 Jenny or 1408 if you round it off to the nearest unit. Hmm..."

Daniel stopped, enabling  _Gyo_  to look at a nearby store. His eyes fell on a porcelain doll in a purple dress "This doesn't feel weird at all..."  _I believe there's a joke to be made here... something along the lines of_ ** _'guys don't play with dolls...'_**  "But this could be an antique..."

Daniel checked the price tag, seeing a unique name written down "Zephile, huh... sorry..." Daniel grabbed a pen, crossing off the man's name in order to write down a new price "But I just out bid you..."

Daniel put down the doll, continuing on his merry way. Time flew by as Daniel failed to pick up another valuable object. As he was walking back, he spotted something different, something he wasn't expecting to find "This has to be fake!"

Daniel picked up the deck of cards, rotating it from one side to next "There's no way this is real..." Daniel next enabled  _Gyo_ , noticing a faint glow from within the case.  _This is real! A deck owned, and used by the late Tubalcain Alhambra... My dad would be so jealous!_

Daniel looked over the price tag noticing the same name earlier "Zephile?! I gotta tell Killua about this..."

Daniel rang Killua, telling the boy his dilemma. The moment Daniel mentioned 'Zephile', Killua abruptly cut Daniel off "You too?! This guy moves fast..."

"What do you mean you too?"

"Some of the things I found already had bids placed by this 'Zephile' guy. Gon seems to have run into his name as well. After I entered a bid 2.5 times higher, he multiplied that by 4."

"FOUR, what is he... an entrepreneur?!"

"Maybe... In any case, keep placing bids until the deadline. There are three of us, so we'll win most of them!"

"Ok, he'll not win those cards!"

"What cards?"

"Ah... slip of the tongue. I just saw something I really was hoping to obtain. I'll keep bidding so we can make a profit as well."

"O...K... Well, try to win as many as you can. Gon and I are doing the same."

Daniel smiled into the phone "Got it!" Upon hanging up, Daniel changed the price tag "Alright, I'm gonna check for any more items, making sure to double back towards the doll, and check if he has bid on that again."

"~"

Daniel let out a deep sigh, feeling mentally drained from running up and down and constantly multiplying numbers in his head. He tilted his head to the side just as Killua was starting a conversation "So ultimately, we won... four and lost one. But, one of them... you want to keep for yourself...? Why?"

"Killua..." Daniel turned, giving his complete attention to the boy "You have no idea, how rare these are!"

"Which is why WE should sell them, more profit!"

"No, I mean... Hmm, how should I explain this...? Ok, it's like a childhood classic for me. My dad, Vastorie and I knew of this magician, named Tubalcain Alhambra."

"Never heard of him..."

Daniel closed his eyes, feeling slightly frustrated. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before continuing "His been dead for 70 years... and his not like Benny Delon. He's a classic card trick magician. My dad loved his classic tricks so much... he paid homage to them, trying to replicate many of them. You remember in the casino how I did that card shuffle?"

"Yeah...?"

"That was a variation to one of he's own magic tricks. My dad made it and passed it onto me, which is weird... now that I think about it. My dad taught me how to gamble..."

"And you only just figured that out now?!"

"No, still not as weird as YOUR family business..."

"My family business is crap! Boring... dull... and-" Killua stopped mid sentence, cheeks turning read from his following thoughts "In- In any case..." Killua shifted his gaze towards Gon "Which one did the guy get?"

Gon paused as if trying to recall a memory "He got... that weird looking pot."

"What pot...?"

Killua frowned at Daniel "If SOMEBODY wasn't focused on a deck of cards... he would have noticed a weird looking pot."

"I bid on other things as well... like the antique doll your holding."

"You're actually lucky! If I didn't check, we would have lost it..."

"He must have bid on it in the last minute..."

Killua let out a small huff, turning to look away from Daniel "Well, it wasn't too bad. Let's take these to the auction house now."


	48. Trading X Zephile X The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I'm back and feeling a hundred times better. During my long break I wrote a couple of chapters to see if I can keep my interest in the story up, and exactly three months later (for some weird reason) I have 4 - 5 chapters, each around 4000 to 7000 words. :-)

Nothing had gone how Killua had planned it. After visiting Southernbees in order to put it on auction, the person was unable to do so. Fortunately, he offered the alternative option to instead try the trade market. Much to the boy's disappointment, they went off to try the trade market.

Daniel eyed down the trinkets layering the shelves, pretending to believe he was an antiquity appraiser. Everything looked so unique, and he didn't even know where to begin when it came to guessing how much half of the stuff would cost.

Daniel picked up a jar, rotating it within his hand as the shop owner was dealing with the others "Oh, you found these in your cellar?"

"Yup! Dad said to sell them if the price was right." From the way Killua's emoted, Daniel could only imagine the smile across the boy's face.

A warm feeling spread across his chest as the image was envisioned within his own mind. Big puffy cheeks, a possible hint of cat-like features from the lie he just blurted.

Daniel's mind was running rampart, imagining all kinds of smiles the boy could produce. And he didn't like it...

He didn't like it one bit...

He was becoming too obsessed within his mind about the things Killua could be doing. He's really dreading the moment he would say something, destroying not only his friendship, but the possibility of still being able to join in the adventures with Gon and Killua.

What was worth more...? The possibility of observing and being able to view everyone of Killua's emotions... or the very friendship which made every moment special...?

Somehow, the risks were getting smaller with each passing second. Daniel placed the jar back and turned his attention to other antiques littering the shelves.

"These are wonderful pieces. Only fifty copies were printed, and yours has a single-digit serial number. And an authentic autograph..."

Daniel had no idea what the man was even talking about at the point. Single-digit serial number...? Fifty copies...? Was it the painting... the doll... or the weird wooden artifact, which Daniel was yet to warp his mind around.

"I'd guess it's worth at least 150,000."

_ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND?! Gon and Killua are on a roll!_

"This antique doll is also excellent... It's in great shape, and a pristine condition of both box and doll raises the value. I'm estimating 300,000."

_OH YEAH! Score one for team Gon!_

"However, -"

_Oh shit, what now?!_

"- this one isn't worth much, unfortunately."

Daniel stopped observing the antiques, while moving towards the others' direction "What you mean?"  _Granted, I have no idea what **that**  is either..._

"The box and statue are from different periods. The box was made recently. The statue is rough and doesn't adhere to any theme. I'd say it's only worth 1,500 Jenny."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the older man before turning to observe the statue with  _Gyo_. It had a faint amount of aura surrounding it. It didn't sound right... something was a miss...

"However, -"

_OMG, what now?!_

"- that would be its appraisal as an artwork."

_That sounds about right... What is it even supposed to be...?_

"The wood itself is quite valuable." As the boys made a sound of confusion in unison, the man continued "So I'll make you an offer. If you sell me the painting and doll for 420,000, I'll buy the wood for 80,000."

"A total of 500,000...?" Killua ran the idea across his mind, barely giving anytime to his own thoughts "What you think?"

Daniel rubbed his chin, stroking his imaginary beard "I don't know..."  _The wood price sounds fishy for some reason..._

"Feel free to think it over. But I doubt anyone will quote you a better price. In the meantime, let me check this wood's age."

 _OK, that's really fishy... I need to find a way to keep him here; at least until I figure what's up with that wooden... thing..._  "Hold it... If the wood is rare, wouldn't you offer a better deal for it?"

"Hmm...?"

"Yeah... the rarer something is the more it's valued at, right?" Daniel looked at the others, hoping they would agree. The lack of emotions said otherwise. Gon was thoroughly confused, and Killua had one eyebrow raised while questioning the other's motives. "Alright, how about 160,000 for the wood...? It's rare... right?"

"No!" Daniel as well as the others turned around, facing the man who suddenly decided to join into the great debate "Put down that statue."

And here Daniel thought the statue was bad...

"Wh-Who are you?!" The collector yelled at the man that had stood before them with wavy, long thick eyebrow, which somehow resembled angry ocean waves.

_Why do you look more pissed than your earlier 'no'?!_

"Your friend's right and wrong at the same time! He's trying to scam you, kid. He's offering a fair price for the painting and doll, but he's lying about the statue!"

Daniel listened to the man after finally getting over the man's eyebrows. He focused on the man's looks and the comment instead, trying to figure out how he was being  **wrong**  and  **right**  at the same time.

The man's short, light brown hair was thinning out at the top, showing most of his forehead and grew down the sides, giving him long thick sideburns. Nothing on the man at all, looked trustable in the slightest.

"I- I never lied!"

Daniel craned his neck, so he could carefully observe the man's face "What you mean, eyebrows?!"

The man's eyebrows twitched, frustrated from Daniel's nick name, but the boy asked him a question so he chose to focus on that instead "No collector would pay 80,000 for that wood." Raising his finger to point at the collector, the man continued to yell "And they certainly wouldn't pay 160,000 either! He's more interested in the contents of that statue!"

As the man walked up to the table, Daniel took in the man with the weird eyebrow's attire.

He wore burgundy-red blazer with black stripes on the edges over a white shirt that had a large thick collar, spreading out over the blazer. The shirt gracefully showed a large amount of chest, and tucked out of his blue pants. Half way through the blue pants, another piece of darker blue fabric was connected; giving the illusion he was wearing both shorts and regular pants underneath.

Daniel couldn't help but silently laugh in his mind at the man's sandals. It looked way out of place compared to his other attire.

"It's a wooden trove."

"A wooden trove...?" Gon and Killua said in sync at the same time of Daniel's question "A what...?"

"Three hundred years ago, these were a popular way for the wealthy to hide their money."

Gon hummed the words, repeating eyebrow's words "To hide their money..."

"People were hiding their treasures..." Daniel held a finger towards the statue, barely stopping his next comment from being fired off "In whatever that is?"

"Yes... if it's real, there should be valuables inside."

"So, you could be lying..."

"Y-Yeah! He's lying!"

"YOU planned on stealing the contents, while pretending to check its age!"

"Both of you..." Daniel crossed his arms, while pointing at both the collector and Mr. Eyebrows "could therefore be lying then..."

"I-I would never do THAT... He's lying!"

"You're both pretty much lying at this point..." Daniel objected, looking over both men in hopes for finding the liar. At this point, the collector seemed to be in the most volatile position.

The door behind the collector creaked, opening to reveal a bald-headed collector wishing to play this game "Hold on! Can you prove that this is a genuine wooden trove?"

"What?"

_Indeed... who is lying now...?_

"The wood is certainly over three hundred years old. But that only tells us the material's age. The statue itself could be modern. This technique is known as hoodwinking, boys."

"Right... you lost me at technique. Is it like some kind of carving illusion or something...?"

The man with the eyebrows stepped in, explaining what the man was referring to "Not necessarily. He's referring to a counterfeiter trying to trick a professional appraiser. But that isn't what I'm doing." Mr Eyebrows turned to face the collector, running his finger across a small line on the top of the statue "Here's a seam that an amateur would never recognize. The seam contains an adhesive used back in that period."

Daniel looked at the trove, focusing on nothing but the seam. It was invisible to the naked eye. And when Mr Eyebrows was willing to point it out, Daniel didn't even notice the seam until then.

"You're insisting this is a real wooden trove?"

"Yeah!"

"But it is possible that it was opened once to swap out its contents, and the statue was reassembled. We'd call that a dud. It's called double-dipping, placing new adhesive on top of the old to create a dud. But only an amateur would try that. A professional would melt the adhesive with a flame, before resealing it. That way," The collector rubbed the top of the adhesive, as if aiming to wipe it away "it would appear as though the statue had never been opened. That's known as welding."

"It hasn't been welded. If fire-"

Daniel completely zoned out, thinking to himself. _You know... while you two are arguing... we could have made this simple by cracking the walnut wide open to see whose lying or not. But then again... it could also decrease the price of the... thing..._

"- would have discoloured."

_WAIT, what's this about **discoloured**?! I stopped listening, who knows how long ago!_

"Even the pros have a hard time weighing those details. I can't trust you."

_What details?! Trust who...? Mr Eyebrows...?_

"I'm a pro appraiser! I swear by my eyes..." Mr Eyebrows held his hand against the top of the wooden statue, holding it in place "This is a real wooden trove! It's never been opened, and the treasure inside hasn't been swapped out!"

Daniel's eyebrows twitched, thinking of ways this could go wrong. Putting their trust in a man whom had just shown up out of nowhere sounded like a stupid idea, but the words the man was sprouting rang deep within Daniel's mind. They held some kind of hidden truth behind them, begging for Daniel to remember and somehow adhere to them.

Even if the man's eyebrows gave him the 'crazy person' impression, the words he spoke out-weighed his sister's words.

**_Don't trust people with crazy eyebrows!_ **

Daniel waited for the second collector to respond. The man took several seconds longer, as if trying to find a way to make Mr Eyebrows back down. "Okay," The man paused, slowly grinning like he had just thought of the best way to win "let's assume that this is a genuine wooden trove. If the contents have been swapped out, what would you do?"

The silence that followed the question was brutal, as if time slowed down slowly. Was Mr Eyebrows throwing a torch down a dark hallway, as if grasping for some kind of hidden switch. Mr Eyebrows soon smiled, offering a deal the collector couldn't offer up, especially if the collector was in the right "I'll be your slave for the rest of my life."

The collector showed a smug expression, turning to face the other collector. He walked up to the man before patting him of the shoulder "Give up."

Daniel and the others were shocked from what transpired. Mr Eyebrows not only able to convince the second collector, but in the process was able to show the boys what was in the wooden trove.

The moment he cracked open the wooden trove, several hundred gems, rings, amulets, gold and silver pieces of jewellery fell onto the ground shining brilliantly. The boys soon smiled in amazement, eyes glittering awe from wondering how much they could made from their new treasure.

"Wow! Awesome!" Each boy said in sync as they continued to stare at the treasure.

"~"

Upon leaving the store, the boys had learned the man's name, Zephile. It hadn't clicked till now that the man could have been Zephile because Daniel had been more focused on the wooden trove.

Killua groaned at the older man "Oh, so you're Zephile."

Daniel was happy to know that he trusted his gut correctly, although for the wrong reasons. He believed the statue was worth more, but the secrets contained within the statues was what made it worth even more that he had originally thought.

"Thanks, Zephile-San." Gon smiled brilliantly at Zephile.

"You don't need to thank me."

Daniel commented with the same tone as Killua "So, not only were you the guy to cause us hassles earlier, you ended up being the same guy to not only save, but help us gain a  _few_  extra treasures."

Gon turned to Daniel, smile never faltering in the slightest "He helped us a lot more in the end."

Daniel crossed his arms, barely looking away from the boy with a smug expression "You know what they say... All that pain was worth it in the end."

"Actually," Killua tilted his nose up slightly "the saying is  **all the pain will be worth it in the end**."

"That's right, Mr Smarty pants..." Daniel waited for the embarrassment to follow like per usual, but Killua's mind had been focusing on something else. And judging by the boy's smile, Daniel was guessing it was on what Killua could buy with all that treasure.

Zephile coughed, drawing the boy's attention "Consider this a give and take. Twenty percent sounds fair. My cut when you sell the treasure."

Killua glared at the older man, finding the deal outrageous "What? You're going to rob us?!"

"That's uncalled for." Zephile frowned slightly as Daniel offered a rebuttal deal "How about ten...?"

Zephile frown faltered for a moment, before shifting to a smile instead "It's my fee for providing advice."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Zephile, wondering why now of all times would choose to spring that on them.

Gon looked at the others with a reaffirming smile "I don't see a problem."

"I do..."

"He did help us out back there."

"He did..."

Killua frowned "Now, look here... we need to collect as much Jenny as we possibly can. I- correction, Daniel might be willing to buy him lunch."

Daniel gawked at Killua, unable to believe his ears "WHAT?! Why do I have to pay?"

"You're the guy who isn't poor at the moment."

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed his mouth "I guess that's true..."

"Really...?" Zephile blinked several times at Daniel, trying to figure out the boy's wealth status "I could settle for a free lunch."

"~"

Daniel rubbed his face, groaning every few times once he saw what was on the table. He expected the boys to go all out, just not by this much. The table was filled to the brim with hundreds of dishes.

The moment Daniel left to go to the toilet; Killua, Gon and Zephile had the decency to order fish, salads, rice, pizza, and whatever else the others got as a side dish. Yet, Daniel still couldn't complain since not only did he ask to order lobster for himself, and he promised to pay.

Daniel sighed, grabbing seafood cracker to help him with cracking open the lobster. With each piece of shell cracked, Daniel payed attention to Gon talking with Zephile.

"So, Zephile-San..."

"Hmm...?"

"I feel bad, so we'll pay you a fee."

Killua turned, ranting towards Gon "There you go again!"

Daniel cut in calmly, eyes never looking up "Don't feel bad! He's going to send me broke if he has a garbage compactor as a stomach..."  _It's bad enough we already do..._

"Nah, it really is okay." Zephile cut the boys off, calmly holding out a hand as he tried to calm Killua down. "In return," Daniel quirked an eyebrow, waiting for a whole list of ridiculous requirements, but was met with an easy to fulfil requirement "just tell me something. What tipped you off to bid on these items? And, the one you're not selling off...?"

"So you know about the cards...?" Daniel eyes glanced up at Zephile before returning to look down, picking up the seafood pick in the process.

Gon shared a look of concern between Daniel and Killua "Is it okay to tell him the truth?"

Daniel put down the cracker, calmly picking up the lobster to crack it in half with his bare hands "You may want to bend it slightly..."

Killua scratched his chin, not even batting an eye to what Daniel had just done.  _Abnormal_  strength was considered  _normal_  between the boys at this point "Well, it beats paying him."

Gon and Killua spoke most of the time, explaining the concept of Nen. Daniel didn't try to stop the others from telling Zephile, even though he simply said the topic should be kept under wraps. From what he heard from Wing, if the wrong person overheard the topic of Nen, who knows what they would do with the information.

"I see..." Zephile hummed, running the details through his mind constantly as he sipped on his coffee " _Nen_  aura..." Zephile put the cup down, looking Gon in the eyes "If you're telling the truth... that explains why you brought the statue, not realizing something was hidden inside. However, it doesn't explain two things. Why aren't you selling the cards as well, and why you need the money so badly?"

Daniel looked up at Zephile, focusing on the man for a second. He then turned, grabbing the deck of cards, opening the vintage case. Daniel held out the cards, fanning them out for the older man "These are one of the rarer sets by Tubalcain Alhambra. It's a part of his more... unique sets. It's the morbid set... or a gory one."

The deck was set up like a usual deck of cards. The main deck picture on the back, which happened to be a dark figure cloaked in shadows, holding the four so called tools of death. Each tool is located in one of the corners.

The  **Clubs**  was changed to a  **sword** , the tip pointing towards the corner of the card.

The  **Diamonds**  was changed to a  **bow and arrow** , the arrow being in the front of the bow, more elegantly designed as opposed to the bow being plainer.

The  **Hearts**  had changed to a  **weighted scale** , weighing a blooded heart and a pile of bones, which the scales happened to be tipped in the favour of the bones.

The  **Spades**  was change to a  **Scythe** , although it looked rather plain. It gave a much more menacing look, especially if one were to look at the cloaked figure, whose beady little red eyes was always looking towards the scythe's corner.

"As you could tell... the cards aren't like the original. Tubalcain made, I believe to be... around four personalised decks, each with their own design."

As Daniel stopped, Killua felt a wanting, a desire to pursue the topic; he opened his mouth slightly, only to close it without further pursuing the topic.

Zephile cut in, curious to know the reason "And...?"

Daniel put the cards back in the box as he spoke "When I saw this... I guess I just wanted to have it. Like a collector's item. I believe my dad has another deck, which I think he said was the  ** _cutest_** deck **.**  But I think this one is better... it looks cooler... most likely..."

Zephile looked left and right, feeling slightly weirded out by Daniel's final comment "Right... Right... So, now what about the money-"

Killua held out a hand, stopping Zephile from asking the question "We can answer that question... but not for free." Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, wanting to know if he was ever a part of the  _'we'_ "Afterwards, you have to answer our question."

"Sure, that's fine."

"There's an item we want to buy at the auction. That's why we need the money."

Zephile looked curiously towards Daniel then back towards Killua, over thinking his next question "Hmmm... which item are you interested in?"

"It's our turn now." Zephile frowned at Killua statement but then was startled by his next question "You estimated that this treasure was worth 300 million, right?" Daniel watched Killua pat the wrapped box containing the treasures that was hidden within the statue "Could we receive that much at the trade market?"

"At the trade market...? They mainly deal in hard cash..." Zephile looked down, closing his eyes as thought deeply while crossing his arms. Zephile thought seriously, tapping his arm for few moments before opening his eyes to look back at Killua "If you show up abruptly, you won't get a fair price."

"What?" Gon groaned in disappointment as Daniel decided to step in "What you mean by-"

Zephile cut in with a sly grin "My turn now."

Daniel frowned, crossing his arms as he pouted and whined to himself "Damn rules..."

"I'll repeat the question. Which item do you want?"

"A game called  _Greed Island_."

"Oh...?" Zephile looked shocked at Killua "That ridiculously expensive game?"

Killua looked towards Zephile's bag, pointing at the pot "How much was that weird pot that you brought worth?"

"Huh?" Zephile looked towards the bag, sighing at the question "This? It's garbage. Nothing at all..."

While Gon and Killua looked shocked; the statement piqued Daniel's interest "You spent all that money on piece of garbage, why?"

"Sorry, my turn again. Why you want that expensive game? I believe it costs 6 billion?"

Killua mouth dropped slightly from the shock. But the next question Zephile fired off made him immediately regain his lost composure "The asking price is 8.9 billion. We're looking for Gon's dad. That game has a clue inside.

"Oh..."

"Why-"

Daniel slapped the table, cutting Killua's question for his own "Why would you choose to buy garbage?" Seeing as Killua didn't rebut Daniel's question for his own, the boy assumed Killua was about to ask the same question.

"What...?"

Killua sighed, adding more to Daniel's question "If you knew the wooden trove was real, wouldn't you have bid on the more valuable item? You chose that pot for a reason... why?"

Zephile groaned, running his hand through his hair as he leaned back into the chair. With a sigh, he answered the question "You see... I made this pot."

The three boys were startled by Zephile's response, caught off guard by his answer. Neither one of them was expecting Zephile to say that, or his next statement "But it wasn't an original creation. It was a replica." Zephile unwrapped the sheet around the pot, allowing the boys to get a better look "In other words, a counterfeit. When I was destitute, this was how I made Jenny. Once I became an appraiser and began earning money, I quit doing that. When I see how poorly these are made, I feel mortified! So I browse the markets and buy them back."

Daniel looked at the pot, barely being able to contain his next statement "I too would feel mortified after making that..." Daniel slapped his hand onto his mouth, hoping no one heard it. Zephile raised a curious eyebrow, wondering about Daniel's statement.

"Slip of the tongue... I was just thinking why make one of these, when there're hundreds of other things you could have made, well... counterfeited...?"

Killua shot Daniel a dirty look "Hey! A better question would be how much would a real one cost?!"

"Sorry," Zephile held out a hand, stopping both Daniel and Killua's question "It's my turn."

"DENIED...!" Killua shot Daniel and evil glare, which only made the boy shrug in response "Come on you thought that too..."

"Anyways," Killua's anger intensified as Zephile pointed at Gon "what does your dad do?"

"He's a pro Hunter."

"HOW MUCH WOULD A REAL ONE COST?!" Killua yelled at the top of his lungs, which Zephile answered with a quick response, waving off the boy as if he just asked a stupid question "Forty to fifty thousand."

"Double DENIED!"

Killua turned to Daniel, glaring more intensely as he had done so earlier; he practically was almost grounding his teeth to dust at that point "SHUT UP!"

"I'll be good..." Daniel felt as if he shrunk a few sizes under Killua's intense glare.

"Interesting... a pro Hunter, huh? There are a few in the antiques world, and not one of them is ordinary. Wouldn't it be impossible for you three to find him alone?"

Gon smiled at Zephile's question, beaming in delight "It'll be fine. Daniel and I are pro Hunters, too."

"HUH? Seriously...?"

As Gon nodded, Daniel slid a hand into his pocket, grabbing and holding out the license for Zephile to see "Read it and weep!"

Zephile was too shocked to process the card, let alone Gon's next bold statement "Zephile, it's your turn to ask a question."

Zephile's expression changed, going from utter shock to huge smile spread from cheek to cheek "Okay, this is my final question. Can I help you with anything?"

The boys were taken back this time from Zephile's words. Neither one of them were expecting the question, let alone him to actually offering to help out of his own volition.

"If you want to make money at an auction, you'll need an appraiser. You could even say with an appraiser, you can always turn a profit. You can set the price you want to pay me. How's that...?"

The boys shared a look of question, wondering if they should take the man up on the offer. It's not every day deals like that is offered.

_For some reason, I see Killua asking it to be done for free._

Daniel waited to hear Killua say his thoughts out loud but instead, Gon spoke "Then you have to answer our last question. Why do you want to help us?"

_Nope, I was way off!_

Zephile's eyes narrowed on Gon, slowly closing to let out a tiny snicker "Because it made me happy..."

Daniel's eyes widened at the words.  _Someone's happy...? Why exactly, the dream is normal... somewhat normal. It's not every day a kid wants to buy a 6 billion plus game. None of the less... Gon is looking for his father. I don't see how it would make someone happy to hear that..._

As Daniel's thoughts were busy filling his mind, Zephile held out a hand, holding it over the statue "It made me happy that this piece of junk actually caught your eye."

Gon slammed his hands on the table stopping the man from saying anymore "It's not a piece of junk!"

Daniel held out a finger, this time knowing what Gon is about to say "But one man's junk is another man's treasure. In other words... you left a trace of your  _Nen_  on that so called piece of  _junk_  and like the painting..." Daniel held out a finger, pointing to the box containing the painting "It will hold a piece of you forever."

Zephile's jaw dropped as Gon turned to nod at Daniel's words. Gon then turned to face Zephile "Everyone has some aura... but it's incredibly difficult to harness! You must concentrate and train for a very long time. I can tell how much effort you put into making that pot! You have a lot of talent!"

"Although," Daniel and Gon spoke at the same time "It is a strange pot..." Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Daniel continued to stare at the pot. At this very moment, he could only imagine what the original creator was thinking when they created that pot Zephile choose to recreate.

Zephile sighed, slowly lifting the tea cup to his lips to take a sip "My eyes didn't deceive me." Zephile put down the cup, looking towards Gon "When you appraise objects long enough, you also become a good judge of character. I look at the sellers and the buyers too, not just the merchandise. It's a lot harder to appraise humans than it is to appraise antiques."

_Totally agree with that! When I first saw Killua, apparently I thought he was cute. ASIDE from that, Killua's personality, mixed with Gon has created a long adventure... one filled with enough fun to last a life time... A life time I wish to continue... **as long as I can continue to do this by their side...**_

"When I saw you, I knew right away... I wanted to work with you. That's my answer. What's yours...?"

The boys shared a look, mentally agreeing with each other without any words. Zephile sounded like the right man for the job. And with him at their side, they knew they could make enough money for Gon to buy back his Hunter's Licence.

Gon looked at Zephile after nodding at both Killua and Daniel "Looking forward to it."

Killua joined off Gon, saying his own piece "We'll decide your fee after we see how you do."

Daniel smiled, leaning back comfortably in the chair "I guess that leaves me to pay for the bill, not that I would have it any other way. Welcome to the team Zephile."

"Okay!" Zephile chimed loudly, smiling in glee from the outcome "With that settled..."

"But first..." Gon interrupted, smiling endlessly at the man "Teach me those techniques you talked about earlier."

Daniel got up; pointing towards the cash register "I'll pay while you do that..."

"You're..." Zephile had to stop, re-running the words though his mind again to make sure he was hearing Gon correctly "You're interested?"

"Yep, Hoodwinking, double-dipping, welding... What else is-" Killua cut in, stopping Gon from talking anymore "Seriously?! That isn't important at all!"

"But they sound fun! Like magic tricks!"

Daniel bolted back towards Gon the mention of the words  **Magic Tricks**  "What's this about magic tricks? I'm down to learn some magic tricks!"

"Not you too...!"

Daniel frowned at Killua, pulling his head back in confusion "Whaa?"

"I was talking about Hoodwinking, double-dipping and welding... I wanted to hear more about them and others." Gon frowned, pouting as he slouched back into the chair "But Killua says they aren't important!"

"What? But, they aren't important! We have other things we should be focusing on!"

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow at Killua "You do know Gon is going to win this argument... and I believe those would fall under illusion tricks. Except, double-dipping... you should never double dip!"

Gon beamed at Daniel's words "Yeah! They sound fun! Wouldn't you agree Daniel?"

"We aren't here to have fun!"

"What you talking about, Killua?! With you two around, there's never a dull moment!"

"Whaa...?" Killua looked away as Gon nodded in triumph "Daniel's right, we do make a great team!"

"Hmm, I think you and Killua make a great team. I'm more like the..."

"Cheer leader?"

Daniel slowly looked at Killua, seeing the boy smiling like a cat. Although Killua wasn't necessarily wrong, Daniel wanted to somehow make it less demeaning "Cheer leader...? Hmm, I think more along the lines of... some kind of support. Maybe, moral...?"

"Moral support, huh?" Killua ran the thought through his head "I don't think so..."

"Well I'm some kind of support... THAT'S IT! My brain die- I just remembered! I'm the team Mascot!"

Killua snickered "Really, the team mascot...?"

Gon nudged Killua in the ribs "He'll make a great team mascot!"

Daniel frowned at Gon "I don't know why... but that sounded really sarcastic in my head..."

"Ehh...? But I think you would..."

Killua chuckled at the thought. He then leaned backwards while pressing his arms to the back of his head "I wonder what kind of mascot costume you would have...?"

"That's easy! A cat...!" Daniel winked in Killua's direction, watching the boy steam up in confusion "Wh-Why a cat?"

"Cause someone has a tendency to smirk like one... And as much as I want to think it, a dog is out of the question. I am not sniffing any butts!"

"Wh-Why not a wolf...? You grin like one half the times!"

"Because I'm not going to howl at moons... Plus cats are evil and steal all the good spots. Me in a nut shell..."

"R- Right..."

Gon hummed as he listens to the boys, finding the perfect spot to cut into the conversation "Daniel did use you as a cushion..."

"Which, I have no recollection of! So, that doesn't count..." Daniel looked left and right with a guilty expression. Just as Gon was about to object, Zephile suddenly cut the conversation short "How about I show you the trick?"

Gon beamed in delight, smiling as big as he could "Yes, please Zephile-San!"

"~"

As the boy's were leaving Zephile used the machine outside to grab a prize from the 20 Jenny machine. Zephile grabbed the ball from the slot, holding it up to the boys "Welding is the hardest technique to see through."

As Zephile started walking, he explained the tricks while using the toy as an example "But recently," Zephile stopped at a nearby brick fence resting on it as he held out the toy ball to the boys "a new technique has surfaced. It's known as exposing." Zephile unscrewed the ball, showing the prize inside. It was a small dog with huge glasses. As Zephile removed the toy, he replaced it with a leaf "You plainly reveal the opened statue along with a fake treasure. Because people assume that you wouldn't open the statue if the treasure were fake, you can fool them."

"Interesting..." Daniel hummed as he thought of a card trick his dad taught him long ago. Fooling someone into believing the card was theirs, but the trick became so old, people changed it, giving it a more powerful illusion. By signing the card, it would be impossible to replicate the card, having multiple copies of the same suit and number of that card. There were many tricks to pull it off, but the simplest to Daniel was the number crunching shuffle. As long as he kept note of which card the original spot was, the amount of shuffles wouldn't change the difficulty of guessing where the card was. All it required was memory, and a really slow shuffler.

Zephile smiled, replacing the leaf with the original toy "But now this technique is getting old. When people started to get suspicious, a new technique emerged. Can you guess what it is?"

Gon beamed at the question, going first without a second to think "I know, the treasure inside is also fake!"

"Wrong!"

Killua held out a finger, going second "I know! Remove the treasure from a different place!"

"Bingo! You can create a new opening and remove the treasure, then insert the fake treasure and seal the hole. This is known as side-stepping."

Daniel sighed "Damn and I was just about to say a prize swap! I just failed to think of how I was going to get the fake treasure inside there..."

Gon completely ignored Daniel's comment, more focused on the trick. He wanted to know more about side-stepping, even though he sounded distant and lost deep in thought "Side-stepping..."

"Many veteran appraisers have been fooled. They assume the statue is real if the adhesive hasn't changed colour from the application of fire. That's how they fool the pros."

"You know..." Daniel raised a finger, tapping the air lightly as if there was an imaginary table in front of him "You and my dad get along. Well one of them at least..."

"Hmm, how so...?" Zephile was curious, wondering why Daniel brought up his dad, and secretly wondering why the boy said one of his dads.

"I know that thought crossed your mind, because it crosses everyone's mind. Yes, I have two dads. And to answer the question is: he is... just full of information. There was not a single topic I couldn't ask him, which he didn't have an answer to..."  _Whether that answer made sense or not... or wasn't a puzzle to begin with..._

"Wow..." Gon beamed in delight "Zephile-San and Vastorie-San live in incredible worlds."

"I believe for my dad's sake,  _confusing_... would be a better choice of wording."

Zephile's interest was piqued at Daniel's wording, curious to find out what he means by that "What you mean by  _confusing_?"

"He is... he likes riddles... or at least hiding the truth. If his life was nothing but poker... he would be considered the dealer.  _You_  have to guess whether or not you have the better hand."

Killua grinned smugly "I'll beat him blind folded."

"Considering you lost all your money... I think it would better have the blind fold  _off_."

"Shut-" Killua was stopped mid sentence, Gon's phone ringing to alert the boys that someone was calling "We'll argue later..."

"What  _is_  there to argue about...?"

Killua glared at Daniel. As Gon took his phone out, Killua snatched the phone out of his hand to answer it instead "What's up, old man?!"

"I'M NOT OLD!"

As Leorio spoke to Killua through the phone, the boy continued to glare at Daniel. A comment caught Killua off guard making the boy's gaze shift towards the caller "What? A spider...?"

Daniel's eyes focused on Killua, reading the boy's face for any clues followed by Gon's curious gaze. Daniel listened intently, trying to picture what Leorio was saying "Hmm, a video huh...? Wait, there are two of them! Great, where are they headed?" Killua finally paused for a moment, listening carefully to the location "Got it! We'll head there now..."

Killua hanged up the phone, handing it back over to Gon "Gon, Daniel, lets head towards Leorio. He has found two of them."

Gon cheered in triumph "Alright!"

Daniel nodded at Killua, while taking the situation in carefully. As the boys started to run off, Zephile yelled out "Hey! What about the auction?"

Without missing a beat, Gon stopped for a second to yell out "We'll let you handle it!"

Killua joined in after Gon "Try to get us a good price!"

"HUH...?"

"He said," Daniel raised a finger as he faced Zephile; pulling off the best Cheshire cat smile he could provide "Don't get us a poor deal!"

"What...?"

Gon smiled as he gave the man thumbs up. Gon trusted Zephile a lot, believing the man enough to know he wouldn't pull out. As Gon started to run off, the others followed, leaving Zephile to his own devices.

Daniel's thoughts couldn't help but wonder.

How strong are the phantom Troupe members...?

... And would they be able to catch two of them at the same time?


	49. Spiders X Tailing X It's a Trap

Eyes cool and calm watched the window, looking down at the small food court. Daniel spotted the two people that Leorio mentioned. The two of them however looked like nothing like their photo.

They looked like two regular people out on a date, or at least an outing of some kind. Daniel turned to Leorio, nodding at the man briefly before looking out at the open, watching nothing in particular.

"I'm the one who submitted the request." Leorio smirked, briefly looking over to the table seatings "Stop looking around... I can see you. It's the couple behind your boyfriend? I'll wire the money to you now, so please confirm the receipt."

Leorio turned to look at Killua, motioning to the boy to let him know to forward the pay. As Killua punched in the numbers, Daniel's eyes looked toward the couple.

Within a couple of seconds, the couple got up, running away as if their table had just spontaneously combusted "Well, when you gotta go... you gotta go. Ten million Jenny does usually make you do irrational things..."

"Money can get you anything!" Leorio beamed in delight as Daniel crossed his arms, barely looking at the older man "They should have least tried to look less suspicious... at least by casually walking away."

Leorio frowned for a moment, only to change to a more stern expression when he held up two fingers. He motioned to the boys to get closer so he could whisper "We should decide our next move. How do we catch those two?"

"It's impossible." Killua's comment caught the others off guard, but the boy remained calm, causal, while prodding the cherry on his sundae milkshake. The boy shifted his gaze towards the window, looking at the pair of Spiders for only a second "We aren't strong enough to handle them."

As Killua looked towards Leorio, the older man got up; fists curled up in anger "What was that? We won't know until we try! And why are you saying this now?!"

"Quiet..." Killua shot Leorio a quick glare before focusing on his sundae milkshake "They'll notice us." Killua eyes looked in Daniel's direction "But it's still true. Daniel has made a point, and I knew it as soon as I saw them." Killua reached out to grab his sundae milkshake, sliding it closer to himself and continuing on before Daniel could make any further comment "My dad once had a hit on a Troupe member."

As Gon was caught off, Daniel remained unfazed, already used to the boy's past history and anything new the boy could dish out "You mean to tell me, well, us... that your dad had a hit list on the Phantom Troupe members?"

Killua nodded at Daniel before turning to tell the others the remainder of the story "One of the few times I've ever heard him complain. He said  **the job wasn't worth the price.** " Killua took a sip of his sundae milkshake, allowing the others to digest that piece of information. "That's considered the greatest compliment a target can get. That was when he told us  **to stay away from the Troupe.**  It's been a few years, so I thought we might stand a chance..."

Leorio gulped, swallowing the information with great difficulty "They're really that strong?"

"Would it help you to picture two Hisokas sitting there?"

The others froze at that information, while trying to imagining the situation. Leorio was the first to break the silence "That is definitely not something we can handle."

Daniel joke "I... I rather have two of my dads, Vastorie sitting there..." Daniel froze after imagining two Vastories sitting there "On second thought... that might be worse, I just imagine my dad tag team teasing me with himself... Then again, two perverts might be worse. Would I rather have two perverts, or two hardcore jokers...?"

"Regardless..." Killua sighed as he leaned one arm on the table, while propping his head up on his hand "What do you think they're here?"

"Aren't they on a date?"

Daniel objected "If that's a date, I must be the king of... jokers? Ok, that sounded better in my head. If that is considered a date, I must be a billionaire!"

"Huh? Really...?"

Daniel blinked slowly, wondering if Gon was caught off guard by his or Leorio's comment "the date or the billionaire?"

"Neither... They noticed that other couple behind them. They're paying close attention to their surroundings." Daniel tensed slightly, wondering if they had been spotted as Killua continued "At first, I thought it was just caution because the Mafia is after them. But in that case, they wouldn't be sitting in a public place. They aren't worried at all. They're waiting for someone to find them. Acting as bait, to draw out their prey..."

"I wonder who-" Daniel froze as he felt something sinister, an evil aura reaching out and grasping at the air around them. It was as if it was searching for someone, ready to rip off anyone's head if they so as much as approached or moved.

"The atmosphere changed."

"You're telling me... it feels as though they're just about ready to kill anyone at this point." Daniel commented, eyes looking down at the table as Gon agreed "Y-Yeah..."

Leorio's eyes stayed glued to the table, refusing to look up "Did they notice us?"

"I hope not..." Daniel shifted his gaze towards Killua, hoping the boy would know.

"It's okay. We should be fine... It looks as though they haven't noticed us yet."

Leorio looked worried at Killua "Are you sure? Besides, I can't use  _Zetsu_  like you guys to mask my presence."

"I haven't either..."

"It's a good thing. If we suddenly used  _Zetsu_ , that would attract their attention. They aren't trying to sense  _Nen_. They're trying to see if there's anyone in this area who looks or acts suspicious." Killua grabbed the cherry from his milkshake, popping it into his mouth before continuing "So you'd better wipe those looks off your faces, and start acting like Daniel over here. Act  _normal_."

Daniel nodded, agreeing with Killua "Act like me... it seems as though whatever I'm doing, must be right..."

Daniel freaked out we he looked up at Gon and Leorio. The two were smiling like a couple of crazy dorks "I'm... that's not  _normal_. That looks like you're trying to hold in laughter... As if someone had just told a really funny inappropriate joke, and you don't want laugh..."

"Agreed, maybe I shouldn't have said for you to act normal..."

Daniel tapped the table once, opting to have his own say; on the matter "Doesn't matter if you said to act normal or not... I think... Gon and Leorio would have done it either way."

"Gon... I can understand. But the old man...?"

"I'm not-"

"Hush! They're on the move." Killua motioned to the window, telling the others to look as well "What should we do? As I told you, we can't beat them in a fight."

"We'll find way..." Leorio grinned, smiling slyly at the matter.

"And like I said earlier... there's no way you can help Leorio. You don't know  _Ren_ ,  _Hatsu_  or even  _Gyo_... Ten won't help you now... except for slowing your aging, perhaps..."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! We'll still find a way to beat them..."

Gon nodded with determination, refusing to give up the chances of making it big. If they caught two of the Phantom Troup members, that's already four billion Jenny earned "Agreed! We can't leave empty-handed."

"Oh" Killua nodded, agreeing with Gon. Even with the odds stacked against them, Killua had to agree with Gon when it came to leaving empty-handed "Okay. Then listen carefully. Gon, Daniel and I will tail them. We absolutely cannot let them spot us. And that applies to you as well Daniel."

Daniel saluted Killua in a joking manor "These eyes will remain hidden in the darkness... Refusing to let the light see-"

"That means keeping quiet as well."

"Okay..." The boy looked down in defeat.

Killua continued with a smile on his lips, happy to know his won a momentary lapse of silence "We'll use  _Zetsu_. Gon, Daniel, I need you two to make me two promises. If they see us, we give up immediately and escape. If I judge that further pursuit is impossible for any other reason, we give up. Got it?"

Gon nodded in agreement, acknowledging the boy's rules "Uh-huh."

"Understood" Daniel nodded at Killua, finding the rules to be suitable, except for Killua's earlier statement. Did the statement apply if it was to warn the others?

Having found Gon and Daniel's agreement to be suitable, Killua continued as they left the store "The signal to stop will be one phone call. Make sure your phones' on vibrate. If they split up, we follow the woman, which reminds me... seeing as Daniel's Zetsu is  _kinda_  bad-"

"I feel  _kinda_  insulted..."

"- Daniel will stick closer to me. That means  **you**  have to be within an  _eye_  shot of me, and not hidden from  **my**  line of sight. This will make it easier for me to warn the both of you at the same time. And as for Leorio, contact Zephile, and keep an eye on the auction for us."

"Got it."

"Now, I know Daniel has never tailed-"

"Does stalking count? Because I felt like I was doing  _that_  during the exam..."

"... No." Killua frowned at the idea at Daniel had been stalking him while on Zevil Island. He instead chose to push that to back of his mind before looking towards Gon "Gon, I'm guessing you've never tailed anyone as well before?"

"Um... Well..." Daniel was expecting Gon to say no, but during the boy's time on Whale Island, he wouldn't have been surprised if Gon were to say yes. But the moment Gon said yes, he wasn't expecting Gon's reason "Yes, during the Hunter's Exam, I trailed Hisoka."

"REALLY, without him noticing...?"

Daniel disagreed with Killua's Question. He was more curious about the why Gon was stalking Hisoka "MY QUESTION, would have been why exactly would you stalk Hisoka for... as long as you did?!"

"Yeah, I was on his tail for a whole day. It was so I could find the right opportunity to steal his tag."

"Wow..." Leorio chimed in, finding the boy's skills impressive "not bad."

Out of nowhere, Killua hit Gon across the back of head hard, almost knocking the boy out in the process.

"Ow... What was that for?"

"Oh... Uh, umm... it seemed appropriate at the time."

Daniel looked left then right, wondering if he should do the same. He wondered if he could slap some sense into Gon as well. No one, under any circumstances should be around Hisoka for longer than two minutes, you'll probably become insane, or emotionless by the time you leave the man's side.

"Well, then... you should have no problem. Be sure to stay out of their field of vision. Now then... let's go."

The group cheered, ready to follow Killua's plan. Although for one, it's going to be ridiculous staying in one's line of sight, while staying out another's.

"~"

Daniel squatted comfortably on the rooftops, watching his targets move. Each step was almost calculated, as if the members of the Phantom Troupe were provoking the boys to come out of hiding. Daniel's eyes glanced up, looking out for Killua. He had to make sure he was always in Killua's line of sight.

When he saw Killua, the boy was on the phone, most likely with Gon. Daniel couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous, wondering why he would call Gon to relay orders and give Daniel a few hand gestures before pointing in a direction.

Killua looked around for Daniel, spotting the boy from a far. Using two fingers, Killua made a walking gesture, and then pointed towards the two Phantom Troupe members.

Daniel frowned at the hand gesture. He knew he had to follow the members, and was wondering why Killua was telling him to do something he already knew. Daniel raised his hand pointing a thumb towards himself, and then pointed next to his head to let the boy know  **'he already knew'**.

Killua shook his hand and then pointed at another rooftop, using a finger to let Daniel know which path to take, without being spotted.

Daniel smiled at the hand gesture, while giving the boy a  **'thumbs up'**  to let Killua know he understood.

Daniel followed the boy's pattern, realising he was always been in Killua's line of sight. No matter which path Killua told Daniel to take, he could always see Killua. It was weird... and nice at the same time for some reason. But considering Killua warned him to always stay in his line of sight, he felt a little sad for some reason. Did Killua not trust his judgement in which path to take? He knew his  _Zetsu_  was terrible, at least compared to Killua's and Gon's own skill level. But, he did excel in other areas...  _that_  had to count towards  _something_ , right?

Daniel traversed the roof tops, stopping once he saw Killua. The boy made another gesture, alerting Daniel to head towards the bushes.

Daniel jumped down into the bushes, having to wait only a few seconds later for Killua, whom seemed perplexed about the situation. Killua frowned slightly looking left and right before focusing more on the Phantom Troupe members "Crap."

"What's wrong?" Daniel waited for Killua to answer, but the boy seemed more focused on what was happening. Killua got up quietly following the Spiders as he motioned Daniel to follow behind.

Although reluctantly, Daniel followed Killua, sticking close by and moving to sections Killua motioned to. After reaching a small broken down building, Killua stopped, refusing to take another step.

Daniel looked up at Killua, noticing the small beads of sweat. Was Killua worried? Stressed? Over thinking the situation? Daniel wanted to ask Killua if he was alright, but the boy was more worried about alerting the Spiders with his voice.  _Killua... please be ok._

Killua started to walk again, motioning for Daniel to continue following.

"~"

Daniel leaned up against a wall, watching the Spiders remain still out in the open. They stood there, as if they were waiting for something or someone...

Killua was looking out the window; phone pressed up against his ears as he talked to Gon "They're waiting for someone or trying to lure us out. One or the other..."

"Should we run?"

Killua hesitated for a second before shaking his head at Daniel's question "No- wait..." Killua paused, weighing his options as if Gon had asked the same question "Right now... it's a fifty-fifty. But, at the same time they don't seem to know our location. They want to draw us out because they don't know where we are. They're inviting us to show ourselves."

Daniel hummed at the thought, thinking of all the viable questions to ask at this point. His mind was screaming to run away, possibly alerting the others of a waiting trap. The situation seemed rather iffy at this point. Between Killua's earlier sweating and the others waiting out in the open, nothing seemed right at this point.

However, even with those thoughts running through Daniel's mind, a part of him wanted to trust Killua more than his own thought process. Even though the boy's past poker mistakes were still vivid in the recesses of his mind.

"They may be waiting for someone else. Hold your position and wait." A phone ranged out in the open, stopping Killua's track of thoughts "Gon, I'm hanging up. Pay close attention. If they give any kind of reaction, we'll run for it! Escape as soon as I ring the phone. Got it?" As Killua gave the warning to Gon, the boy looked at Daniel as well, giving the same warning without having to repeat himself.

Daniel nodded, while keeping his eyes on the spiders "Got it..."

Daniel kept silent, watching the man's every movements. Without warning, Daniel felt the man's eyes move, looking towards his location.  _Shit, it's a trap!_  Daniel bolted off the wall, running towards the door, only to be stopped by a rather tall man standing in the doorway.

Hair combed back, wearing a green, with white and orange striped tracksuit and blue sneakers. His beady little black eyes focused on the boys, waiting for one of them to react. His presence was practically daring the boys to attack.

"What do we do?!"

"I'll distract him, while you make a break for it!"

"How will I-" Before Daniel could asked the question, Killua jumped, bouncing constantly off the walls "As soon as I lung past him, make a break for it!"

_HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT? I can't even see you! That's how fast you're moving right now..._

Daniel held his hand against Wolfbane, pushing the blade behind his back so that it wouldn't be used as a grappling hook. As Killua came down, lunging past the man, Daniel felt a hand stop him from moving. He froze to the spot, seeing the man that was outside, already by his side. Once the man locked eyes with his, Daniel remained still, muscles refusing to move an inch as his eyes looked back towards Killua.

Daniel looked at Killua in terror, watching the boy grip the floor. During the time Daniel had been focusing on the man from outside, the man whom was blocking the door held both of Killua's legs, stopping the boy from moving. Killua rotated his body, breaking out of the man's hold and then jumped back; distancing himself from the man.

As Killua jumped back, Daniel immediately notice the bruising on the boy's legs "You-" Daniel reached for his weapon, ready to lunge at the man that grabbed Killua. The man behind him grabbed his arm, forcing it behind Daniel's back along with his other arm.

"I told you to r-" Once Killua turned around, he saw Daniel pinned to the floor, trying to squirm out of man's hold "Taking your time, Phinks...? Why are you even here? Weren't you heading out with the boss?"

Phinks grinned, holding one hand up casually as he rested his weight on one side "To fool the enemy, you first fool your allies."

The other man picked up Daniel, holding his arms against the boy's back as he laughed "The boss got me good again. I wondered why there were so many  _Zetsu_  masters around."

"What you talking about. The kid you're holding is barely hiding his aura."

"I thought it was a joke... or bait..."

Daniel's eyes widened in terror as he looked at Killua; was he the reason they were spotted? Did Gon manage to get away? Was it them that got caught only? Thoughts filled Daniel's mind, making him wonder too much about the situation.

The man holding Daniel took a few steps towards Killua before throwing Daniel at him. Once Killua caught Daniel, he was forced to brace himself so he wouldn't suffer from the earlier damage he had received from Phinks.

"Shit, Killua are you-"

"Kids, I have a few questions for the both of you."

As Daniel glared at the man, he took the time to absorb the man's features. The man's black hair was longer than his own, extending to the mid section of his back. He also has a rather long nose, unshaven beard and moustache, and black eyes that gave off a dopy or distant expression. However, when the man's expression changed, his eyes turned into an intimidating stare off.

Even with the man's intimidating stare, a part of Daniel was more concerned about the damage Killua had received from Phinks.

"Alright then..." the man's weight shifted, focusing his gaze between the boys "Why were you following us? Answer concisely."

Killua looked left and right, observing both of the man's expressions.  _One wrong move and we could both die. I can't lie haphazardly..._  "The mafia has put a huge bounty on your heads. Websites are offering a lot of money just for information on your location."

"Second question... Who taught you to shadow people?"

"Well, mainly, I was using  _Zetsu_ , a  _Nen_  ability, to conceal my presence. I'm trying to become a pro Hunter."

Phinks stared down Daniel, making the boy feel tinier in comparison "And you?"

"I... I'm a pro Hunter..."  _Who apparently has a long ways to go; especially when it comes to Zetsu..._

The man with longer hair was becoming more irritated by each passing second "WHO taught you how to do that?"

"A Shingen-Ryu master..." before the man could ask Daniel, Killua continued "that's for the both of us."  _Although, Daniel needs more training, apparently..._

Daniel gave the boy a dirty look, but Killua refused to back down from his comment.

"Question three... Do you know a  _Nen_  user who fights with chains?"

Daniel tensed up "No..."

Phinks joined in, eyes narrowing on Daniel "Are you sure...?"

Daniel froze, remembering his weapon's alternate form. The blade may have been able to switch to a chain whip, but, could they been referring to his weapon... or someone else.

"No, neither of us does!" Killua objected, giving Daniel a look that told him to shut up. As Daniel kept quiet, the man with longer hair looked unconvinced "Really? He would be a Conjurer or Manipulator."

_Oh... SHIT! I am a Manipulator... And I use a weapon that has chain like features! But it can't be me! There's no way that their questions are directed at me!_

"NO! We don't know a chain user!"

Phinks objected, seeming unconvinced "Does your master have chains hanging from his right arm?"

Daniel felt relieved, his tension disappearing immediately after the mention of  **'right arm'**  "No, we are certain we don't know someone that meets your description."

"Or perhaps it's..." Phinks turned to look at Killua instead "maybe you...?"

Before Killua could defend himself, Daniel objected "He has no sleeves! You can see his arms, can't you?"

Killua glared at Daniel, but before he could argue, the man with longer hair cut in "I wouldn't joke around if I were you..."

Killua objected, shifting the mood of the argument "We don't know anyone. Our Master is an Enhancer, and he only taught us the four major principles."

The man with longer hair sighed, closing his eye as he rubbed the side of his head "I see..." he opened his eyes, while looking towards Phinks "Well, nothing we can do, if you don't know." He then shifted his gaze once more towards the boys, eyes boring holes "Time for the last question, then. You have two choices. Consider carefully before you answer. Do you want to die now or later? Make your choice."

Daniel and Killua gulped, swallowing hard at the question.

Phinks interjected, reducing the time the boys have to answer "You have three seconds to answer."

"Later!" Daniel yelled loudly, following by a sarcastic, yet fearful comment "Preferably when I'm- we are old men..."

Nobunaga pulled out his phone, dialling a number as Phinks spoke "It's up to how you act, but first, hand over your weapon. Don't want to damage the car..."

"~"

Daniel sat in a car, between Killua and new female that showed up with Gon, and right next to Killua was Gon followed by Phinks. Daniel squirmed in his seat, feeling himself sandwiched against Killua and the new female. She had brown eyes, blond hair reached down to her neck and wore a tight dark purple female suit which showed most of her cleavage, and the fact she also had no bra on.

Much to Daniel's surprise, he felt weirder to be pressed up to Killua and not so much to the female, which left nothing to imagination. "I'll ask you once more. Do you know the chain user?"

Gon shut down her question refusing to give answers, whether he knew the answer or not "My answer is the same. I don't."

The female laughed silently for a brief moment before reaching her arm over to wrap around Killua and Daniel "How about you two? Any guesses?"

Killua kept silent, ignoring her completely as she looked towards Daniel "Do you know someone by the name of Uvogin?"

Daniel's eyebrows rose curiously, failing to understand the question "Uvo-what? Never heard of him..."

Phinks looked over, curious for the question "What did you find out Paku?"

"Hit the eye on the weapon on the hilt near the bottom you grabbed from the kid, Phinks."

Daniel's eyes widened in shock, wondering how 'Paku' was able to figure out the secret, that even he has failed to mention to Gon and Killua. Phinks flipped Wolfbane, holding it by the hilt as he pressed the eye.

As the weapon unshackled, Phinks whistled "Is he-"

Pakunoda without emotion pulled her arm away from the boys, choosing to rest it on her knees instead "He knows nothing..."

"Damn," Phinks pressed the button, watching Wolfbane shackle once again "It's a useful feature..."

Killua was taken back slightly, face scrunched up in concern. He wondered how Paku was able to figure out such a detail, while the others remained in the dark, unaware of the weapon's hidden feature.  _How did she do that...?_

Daniel was disturbed, sharing a worried glace between Killua and Gon.

Seeing Killua looking at the floor of the car worried, he own was a raised in concern, if Killua was stumped on the thought, Daniel had no chance of figuring it out. Then it hit him... a memory of his older sister, Zaikaria.

She had a similar talent, able to read his thoughts in the blink of an eye. If Paku had a similar talent to Zaikaria, how much did she know exactly about them?


	50. Spiders X The Gang X Hisoka?!

Once the car came to a complete stop, Daniel was ushered out of the car along with the others. They stood in an abandoned city, which had to at least been abandoned for a few decades; windows and sections of several of the building destroyed from lack of tendance.

Daniel's eyes darted around the remainder of the city, having to agree it was a great place to hide out. Paku lead the group, with the other female and Nobunaga on the sides and Phinks in the rear.

The boys had no chance of running with this layout. And judging by Killua's earlier fight with Phinks, the others had to been just as strong, and if not, even stronger than Phinks.

Even if the boys wanted to run, Phinks had Daniel's weapon while Paku held onto Gon's bag. Paku suddenly stopped at a pillar, holding out her hand to usher the boys to the remaining Phantom Troupe members "Welcome to our base."

On the far left, sitting on a pile of rocks was Hisoka, remaining unfazed by the boy's introduction.

Next to Hisoka was a female reading a book, which happened to be the same one with over sized glassed that arm wrestled with Gon.

Underneath glasses girl and Hisoka was a smaller man, possibly a woman wearing a large blue dress, with white long hair, and one eye peaking out between the hairs.

To the far right of the one eyed person, was a larger, hulking beast of a man. He wore a blue jumpsuit and white jacket, which barely wrapped around his side. His ears were stretched down to chest height, with a two golden earrings, one in each ear and had enough scars on his face to resemble a mauled beast.

Above the beast was a shorter, lean man, hidden by a dark cloak that covered his mouth. He has mid length black hair and narrow eyes that gave him a permanent, irritated look.

Above the shorter man was a mummy, wearing only red boxing gloves, shorts and boots.

A little far to the right of the man in the black dress was the final member, with blond short hair and green eyes. He strangely enough was wearing clothing similar to Kurapika, except his entire outfit was pink with teal trims and instead of the skirt, he had puffy pants.

When Daniel first saw Hisoka, he freaked out "WHOA!"

Killua rolled his eyes at Daniel's reaction as Gon suddenly realised who Daniel was looking at "UH!"

Nobunaga was interested by the two boy's sudden sounds of acknowledgement "You two know someone?"

Killua objected, smiling innocently "Ah..."

"Sorry," Daniel apologised innocently "The guy flagged my pedo-senses..."

"Pedo... what...?"

"He just has that face that says... I'm going to 'bad' touch you now."

The female that he walked in with, almost snickered at the thought of Hisoka being called a paedophile right in front of his face.

Killua's eyes suddenly caught something in the corner of his eyes, choosing to direct the conversation away from the mass murdering clown and focusing on the girl with oversized glasses instead "Oh! It's that girl!"

Daniel followed Killua's line of sight "Oh, the girl that challenged Gon!"

"Oh?" Phinks turned to the girl, forehead raised in interest "You know them, Shizuku?"

Shizuku looked up from her book, focusing on the boys. Nothing came to mind, as if she was drawing blanks "Nope, never seen them before."

"What?" Killua was caught off guard as the man with his mouth covered spoke next "Yeah, I remember... It's the arm wrestling kid."

"Who was that?"

The hulking man with scars raised a hand to point at Gon "Two days ago, you lost to that kid at arm wrestling."

"Lost? I lost? That's a lie. I would never lose to a kid."

"Well, you were using your right hand..."

"Why? I'm left-handed."

The man with his mouth covered cut in "Don't bother. Once Shizuku's forgotten something, she'll never remember."

The scarred man sighed "Never mind... I was mistaken."

"Thought so..."

Daniel blinked several times, while thinking to himself in confusion.  _Ignorance suuurrreee is a bliss with that girl..._

Nobunaga was surprised by the information, now interested in Gon "Oh? You actually beat Shizuku?"

"Yeah..."

Daniel cut in "Although, it was with her weaker hand..."

Killua sighed in relief "Never would've imagined she was a Troupe member."

_Killua, we saw her on the mafia 'wanted' list..._

Nobunaga put down his sword, moving on to tie his long hair to the back of his head "Okay, I'll challenge you."

"~"

Nobunaga used a make shift table from a slab of rock for his arm wrestling game. Everyone except for the mummy boxer gathered around the contestants, watching them arm wrestling each other without a single break. Even though Gon is an Enhancer, Daniel could only watch Gon's hand get constantly slammed into the rock without remorse or effort.

Time after time again, Nobunaga won; constantly smashing Gon's hand into the concrete slab every time "One more time." Rather than losing out right in the first five second, Gon puts all his strength into wrestling, only to have Nobunaga barely put effort in as he spoke "Hey... When it comes to arm wrestling, what's my rank among the spiders?"

The scar faced man answered "Seventh or eighth?"

To Daniel's right, the woman with pink hair who was accompanying Gon earlier spoke, unfazed by the situation "You're not weak, but you're not strong, either."

"And the strongest was this guy called Uvogin." Nobunaga commented as he looked at the pink haired woman briefly. "But apparently, he was killed by the chain user."

Killua became irritated, yelling at Nobunaga for the fifth time about that comment. Being accused for killing a comrade, or being a part of killing someone he hadn't even met personally "We already said we don't know who that is!"

Daniel nodded at Killua's words before adding his own statement to the mix "And we can agree to disagree, I had no participation in that fight. If Uvogin  **is** the strongest in your group, I wouldn't put myself in this position..."

"Listen kids... If you speak without permission again or mention his name, I'll kill you." Nobunaga slammed Gon's hand into the concrete again, while glaring at both boys "And what if you purposely got caught to remove the suspicion."

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, only to immediately close his mouth. Nobunaga was right. Getting caught to remove the suspicion would have allowed someone strong enough to observe the situation, learning whatever he could before making a get away to take down the others.

He felt the genuine fear with Killua, refusing to participate in idle chatter with a group who knew what they were doing.

Nobunaga started another match with Gon "He was an Enhancer. Simple-minded and straightforward, he loved a good, all-out fight. But he was fussy about time. He'd get into fights with Franklin and me when we were late."

Given the man with scars slight reaction, Daniel learned his name was Franklin. But given that Nobunaga had barely started to cry at the time, Franklin could have been someone else, and the scar-faced man was reacting to Nobunaga's tears.

"He'd beat the crap out of me in an unarmed brawl... I've known him since before the Troupe was founded. I know him better than anyone. He would never... Uvo would never lose in a fight! He must've been caught in some dirty trap! I will make his killer pay. I'll find him, no matter how many I have to kill. The chain user bears a strong grudge against us. The Mafia's Nostrade Family hired him recently."

Something had clicked within Daniel's mind; a memory about Kurapika mentioning the spiders.  _Wait... a grudge against the Troupe?_  Pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. If Kurapika was the one to take down Uvogin, that would imply he was the chain user. And given Uvogin was the strongest of the Phantom Troupe members that meant Kurapika had one hell of ability at his disposal. Daniel eyes widen in terror before he was forced to control his nerves.  _This is bad... if one of them tortures me or something now, they'll know its Kurapika!_

"You might not know him directly, but you may have heard stories of him! Think hard... If you have any guesses, spill them!"

Gon's face remained stern as he locks eyes with Nobunaga's hand. Gon's feeling soon rise to the surface, feeling more infuriated with each passing second as he tightens own hand around the opponent's "I don't know anything. But even if I did, I would never tell you! I thought you were a bunch of heartless monsters, but you'll mourn the death of one of your own?!"

Soon Gon had Nobunaga on the fence, taking back the lead, and then proceeding to take on his first possible win "Why couldn't you spare... Spare a fraction of that grief..." the boy took the first win after so many multiple losses "for the people you've killed?!"

One of the Spiders reacted negatively amongst the group. The short man with mid length black hair grabbed Gon's hand, reeling it behind the boy's back and then proceeded to push him face first into the concrete slab "You're getting too cocky."

Killua and Daniel had reacted the same, although, the movements were completely different. Killua attempted to run to Gon's side to kick the guy off but Hisoka had different intentions. Hisoka held a card to Killua's neck, inching it closer to slitting the boy's throat "Another step, and I'll cut you up."

As Killua attempted to run to Gon's aid, Daniel reached for Wolfbane, momentarily forgetting it was stolen earlier. When Wolfbane wasn't an option, Daniel held his hand out instead, focusing his aura into his hand in hopes of manipulating his shadow into a feasible weapon. Before the weapon could even form, Daniel's hand was grabbed and forcibly pushed behind his back, followed by his face into the ground without an ounce of strength being held back "That's enough from you."

Due to the sudden impact, Daniel could only cry out Gon's name as the man who held Gon down continued to interrogate the boy, refusing to let any of his surroundings distract the boy or himself from the answers he sought "Answer the question. Do you know who the chain user is?"

"DAN-"

"Answer the question!"

"I already said I have nothing to tell you!"

Nobunaga finally moved, looking directly at the man who held down Gon "Feitan... Stop..."

"Stop what?"

"Stop what you're about to do."

"You know what I'm about to do?"

"You're going to break his arm, right?"

"I'd start with a finger... Peel off a nail."

Daniel wanted to yell at Feitan, but the thought of the threat lingered in his mind. Although the doubt was present, seeing as it was the same man that threatened him was all on his side... in a way.

"Doesn't matter where you'd start. Just stop!"

"Why are you giving me orders? I have no reason to listen to you."

Nobunaga slammed his foot onto the slab on concrete, glaring rather intensely at Feitan. The group seemed dysfunctional. One could only wonder how all these overpowered  _Nen_  users could function as notorious gang of thieves. What exactly kept them going as a group... a family?

"Hey, quit it, Nobunaga." Franklin spoke, trying to defuse the situation. Daniel began to humour the thought that this was a common occurrence, and that they have all fought with each other at some point. Could it be used in their favour to help them escape?

The woman with pink hair spoke next, diverting Feitan's and Nobunaga's attention "Have you forgotten the rules?"

Shizuku followed right after the pink haired woman, agreeing to the question "Troupe members aren't allowed to start serious fights."

"I know! If there's a dispute, we flip a coin."

Daniel let Nobunaga's words cascade through his mind, filling each crevice with the single thought that Gon's life is being decided on a single coin toss. The other thought that streamed through his mind was whether or not all their battles were fought with a single coin toss.

Nobunaga flipped a coin, immediately catching it to place it on his arm, hiding the very outcome on whether Gon was about to have his arm broken or saved.

"Tails."

"Heads!" Nobunaga opened his hand, showing the outcome "It's heads. Let him go."

As Daniel sighed in relief at the words, Gon distanced himself from Feitan "What about Daniel?"

Hisoka pulled the card from Killua's neck, followed by Phinks irritated scowl. Daniel got up, dusting himself off as a thought crossed his mind. He wanted to thank Phinks' for his 'courteous' treatment, but the group of Phantom Troupe member's immaculate talents had him persuaded otherwise.

Shizuku spoke, addressing the main question at hand "So, what do we do with them? They haven't told us anything about the chain user yet."

Franklin spoke next, answering Shizuku's question without batting an eye at the boy's presence "If they don't know anything, we can let them go. Well, Pakunoda?"

Pakunoda looked at Franklin, then towards the boys, speaking in an almost dead tone; like one would do when they had just woken up "I checked on the trip here. They really don't know anything."

"Really...?" Shizuku asked, to which Paku nodded once in response to the question "Yes. They have memories of 'a' chain user. But, he is not the one we are looking for."

The blond haired boy's head popped up, curious at her final comment "Hmm, what you mean by  _a_  chain user?"

Pakunoda pointed to Phinks, ushering to what the man was holding "Pass Shalnark the weapon."

Phinks grinned; passing the weapon to Shalnark like it was ball "Careful, its heavy."

Shalnark caught it, examining the weapon a little before pressing the button. It was if something compiled the young man into pressing the 'eye' as if it was a giant red 'push me' button. Wolfbane unshackled, dropping to the floor with a thud. The links of the weapon revealed hidden ropes like chains linking together before ending at the scythe blade.

"Interesting... Resmian with an Ashuim inner."

Shalnark's response caught Daniel by surprise, bringing multiple questions to the boy's mind; each of the boy's questions begged to be answered, but for now he only wanted one at least answer "Made by what and what now?"

"Resmian and Ashuim."

"You say it like the names mean something to me..."

Phinks objected to Daniel's response, interested more in the value of the weapon "How much?"

"Total?" Shalnark hummed while examining the blade "Somewhere between ten to a hundred million-"

"Whoa!"

"If, Resmian was on its own... It's is worth a lot. Ashuim decreases the value, making it worth close to nothing. And..." Shalnark held out two fingers, drawing a thin line on one of the multiple links of Ashuim "It's has  _Nen_  written on it, disabling it from being unlinked. Seeing as the boy has no clue about both of the metals, I highly doubt he knows how to unlink the metals."

As Shalnark finished explaining, he hit the eye once again before throwing it back to Phinks "It's worth nothing at all... maybe a paper weight at best to us. I will admit, whoever designed the weapon made it specifically intended for its owner. And if the weapon is intended for its owner; that would make him a  _Manipulator_ , right, Paku?"

Daniel blinked in disbelief, caught off guard by the adult's deduction skills. Two people were about to figure out so much about Daniel upon barely meeting the boys. Each of the Troupe members was skilled in a different talent, able to trump any situation thrown at them. And if the members were this good, how powerful was their leader?

"He is... but he isn't the person we're looking for. He doesn't even have a skill that would be able to take down Uvo."

"Oh, what is it?"

"He manipulates his shadow..."

Daniel felt his chest constrict, heart beating at an almost rapid fire pace. He wanted to object, mentioning that his skills were basic at best; only able to create a few items with his shadows and the bigger the item, the faster his aura is drained.

Pakunoda and Shalnark conversed, speaking about Daniel's capabilities as Killua approached Daniel and Gon, speaking as quiet as he could "Hey, Gon. Did they do anything to you on the way over here?"

"No, they just asked me a few questions."

"What about you, Daniel? They know an awful lot about you..."

"Killua, I was with you the whole time. I made no hints at my weapon, or  _Nen_  capabilities for that matter. Hell, I don't even think I ever once manipulated my shadows. Actually, that's a lie... I did try to back then when Gon was forced into the slab of concrete earlier by Feitan. But before anything could happen, Phinks pushed me into the ground."

"Interesting..." Killua touched his chin, running the facts through his mind as Shalnark disturbed Daniel's track of thoughts "Hey, Kid. I want to see your ability."

"It's stupid..."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, though."

Daniel turned to Killua, hoping the boy would have something to say. However, when Daniel's eye's saw Killua, the boy was deep in thought, most likely trying to figure out either Pakunoda's sixth sense or a way to escape. Daniel sighed, then looking towards Shalnark; somehow, Daniel felt like he could trust the man, as far as he could throw him "What's stopping the others from killing me as soon as I  _show_  you my ability?"

Feitan cracked a finger while staring deep into the boy's eyes "I could always  _force_  you..."

"ALRIGHT, alright... I'll show you!" Daniel held back fears, forcing himself to act calmer than he really was. He slid on foot across the ground, exaggerating each step of the process. He was hoping someone would interrupt his ability before he could use it. Daniel stretched his arms out before pulling them back in fast; interlocking his fingers between each other. With one deep sigh, Daniel began to pull his hands away.

A black liquid formed between his hands, dripping down onto the floor into nothingness. Daniel wondered why of now of all times his ability was acting like this; like how the darkness would react to a single candle in pitch black room. Was it acting like its  _Nen_  user, scared of the current predicament?

Daniel swallowed hard, otherwise proceeding with his ability. He had two options as of now:  
Make a larger weapon, while risking the chance of being killed on the spot.  
Or, make a smaller object that would neither impress Shalnark, nor impress the man enough to let the subject go.

Daniel chose the former thought, otherwise risking his life, if he so much as went out of line. He curled his hands into the black liquid between his fingers pulling them apart. The liquid began to harden, forming Daniel's choice of specialized weapons, the scythe.

He gripped the scythe in the middle, twirling the weapon around his finger tips and hands "Ta-Da..." the boy joked sarcastically, twirling the weapon one final time before plunging the bottom of the weapon into the ground. He did it with the intention of disarming himself immediately, however the following second he let go, cracks formed from the base of the weapon to the top, shattering like it was made out of fragile glass.

Daniel's reaction was priceless to say in the least, shocked. He was standing there like a statue, staring at the spot where his weapon once was. The shock on the boy's face elicited a burst of laughter from Phinks.

"Well... Like I said..." Daniel closed his mouth, unable to recall the very words that matched the situation. The first time he used the ability lasted longer than he used it now. Did the environment affect his ability? Were the Phantom members affecting his mental capacity, like how Hisoka manipulated Kastro into an easy win?

He feared the predicament if the reason for his weakened ability to fight.

Shalnark tapped his chin; he felt rather disappointed in Daniel's ability "That wasn't very fun..."

Franklin held out a hand to calm down Phinks, changing the topic and where their concerns should be placed "If they have nothing to do with the chain user, we can let them go?"

"Yeah," Shalnark agreed, while holding a finger to the roof "there's no point in keeping them here."

"No," Phinks stepped in, staring deeply into the boy's like a hawk waiting for the perfect time to pounce "we can't be sure they're completely unrelated. It's possible they're being used. If the chain user typically conceals his chains, they wouldn't realize he was the chain user. We shouldn't release them until they tell us who they're working for."

"Or maybe his into some really kinky shit..." Daniel slapped his hand against his mouth after realising he said that out loud. It was a thought that the boy swore he had forgotten long ago, but the mention of chains every five or so seconds reminded him of a memory of his father in a rather  _revealing_  situation popped back into existence, like the  _word_  on one's tip of the tongue being brought to life.

"Let's assume for a second they're working for someone else. With the information on us at hand, there's no way it could be the chain user. The chain user operates alone."

The pink haired girl stepped into the conversation, asking Shalnark a question "Then you agree with Nobunaga."

"Rather than use a couple of kids, we can find information we need through the Nostrade Family; since we know the chain user's a member."

"That's true." Franklin agreed while looking at the boys.

_May I interject? I know nothing about this 'Nostrade' family... and I wouldn't even know where to begin to look. Actually, now that I think about it, I know exactly where to look. And somehow, I have to casually bring up the conversation with Kurapika..._

"Our target is the chain user. We should ignore everyone else."

Feitan grinned slyly under his hoody mouth piece "There you go. You kids are lucky."

_If by standing in a room full of over powered **Nen**  users who could probably kill us ten times before we hit the floor... then yes... we are very damn lucky._

Gon stuck out his tongue at Feitan as Daniel objected sarcastically "I guess I gotta get me some lottery tickets now, because I feel really damn lucky..."

Nobunaga objected "No, not yet. I won't let him leave. Kid... Join the spiders. Team up with me."

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow at Nobunaga as Gon objected harshly, outright refusing the man's offer "No way. I'd rather die than join you guys!"

Nobunaga laughed as Daniel retorted back in disgust within his own mind, too scared to say it out loud.  _I wouldn't say that here if I was you Gon..._

"He really hates us... You're an Enhancer, right?"

"What if I am?!"

"I knew it!" Nobunaga laughed like a crazy madman, giving off the feeling like a few screws just came loose. Gon didn't exactly say yes or no. If anything, he probably sounded more like a transmuter just now. "Hey! We're keeping them here until the boss gets back. I'm going to recommend we recruit them."

Phinks looked at Nobunaga, caught off guard by the man's suggestion. Had Nobunaga lost his marbles "Are you serious?!"

Feitan agreed with Phinks "The boss will never agree to that."

"Well, it's your call. But you have to watch them. You can't blame us if they escape." The pink haired girl objected, sighing at the samurai's offered suggestion.

Daniel sighed in agony, believing that whatever he said now would be of no use. If Nobunaga had the same personality as Gon,  **'No'**  wouldn't exist in the man's dictionary.


	51. Spiders X Embarrassing Story X Escape

Through the single lit candle that flickers in the darkness, barely lighting the room; Daniel watched Gon's actions.

Gon's massaged his bruised hand, rubbing at the spot that had been bleeding.

Daniel felt slightly guilty for Gon's pain. He wished he could have done something earlier; somehow stopping the arm wrestling match from going on for so long.

From the corner of the boy's eye, he spotted Killua stealing glances in his direction. Killua seemed a little more jittery than usual. It might have been from Nobunaga's presence, but from the way Killua kept looking in the boy's direction, maybe he had something to do with it.

Given the circumstances, Daniel refused to press the topic from Killua.

"Ow..." Gon poked at his bruise a little harder than he had anticipated.

Daniel got up, sighing as he reached out for Gon's hand "Here let me look at it..."

"You know first aid?" Gon's lips pursed, hesitating at Daniel's open offer.

"No, but a three-by-three inch bruise will be a great distraction."

Gon stuck his tongue out at Daniel, pulling hand closer to hide the damage.

Daniel sighed, taking a seat next to the boy while trying to keep his distance from Killua. He didn't want to stay close to Killua, seeing as Killua's bruised legs would have hit him hard. He felt really bad for not being able to protect either of his friends, especially Killua.

Two friends in a single day wounded, and he couldn't even protect one of them.

"You're wrong!"

For a second, Daniel received the fright of his life, toppling over the temporary concrete couch. From the boy's earlier thoughts, Daniel could have sworn Killua read his mind. But as soon as Daniel looked at Killua, the boy's stance was mixed with an aggressive glow of aura surrounding his body; something was wrong... very wrong...

Nobunaga laughed at Killua's sudden burst of anger. He propped himself up, daring to degrade Killua's actions. He pushed the boy to the brink of breaking "Scary... You look like you want to kill me." Nobunaga pushed his right leg back, before standing comfortably; one hand pressed against the hilt of his sheath sword and his head bowed.

Daniel recognised the sword fighting style,  **Iaidō** ; the art of drawing one's sword from the scabbard to cut or strike, and then proceeding to remove the blood before replacing the sword back in its scabbard.

It was like a single, fluid movement in a dance solo; enticing, the moment the sword was drawn. Very few could see the fluid motion of the strike from a very skilled Iaidō fighter.

Nobunaga's aura was drawn out, licking at the surrounding area as the man's mood darkened "Let me warn you first. Step into range, and I'll cut you down."

As Killua took a step forward, Daniel got up, immediately reaching out to the boy. Though from the distance, he wouldn't be able to touch the boy, let alone stop him.

Gon called out to Killua, only to be ignored as the boy continued moving forward slowly, ignoring all surroundings except for the man in front of him.

"Killua..." Daniel asked again as Killua stopped a couple of meters in front of Nobunaga. It was as if his name being called for the second time snapped the boy out of his daydream, but Daniel knew better. Killua stopped out of his own volition, heart racing from not only how close he came to dying, but from the fear dripping down his face in tiny beads of sweat. Killua knew better than to step into the territory of this lion's den.

Taking one step back, Killua quietly turned around, walking back to his original spot. Although instead of sitting down, Killua continued past the seat to punch the wall. Killua had to release his anger, punching the wall so it would crack under the pressure before he was even willing to sit down.

Judging by from how hard Killua hit the wall, something deep within the boy was weighing on his mind. A mixture of emotions, each fighting for its own individuality...

Daniel wanted to comfort the boy, somehow finding a way to settle Killua's scared state-of-mind. Rather than distancing himself like last time, Daniel took a seat next to the boy. He rested his head against the rock, not daring to get any closer than that. Considering what happened way earlier in the day, he'd rather not rest his head again against Killua.

Time slowly past by, each boy silent as they took in their prison surrounding. After who knows how long had past, Gon finally broke the silence "Is Leorio okay?"

"His probably stuffing his face with alcohol and Cheetos..."

Gon paused at Daniel's snarky response. While it sounded more like a sarcastic joke, the possibility was there "I hope he was able to find Zephile-San."

Daniel nodded, this time staying quiet. For all their sakes, especially Gon's, Daniel really hoped Leorio found the man. After all, Zephile had not only their collection of treasures, but a way to obtain enough money to get Gon's Hunter Licence back.

Daniel had been too busy looking at his legs during the whole time, so what Gon said next took even him by surprise "Killua, are you okay?"

Daniel quickly turned around, reaching out to touch Killua in comfort, regardless of whether it was the right time or not. However, the moment Daniel's hand came into contact with Killua's leg; the boy scooted away, distancing himself from Daniel "I- I'm fine..."

While this act had originally hurt Daniel, the boy could understand that this was neither the time, nor the place for that. But even with that, the boy couldn't help but think of how much he really wanted to get up and comfort Killua, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist as Killua's nerves calmed from his touch.

"Hey, Zephile-San taught us welding, exposing... What else was there?"

"I forgot..."

Daniel tried to recall the memory, but his mind was focused elsewhere; thoughts still lingering on how he could comfort, and help Killua.

"Side-stomping, maybe...? I don't think that was it..."

"It was defiantly side-something... side..." Daniel tapped the side of his head, trying to recall the memory, however Killua had other topics or intentions he wanted to focus on "Gon... Daniel... I'll act as a decoy. Use that chance to escape."

"What are you-"

Without warning, Daniel stood up and slapped Killua across the back of his head. His eyes almost resembled the same as a pair of dead fish eyes.

Killua stood up, glaring at the boy. Killua was furious, pissed at the boy for hitting him without a single reason "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Umm... it seemed appropriate at the time."

"SERIOUSLY...?" Killua poked Daniel on the head repeatedly, each time faster than the last. Daniel's response pissed him off because it was the same as he had done earlier with Gon. There had to be a better reason than that, and he wouldn't take  **'I felt like it'**  for an answer.

Daniel grabbed Killua's arm, stopping the boy from poking him any further "You don't need to be someone you're not anymore..."

"HUH?!"

"Don't pretend to be someone you're not anymore. Let me protect you this time..."

"Wh-What...?" Killua blushed at the thought of Daniel outright saying he wanted to protect him. He was an average fighter at best, and HE wanted to protect HIM? Daniel would be lucky enough to slow down Nobunaga for a split second. At least Killua could keep him busy for a while.

"Besides, I'm a long range fighter."

Killua froze to the spot, immediately losing all faith in the boy. While it was true Daniel was a long range fighter, he was forgetting one... Major... Thing... He no longer had the weapon that made him a long range fighter "Daniel..." Killua furiously poked Daniel again as if he was trying to poke the words right into Daniel's thick skull "YOU NO LONGER HAVE YOUR WEAPON! The only reason you could even fight at a distance was because you had Wolfbane, or did you forget that Nobunaga has it now?!"

Daniel froze at the words, now remembering about his predicament "Ah... I'm working on it!"

"Seriously...?" Nobunaga dead panned, unfazed by the boy's poor excuse of a plan "Forget it. Even if by some miracle you somehow managed to get back your weapon, you should be smart enough to know how much stronger I am."

Daniel glared at the man while gritting his teeth in disgust.  _Even if you're stronger than me, I'm not letting Killua fight you because of his 'skills'... I'm not going to let him rely on his assassination skills anymore!_

Killua unexpectedly shouted, as if he was yelling at someone else in the room "SHUT IT! I won't know until I try!"

Gon stood up at Killua's words, walking up to the boy so he could rest his hand on Killua's shoulder "Killua, what are you thinking?"

"I'll stop his shodachi, even if it kills me. Use that chance to run away!"

"Hold it! I've learned a few things about the Iaidō fighting style. If anyone has a chance at stopping his  **shodachi** , it's me!"

Gon slapped both Daniel and Killua this time across the back of their head, eyebrows twitching in anger. Daniel barely avoided the hit as Killua took his by surprise. Killua gripped Gon by his jacket in frustration, proceeding to yell in the raven haired boy's face "What was that for?!"

"Don't be selfish!"

"HUH!"

"Don't talk about dying like it's nothing!"

"What?! You did the same thing earlier!"

"I'm allowed to do it! But you aren't!"

Killua was taken back, surprised by Gon's response and unsure of how he should respond back. Daniel this time slapped Gon against the back of his head "I said I can do it without dying!"

Killua slammed his fist into the back of Daniel's head, giving the boy a knuckle sandwich surprise "And what can you do without your weapon?!"

"I said I'm working on it!"

Nobunaga burst in laughed between the kids bickering. He found each boy's opinions to be hilarious, especially seeing as one out right said he was the only one that's allowed to die. Gon was acting like he had multiple lives or save states which he could reload from if he so happened to die. "You can't use logic against an Enhancer..."

"We can't escape unless we're prepared to die, stupid!" Killua growled, only to be rebutted by Daniel "AND none of us will die if I fight!"

Killua pushed Gon away so he could poke Daniel freely "You, SHUT IT! You have no idea what I was thinking... You and Gon are being selfish!"

"I'm selfish?!" Daniel blinked in surprise as Gon didn't even bother denying that "SO WHAT?! Of course I have no idea... because I'm stupid!"

Nobunaga's fits of laughter grew louder in the background "You kids are hilarious! Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. Just behave yourselves. I know you're serious. Don't throw your lives away. Wait until the boss gets back. If he won't give his approval, you can leave."

"Oh, HELL no!" Daniel retorted back harshly "Be around that... that thing earlier?! The one who may or may not stare at my butt...? I rather take a runner right now!"

"If you try to escape, I'll kill you. Don't make me draw my sword. If I pull it out, you'll die..."

Gon made a sudden loud noise, as if he suddenly remembered something important "I remember now! It was side-stepping! Welding, exposing... And the last one was side-stepping!"

"What does... oh, OH...?" Daniel suddenly understood Gon by his look of determination. If he took the words at face value, he would have to take the word for its literal meaning; to make another exit.

Killua's eyes opened slightly, alerting the boy that he understood too "Do you remember now?"

"Yeah, I sure do!"

"See? How could we forget something so simple?"

Nobunaga raised one eyebrow, unsure of what the boys were talking about.

Daniel raised a hand, asking a question while he used lingo to express the predicament "Speaking of simple... with concerns involving side-stepping. Double-dipping has to be involved somehow."

Gon blinked several times unsure of what the boy meant. Daniel sighed; turning to look at the others as he used his eyes and small hand gestures to point to his right. " _Double_ -dipping has to be involved, somehow."

"Oh..." Killua murmured "It does... and side-stepping, hmm..." Killua beamed, the perfect idea forming into his head "The Konami code!"

"Konami code...?" Gon blinked again, lost in confusion. Daniel held his hands close to his chest, while smiling slyly. He purposely pointed at someone on certain words so he can point out directions "Up, down, up,  **down** ," Daniel gestured to himself, letting the others know he'll go down. "Left,  **right** ," he pointed at Killua next, letting the boy know which way he should go.

" **left,** um..." Daniel paused purposely, acting as though he forgotten the next sequence. In reality Daniel paused so he could alert Gon about the weapon behind him before continuing on " **right** , A then B." Once Daniel finally finished, Killua nodded liking the directions the boy had picked "That sounds right!"

Gon alerted the others to know that he understood the plan perfectly.

Daniel turned to face Nobunaga, hands held out if ready to fight alongside Gon and Killua.

Gon spoke first "Now that we've figured that out..."

Killua allowed his aura to seep out, flowing wonderfully around him "Let's go!"

Daniel and Gon followed Killua, getting ready to charge down the line.

Nobunaga sighed, standing up as he readied his sword to strike down any of the boys if they even came close "Are you serious? You're going to die. I'm not skilled or merciful enough to control my strength."

Killua and Gon completely ignored Nobunaga, charging him first. Daniel waited a few seconds to allow Gon and Killua get ahead first. If he was to land the plan perfectly, he would have to break through the floor after the others switched directions.

"Fools!"

Gon and Killua stopped suddenly. They kicked off the ground in unison, heading off their own directions. Nobunaga's eyes followed Gon as Daniel jumped up, bringing his foot into the ground. The moment Daniel hit the floor beneath the room, he kicked off the ground, smashing through the door and swerving quickly to the left. He couldn't afford to go right, seeing as the right would have been the longer route.

The moment Daniel hit the stairs, he ran down the stairs as quickly as he could.

"Killua, Daniel, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here!"

"Same, did you grab it on the way out?"

"Yeah, we can beat him together now!"

Daniel stopped for a second, enabling his Zetsu out of fear; even if it was useless. If he was caught now their plans would be up in smoke. Daniel ran into Killua first. He found the boy smiling at plan from going perfect.

Without warning, Gon came from above, throwing the weapon straight at Daniel before he could even land. Daniel caught Wolfbane, smiling as he attached it back to his belt. He felt safe, and happy knowing that weapon was by his side once again, even though it was completely useless against any of the Phantom Troupe members. Actually, he felt more useless than the weapon at his side. He was caught way quicker than Killua was, and his friend was at least able to break out of his opponent's grip.

The boys made their way down the steps; each step as quiet as the next. They couldn't risk any chance of running into another Phantom Member. If they were caught by another, who knows if they'll ever get another chance of escape.

As soon as they broke out the front door, Killua let out a breath of relief, followed by the sounds of laughter "Stupid."

Daniel could help but agree in silence. Nobunaga was for some reason a few screws short of a set, even though he had proven otherwise earlier on. Maybe the situation is what changed Nobunaga's calm way of thinking.

"Man, I wanted to beat him up."

Daniel could sense Gon's anguish of frustration. But even if they managed to pull a fast one on Nobunaga, if they managed to get within two meters of Nobunaga, he would have sliced through them like Swiss cheese. "Come on Gon, they're monster in there! And Hisoka too... Who knows what he would do given the chance!"

"Agreed, there's no way we can fight them as we are." Killua eyes shifted towards Gon, narrowing slightly at the idea of wanting to fight "He'd have fought you off and killed you."

"One hundred percent guaranteed?"

"Yes," Daniel agreed before Killua could "If Killua couldn't do it, you have no chance!"

"Wha- What...?"

"Killua got caught by Phinks earlier and he was able to break out of the man's grip. AND that guy looked like he crushed coconuts for a living!"

Killua jumped up onto the fence "Sh... Shut it!" The flushed cheeks made Daniel think otherwise, maybe he did hit an embarrassing nerve. Then again, it is the truth and the boy did after all break out of the grip unlike Daniel.

Daniel jumped over the fence alongside Gon, followed by Killua who jumped down to join them "We don't have a chance only knowing the basics of  _Nen_."

Even with the speck of truth, Gon couldn't help by smile. What was it that made the boy smile? They were in a life or death situation; there was no reason to smile.

"What is it?"

"You finally sound like yourself again."

"Huh?" Daniel was caught off guard; he wasn't expecting that, not by a mile. But Gon went on to explain, ignoring the fact that Killua was unfazed "It's my job to say crazy stuff." Gon held out his hands to Killua, almost like he was about to embrace the boy in a hug "Your job is to stay cool and stop me. And it's Daniel's job to explain the hard stuff to understand."

"Soooo... I've got an upgrade from team mascot to jargon adviser..."

Killua grunted at Daniel and Gon's words "Don't kid yourself!"

Gon pat Killua across the back, almost knocking the boy over in surprise "It's true. SO I'm counting on the two of you!" Gon ran off, leaving the others in the dust. Killua glanced over to Daniel with an amused looked before turning back to face Gon, and running after the boy "You're so selfish!"

Daniel rolled his eyes as he chased after Killua and Gon. Even though the smile suited Killua that time, he wouldn't dare say that out loud, unless he wanted to end up in an early grave. But then again, would his friend kill him out of embarrassment?

"Well? What do we do next?" Gon placed the question out there.

"That depends on what you want to do."

Daniel wanted to run as far away from this place, avoiding each and every one of the Phantom Troupe members. They had bad news written all over them. And if they were caught for a second time, what would happen? "Is running away an option? I would love to be as far away from Hisoka, Feitan, Phinks... and Shalnark. OH, and Paku! Can't forget her..."

Killua's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Paku. Had Daniel come to the same conclusion as him?

"I want to defeat those guys."

Killua sighed at Gon's statement. They were after all, up against the most notorious  _Nen_  users of the world, the Phantom Troupe "Well, that matches our original objective."

"Are you crazy?! How can we-"

"BUT," Killua objected before Daniel could even finish his argument "we'll have to improve our  _Nen_  to do that.  _Nen_  has the potential to give us the power we'd need to stand a chance."

Daniel raised an eyebrow "And we are going to ask a certain blond haired boy, right?"

"HUH, how did you know I was going to say Kurapika?!"

Gon was baffled by the conversation between Daniel and Killua. Why would the two of them mention the boy out of the blue "Huh, Kurapika? Why?"

Daniel rolled his eyes at Gon and Killua "Come on, the hints were there... it just didn't click to me the first time, Paku asked. But when Nobunaga mentioned grudge against  ** _us_** , it clicked. Kurapika is hunting down the Phantom Troupe... and he could be the so called,  **Chain User**... or the chain user could be someone else..." Daniel finished off meekly as the thoughts of his past came back up to the forefront of his mind.

Killua blinked, suddenly wanting to know why Daniel yelled out earlier 'he could be into really kinky shit'. It was so sudden, loud, and out of nowhere... like a foghorn. "OH YEAH, where did  **he could be into really kinky shit**  come from?"

Daniel's eyes widened. He was expecting Gon to ask if he remembered, not Killua. The boy mentioning it made it impossible to lie about it. And to top it off, it isn't something he could casually say out loud. But seeing as Killua has watched  _porn_  before, and in the same room, he wouldn't be surprised if Killua had come across it.

"I'll only tell Killua..."

"Ehh...?"

"HUH, WHY ONLY ME...?"

"Because I'm not about to explain it to Gon... or say it out loud for that matter... It's already bad enough I screamed it out earlier!"

"Fine..."

Daniel scooted up close to Killua, whispering it as quietly as he could he Killua's ear "I just happen to be in the wrong place, at wrong time. I... I saw my dad... umm... butt naked and hanging off the wall. Don't know why... and I don't know if he saw me, but I ran and got the hell out of there."

Daniel pulled back, seeing the boy's cheek beetroot red. He could only guess how awkward Killua must be after hearing that "I guess I suppressed it for so long that I forgot about it... but now after hearing chain user so many times in a row, it somehow brought the memory back."

"I... I know what that is..."

"What is it?"

"I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING GON!" Killua yelled at the top of his voice. Now, Daniel knew how awkward it was for Killua. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"WE... Now we know Kurapika is the...  _Nen_  user who defeated one of them, therefore, Kurapika would be the fastest way to learn more about  _Nen_."

"My sister would be the second fastest... though I highly doubt she'd say anything once she learns for the reason why."

Gon blinked several times at Daniel before turning to look at Killua "Kurapika..."

"You didn't realize it?"

"Is that really true?"

Daniel butted into the conversation "If Kurapika is indeed involved, the fastest way would be to ask him."

"I'm pretty confident that it is Kurapika. If it's true, we have a chance. Because we learned  _Nen_  around the same time Kurapika did. We need to learn the techniques appropriate to our abilities."

"Agreed..." Daniel sighed in defeat. When he thinks hard about it, the original ability he brought out of nowhere during Heaven's Arena was only an aspect of what he loves, weapons. However the usefulness of the skill is below average to him. He needs something to do with distance, something that can work  **in-sync**  to his  **fighting**  style. Daniel needs an ability that he's able to  **adapt**  with the way he fights. He has the weapon, now all he needs is the right circumstances to wield it to its advantage.

"And most importantly, we need the strength to fight the Troupe."

Daniel agreed with Killua. Kurapika must know something they didn't. He could believe how elaborate Killua's thoughts were. Here, he only was thinking about Kurapika possibly being the chain user. And here Killua was, thinking about how they could use Kurapika's knowledge to their own advantage. Daniel needed to seriously learn something from Killua; to stop focusing on the here and now, and add the future to it.

But the future scared him, especially with the dream back on Whale Island. The illusive man... the tree with a possible white fluffy hair poking out of it; what did the dream exactly mean.

"And Kurapika is the key to finding those answers?"

"Yeah."

Daniel looked up to the sky for a split second, smiling widely at the idea "I guess we better find Kurapika, quick!"

Gon jumped in the air, smiling widely with his fist in the air "Yeah!"


	52. Kurapika X Vastorie X Silva

Kurapika couldn't imagine why he agreed to it. But here he was, surrounded by multiple assassins. The words of the head of the Nostrade family rang deep in Kurapika's mind.

**The Ten Dons are hiring professionals to handle the Troupe. So, Kurapika... I want you to join those hit men.**

And here he was now, surrounded by a wide assortment of assassins. Eight of them had being sitting down while another had his back against the wall.

Kurapika stood next to Mr. Nostrade, listening to the man he had punched earlier in the week, Zenji "Then, has everyone arrived?"

In the seat in front of him were three men. One wore military-like attire, the second person had red long hair hanging over his right eye and the third was a tribal man wearing a Tiki Mask.

"The job is to annihilate the Phantom Troupe."

In front of three assassins were another three sitting down in the opposite chairs. One looked like a nomad; another was looked to be a warrior with black hair and a Fu Manchu, and the third looked like he threw on casual wear, with a long scar running across his left eye.

"When the auction kicks off again, they may show up."

Then there were the other three; the three that stood out amongst the rest. The two sitting down in the middle of the six wore full purple attire. One was a tall, young, muscular man with long silver hair. He's wearing a purple short sleeved Shinobi Shōzoku, with a red sash around his waist and wristbands. When the man stared at Kurapika, he noticed blue cat like eyes.

"If they do, dispose of them."

Next to him was an older man, wearing a rather unique garb; the garb had a sign on it  **'Forever Active'**. Under the garb was a plain white shirt and pants with white bindings spiralling around it. The old man's silver hair was spiked back and had a Fu Manchu.

"You're free to use any means you want."

The last man was a rather, hidden character. He's wearing all white archaic gothic style clothing. The coat ended in a three-point tail coat with red trimming extending throughout the entire garb. The pants were tight-fitted and stretched over his pointed dress shoes. Above the coat was a white hood, complete with a plain white mask hiding his true identity. Whoever the man was, he didn't want to be known.

The man with a turban spoke, guiding the discussion on how they should hunt down the Troupe members "This team will be after the same target. We should decide how we address each other when communicating."

As the black-hair warrior looking man suggested using colours as names, Kurapika caught it, the azure blue eyes with wolfish pupils peaking through the mask. The man was staring at Kurapika with a finger held right where his lips were. Had Kurapika meet the man before? He could have sworn he'd seen those exact same eyes before, except on a shorter, younger boy.

"Call me Blue." The warrior man suggested, followed by the man with a tiki mask "I'll be Red."

The old, silver haired man chuckled under his breath "It's like playing a game."

The man with the turban looked dissatisfied with the older white haired man "Eh? What about you guys?"

"Silva." The giant blue cat eyed man spoke, followed by the older man next to him "I'm Zeno."

"Zeno? What colour is that?"

"We will both use our real names."

Blue groaned at the response "What?"

Silva looked unconcerned, barely looking at Blue as he spoke "You're welcome to call me by name, but I won't take orders. We'll do this our way."

The man in white garb chuckled silently, shoulders moving under the man's laughter as the man with the scar looked shocked "Silva and Zeno... of the Zoldyck family?"

Kurapika was caught off guard by the man after hearing the Zoldyck family. Were they really apart of Killua's family? He had to make sure to play it safe around them.

Zeno nodded with a sly smile "Let me know if you want someone killed. I'm willing to give you a thirty percent discount for being in the same line of work."

The man with long red hair looked uninterested as he spoke "Does it really matter..." the soldier finished the sentence off "what we call one another?"

"Agreed. There's no requirement we work together."

The man with the turban raised an eyebrow at the red haired man "But we're talking about the Troupe. Attacking alone will be dangerous."

The soldier grinned at the man in the turban before looking at Kurapika "And you?"

"Shaky teamwork will only cause confusion. I will move alone."

The soldier then turned to the man in white "That makes 5 to 4. What about you?"

"Well-" Before the man could even start his argument, Silva got up appearing right next to the man in a split second, fist heading towards him. The man in white stepped to the side, barely dodging Silva. Unfortunately, his mask got caught by the man's fist and was slammed into the wall. The wall cracked, followed by the mask shattering into the wall.

The man in white used that time to create distance from the man, flipping back as if he were dancing away from Silva's location. Once the man had created enough distance between the two, he stood up calmly, the hood falling down to reveal the face hidden behind the mask.

Silva groaned in disgust, glaring at the man who stood there so calmly, especially after just being attacked "Vastorie..."

Kurapika was shocked to see the Vastorie's face, and for a second he almost believed what Daniel had mentioned. The two do look alike, the main differences being the hair and certain aspects of his face. Vastorie had short hair which was spiked back; a chiselled, well aged face and his eyes were also fraction smaller.

Vastorie almost had a permanent bemused expression from Silva's reaction "As I was saying... you have a better chance dealing with the Phantom Troupe members on your own."

"What are you doing here?!"

"Hmm...? Before or after you tried kill me?"

As Silva's eyes narrowed, glaring intently at the man, Vastorie raised his hands as if he was showing Silva sign that he meant no harm "Calm down. I was called by one of the Ten Dons, like you."

"You'll be useless in a fight against them..."

"Except, you know against whom; my ability is perfect for him... wouldn't you agree?"

Silva grunted again in disgust at the man's response. The man's demeanour pissed him off; the way he would calmly treat the situation as if it were some big joke. He highly doubted the man could help in any way, but it was true that his ability would be perfect for the situation, and the thought of him being collateral damage pleased him.

"Silva..." Zeno spoke up; barely batting an eye at his son "You know what his like."

"A leech who doesn't know when to quit..."

Vastorie grinned at the man "I prefer the term 'honey badger' it suits my... fighting prowess." Vastorie couldn't help but wink at the man. While the action did nothing but infuriate the man, Zeno cut in, smiling ever so slightly at the man "You done annoying my son?"

"Done...? I believe I've barely even started. But yes, for now... I believe I'm done for now. Wouldn't want to be in close proximity to you son. After all he is my type; big, burly muscle heads."

Silva eyes twitched in annoyance at the man's presence, the man just didn't know when to quit "Suit yourself..."

Vastorie relaxed his figure as Silva stepped back to sit down next to his father. Although the jaw drops from the two mans' family feud did nothing but scare the life out three of the assassins.

The soldier barely reacted at Silva's and Vastorie's sudden brawl "We now have our answer and a sneak preview of some of the assassins' strengths here today."

One of the guards next to Zenji raised a hand "The auction begins at nine. We will transport you to the auction hall."

Vastorie smiled, giddy at the thought of being driven to the battlefield. He acted as though he was a child "Ooh, we get even a chauffeur for the job."

"Please wait here until it's time."

Vastorie frowned slightly as he headed towards the door "I'll be here... outside this room. Trust me. You do not want me in the same room..."

Once the man closed the door, he pressed his head against the wall beside the door "Avlas... I wish I had you're strength. Every day, I wish I could undo everything..."

"~"

Vastorie shifted in his seat, observing the surrounding mafia members. He had no idea why he personally accepted the assassin contract. He has nothing to gain from this. The only reason he joined was to torment Silva, if the man was hired. If not, he would part like the wind.

Now that Silva was involved maybe it was a bad choice. Then again a job is a job; money is money, and now he had to complete it. IF worse comes to worse, he could always ditch Silva and Zeno in the midst of battle.

The man slunk in his chair, sighing very loudly. Suddenly, the blond-haired boy from earlier, walked pass him. He'd never seen the young boy until recently. Two things interested Vastorie about him:  
The boy's tribal styled clothing. The boy wasn't exactly wearing next to nothing, but it had an appeal to it; elegantly designed.  
The second was his reaction to seeing his face earlier. What was the reasoning to the boy's sudden shock, as if he had seen a ghost?

The boy stepped with pride, each step calculated like he was on the hunt for prey. But at the same time, he never gave off the pure bloodlust hunter presence like the other six, third and second rate assassins, at least at the moment.

Vastorie grinned, watching the blond-haired boy leave the hallway. He may have been on high alert but the boy seemed a little on the untrained side.  _A new Hunter perhaps...?_

Vastorie shifted his gazed towards the hallway, watching it intently "Hmm, you don't seem to fit the  _assassin_  lifestyle like the others... What is your story? Were you dragged into this? I wonder..." Vastorie got up; shadowing the boy's every movement.

"~"

Kurapika stood in the hallway, stopping as he felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He picked it up, confused as why it would be calling now of all times "Hello?"

The voice seemed terribly confused as if he had dialled the wrong number, or at least been trying to call the number multiple times "Oh, Kurapika?" Even with the confusion set in, Kurapika knew the person who the voice belonged too well, Gon. "Whew, we finally got a hold of you."

"Gon?!"

"Yep, can you talk right now?"

"Uh, sorry, I'm in the middle of some-" Kurapika suddenly stopped, looking around. He felt like he was been watched. However the intent was unknown. It didn't exactly feel like it was for malicious intent "I'll call you back."

"Wait! Can you give me one minute? I have something to tell you."

Kurapika shifted his gaze, looking towards every corner without seeming suspicious. He was watching the area like a hawk until what Gon said made him focus on the conversation "Killua, Daniel and I ran into the Troupe."

Kurapika's eyes filled with shock, shaking as Gon continued on like he had said nothing wrong "Actually, they caught us."

"What were you guys thinking?! DO YOU REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THEY ARE?"

Suddenly, Kurapika felt the room's emotions change, like the watcher had let their guard down for a split second. However, Kurapika couldn't pin point the location in time. Whoever was watching him didn't want to be caught, or found.

The voice on the phone suddenly changed, and Killua this time was speaking "I thought I knew, but after we met them, it became painfully clear. They're strong. Right now, we have no chance against them. That's why we need your assistance."

And without fail, Gon spoke straight after Killua "We want to help."

Kurapika waited for a third opinion, but it was never heard. He wondered if the boy was getting roped into this, seeing as they were all caught. His expression soon changed, sporting a stoic expression. He tried to hide what the conversation was about to his quiet watcher "That's ridiculous. I won't help you get yourselves killed, especially when one of you has been quiet during the whole time."

Killua's eye's twitched in frustration at the mention of Daniel's current lack of enthusiasm. Just earlier, the boy had been talking about how much he was willing to defend the others against the Phantom Troupe, but now the kid was dead quiet. Even with that, Killua did not waver for a second, willing to sell Kurapika a request he couldn't refuse "Don't you want to know where their base is?"

"I have my own sources of information."

"Do you know all of their powers?"

"Enough!" Kurapika was fed up with Killua's petty attempts to join a suicide mission "Just stay away from the Troupe!" However, no matter how annoyed Kurapika got from Killua's attempts, the boy did not waver; not even for a second "You're the chain user who killed one of their members, right? They're looking everywhere for you. If you won't treat us as friends or equals, we'll do whatever we must to help!"

Kurapika stood still, the conversation going dead quiet. The words weighed heavily on him but even with Killua's words, Gon somehow had more to say "Kurapika... One of their members cried in front of us. He said that he couldn't forgive whoever killed his friend. I got really mad after seeing that. I couldn't let that go. We want to stop them! Even if one of us is quiet, I know deep down he wants to help."

With Gon's words, Daniel's eyes shot open wide. Gon believed Daniel wanted to help, even though he was scared out of his mind. There are ways he could help, even without having to go up against the monsters known as the Phantom Troupe in hand-to-hand combat. They're way too fast for Daniel's fighting style to hold out against their monstrous strength.

Maybe if they were long distance fighters like him, maybe... but even then the moment they closed the distance, he'd no chance against them. There is something he can do, but until he finds that moment of time he can be most useful, he'll work to the best of the ability, even if in that very moment he has to play hide and seek.

"Please, Kurapika..." Gon's final words waned in the wind, waiting for Kurapika to respond.

Kurapika finally met his watcher, standing in the corner of his peripheral vision. The man had been smiling, for whatever reason that may be, he had to hang up now and hide the others from this listener "I'll call you back."

Kurapika turned, giving the man his complete attention. A few hours ago, Vastorie had picked a fight with Silva Zoldyck, and now here he is, standing near Kurapika like he was the man's next target.

Kurapika had too much to worry about now. Killua and Gon's words were weighing heavily on him, repeating in his very mind.

**If you won't treat us as friends or equals...**

**We want to stop them!**

Kurapika clenched his fist for a moment, loosening it up after a second later as he focused on Vastorie "What you need?"

"I'm curious... I overheard you mention Gon... You wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Daniel?"

"Several, why...?"

Vastorie shifted his gaze towards the wall on the far right "I couldn't help but notice you looked slightly shocked when you saw my face. Maybe... Just maybe..." Vastorie shifted his gaze back to Kurapika, smiling smugly as if had figured out a secret "you may have met my son."

Kurapika turned away, frowning slightly at the man's quick deductions "And...?"

"How is he?"

Kurapika blinked several times, confused at the man's question. He slowly turned to face the older man once again "Why ask me? Why don't you ask him...?"

Vastorie chuckled "I don't know..." he slowly turned towards the front door, walking in the direction as he spoke "It's a delicate topic... at least in my son's eyes. But for you, seeing as you may or may not know my son, I'll tell you. He'll hang up the moment I'll call him. But if he is doing something reckless, do stop him... He is my only son, and he was a pain in my backside, pun intended..."

With a wave, Kurapika could only blink at the man in disbelief.  _Pun intended...? What did you mean exactly by 'pain in his backside'?_  Kurapika shook the thoughts away, more worried about how to deal with Gon, Killua and Daniel.

A sudden explosion outside rocked Kurapika awake, forcing him to run outside to unfortunately join Vastorie's side. The guards were shocked at how close it was, aiming their guns at the wreckage as they waited for the attackers.

A lone man walked through the fire, slowly revealing himself to Kurapika, Vastorie and Mafia guards. The man was rambling, warning the others as if they were fighting for a lost cause "I-It's no use. They're too strong. We don't stand a chance..."

Vastorie whipped a finger towards the direction of the mafia members surrounding the door "Kill him or he's going to kill you!"

"What?"

The lone mafia member walking towards the building continued to ramble in the background while lifting his gun. He pointed at the mafia members without warning, unloading his gun at random. Kurapika jumped through the glass doors, hiding behind a wall as Vastorie stood there, shifting his weight every so often to avoid the oncoming hail of bullets.

The mafia members who weren't killed in the first few seconds took cover, firing back.

Vastorie frowned as they shot at random, each bullet hitting the man "He's being controlled! Aim for the head!" The moment Vastorie mentioned that, a stray bullet hit the man in the head. He fell on the ground, slumped over.

Vastorie shifted his weight once again yelling at the mafia members "If he was being controlled, the person must be close by. Call someone to fan-"

"I found the corpse of one of the assassins!"

Vastorie stopped at the mention of one of the assassins being killed. He had to weigh his options. Either the leader or a manipulator was currently in the building. If the leader was in the building, maybe he might have a chance of disarming the group. However, if the manipulator was in the building, the risks of collateral damage would increase.

Vastorie turned to look at the mafia member "Damn it! What floor? Actually... you know what, forget it! I'll find them myself. He's probably already long gone from the area."

Vastorie flicked out his hand, stomping the ground loudly as he left.

Kurapika grits his teeth, leaving to search the building as well.

"~"

Not even thirty minutes into the search, Kurapika felt it for less than a minute, malicious aura surrounded the area as if it was targeting him, the blood lust. The moment Kurapika activated his aura in self defence was when it left, moving on as if he wasn't the person he was looking for.

He blinked once before continuing on, more cautious than he was seconds ago.

Zeno and Silva blinked at the same time as the aura surround them. Silva could help but comment on the presence "There he goes again..."

Zeno shook his head at the intent of the aura, knowing full well who was casting that wide net of aura. It was a waste of time. The intent was to draw out anyone who had  _Nen_  capabilities, possibly zoning in on who was lurking in the building, attacking the assassins that managed to cross his path.

Even with the net was cast; the predator could have left the location. It had to have been for another reason, like a beacon to count the number of people in the building "Silva... He is a monster who  _can_  pull it off. And the consequences of doing so, was the sacrifice of his  _Hatsu_. Let him do whatever he wants. We'll start from the roof and head down..."

Vastorie smiled, reducing the size of his  _En_  field to zero. "Four, not including myself can use  _Nen_. So only one person in this entire building currently is my enemy; two, if I count Silva, and three if Zeno is involved. If I fight alongside them, I run the risk of turning it into a three-way handicap."

Vastorie ran a finger across his chin, stroking it attentively as he thought about alternating plans. He needed a flawless plan, one which if needed he could improvise on the spot. After all... he would be fighting beside the Zoldycks. And the Zoldycks could be he enemies as well.

"~"

Vastorie waited, observing the stairs attentively. He had been running around the building, wasting his own aura as he searched for the intruder. He was worried that he would be late to the party, missing out the fight alongside Zeno and Silva.

However, he should have taken his time.

Vastorie had been searching the building earlier, in hopes of finding the other assassin with the beret. The man had been holding a combat knife, one which could prove useful in the upcoming battle.

He needed a fall back of some kind. If he wasn't going to use it as a tool to harm others, at least he could use it as a tool to distract.

Vastorie pressed his back into the wall, holding out his aura a mere fraction so that he couldn't be backstabbed. He was dealing with a rather strong Phantom Troupe member, one who was able to relax, and keep cool even if his life were in danger.

Whoever was hiding in the room behind him, he saw Vastorie as no threat whatsoever to him.

Vastorie closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, only to hear a distinct voice calling him out on his own short comings "Isn't it too early to relaxing, Vastorie."

"Sil..." Vastorie slowly opened his eyes, staring back at the man and his father "Aren't you a little late to the party. After all, I've been waiting out here for the last oooh, ten minutes."

Silva grit his teeth, stilling his emotions as he walked towards one of the many entrances into the room the Phantom Troupe member waited "Says the man who's wasted his strength in order to find a single man."

"Touché, however..." Vastorie smirked, slowly making his way to another door, as far away as possible from Silva. "I'm not some damsel in distress. I am a man of refined talents, one who after a good night's sleep is ready to go. I'm not some decrepit old man who needs a cane just to walk."

"Hmph, we'll see soon enough."

"Zeno..."

"Vastorie..."

"How's life treating you?"

"Same old... Same old..."

Vastorie jerked his head towards Zeno frowning slightly at the old man's comment. Out of all the Zoldycks, Zeno was the most tolerable out of them all. He was calm, collected, and rarely, if ever, acted out of his own emotions. He may have been all about the job, but the contract only involved the main target, everyone else didn't need to be involved.

Vastorie held his hand against the door handle, opening it as the others did so alongside him. The room opened to a rather large room, giving any fighters an edge when it came to distancing one's self from the others, without having to worry about running into something.

Nothing, except for the large table the Phantom Troupe leader stood on served as a breakable object.

The Phantom Troupe member waited, observing the three assassins as they entered. He had been waiting long enough, as if he'd been expecting the assassins that had entered the room.

"We meet again." The man's eyes fell on the three, dark as a pitch black sky.

Silva barely raised an eyebrow, curious to the Phantom Troupe leader's question "You remember me?"

"How could I forget? You killed one of my people."

"It was difficult..."

"Silva admitting to something being difficult, why... it seems you're out of touch."

"Don't-"

"Silva... he is not the target."

"He IS a target."

"Of a long dead contractor... He is a waste of time."

"Hmph..."

Vastorie silently chuckled at Zeno's quick, fired back responses. The man was like a vicious viper; one that would strike at anything that got in its way. Zeno was all about the contract, and the contract was to kill the Phantom Troupe members, not the man that stood beside them in the fight to come.

The Phantom Troupe leader turned to face Vastorie, curious to how he could have missed an assassin "I don't believe we've met before."

"Vastorie... Vastorie Darkscryer. Pro Information Hunter, family man and assassin... in that respective order."

"Oh..." The man looked dissatisfied with Vastorie's response; however Zeno and Silva already had made their move, walking slowly towards the man. As the Phantom Troupe member focused on the other two, he took off his jacket, throwing it to the ground.

Given Vastorie's strict dress code, he wasn't prepared to risk the chance of wrecking his favourite jacket. The jacket had covered only his arms and back, barely reaching around his chest and finally ending in the three-point tail. Under the jacket was a tight vest sleeveless shirt, three buckles wrapping around the chest region and a frilly section running along the neck.

Once the jacket hit the floor, Vastorie lagged behind the others, listening to the others as if prying for any other information. Given that Silva had already fought the man before, he might just give away the man's fighting style.

Unfortunately for Vastorie, Silva barely whispered loud enough for only his father to hear. Vastorie shook his head in frustration while watching the Phantom Troupe leader jump down from his make shift pedestal.

This fight could go anywhere, and the only information Vastorie had at his disposal, was the man's ability, the ability to steal another man's  _Nen_  ability. That was the only edge Vastorie had. He had only one _Nen_  ability, which he risked losing. But the chances of him using it were impossible.

It may have acted passively, activating on its own but unless he acknowledged it, asking the summoned spirit to fulfil a task, it served no purpose... maybe an annoyance at best. The other would have been a stupid ability to copy, one which is only used in training situations. Outside of training, it was nothing but a way to leave him open and venerable to ongoing attacks.

After a few moments to collect one's thoughts, the fight started, each man moving to his own rhythm.

Silva was the first to attack, sweeping at the leader's head. The leader ducked the attack, eyes following the older man who dropped in by his side. Zeno struck like a viper, hands poised at stabbing the man like it was a knife.

The leader avoided each hit, surprised at the older man's speed, vigour with each attack. Vastorie took this opportunity, coming in from behind to sweep the man's legs out. The man jumped backwards, kicking off Vastorie as if he were a stepping stone, only to fall prey to Silva's brute strength.

Silva struck the leader in the chest, only to be blocked. Even though the man blocked his earlier attack, he used enough strength to hit him back in Zeno direction like a pinball machine.

Zeno drew aura into his hand, firing it off like a large beam at the Phantom leader. The force pushed him back, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Vastorie stopped the man mid flight, slamming his leg into the person's back.

Even though Vastorie barely used any strength in his attack, he forced the man to at least stumble backwards, head slamming into the ground before rolling backwards for another of Silva's attack.

The leader was however prepared this time, rolling away before drawing an unusual knife to slice though Silva's thick skin.

Silva was able to create some distance, only barely being nicked by the blades edge.

Vastorie stepped back, avoiding the man and his knife.  _It's a good thing he didn't pull that on me. What the hell even is that, a Ben's knife perhaps? I wonder which number... could be a great collector's item, or worth a small fortune._

"You okay?"Zeno asked in concern, even though his eyes were still focused on the enemy at hand.

"I'm just fine."

"You got nicked by a knife... you're anything but fine. It takes a lot to penetrate that thick skin of yours."

"Give me a reason not to kill you right now..."

"My handsome looks...?"

Vastorie received a glare from the man, which only made him straightens his back under Silva's scrutinizing constant stare "Alright, jokes aside. His ability is to steal another's, right? I'm the only one who has nothing to lose at all..."  _Ok, I might be lying just tiny bit right now_.

Zeno frowned slightly at Vastorie, barely glancing at the man before turning back to face the leader of the Phantom Troupe "So you can steal other people's  _Nen_? You must be a  **Specialist**. I would consider you a threat if you could freely use the powers you steal. However, you must take risks to take those abilities. A technique that strong must have its drawbacks... I would guess you must clear four to five conditions before you can steal an ability."

"I believe three to four would be even closer, seeing as mine needs only three conditions fulfil."

Silva objected to the man's comment "Even though yours is practically useless in fights. You can't even use it freely."

"Right, but I still stand by three to four."

Zeno stepped back into the conversation, cutting the kids off from their squabbling "Regardless of how many he has to use; it would be difficult to clear those conditions while fighting the three of us... Meaning that you won't be able to steal our abilities while we fight... Proven by your need to use a poisoned knife as a deterrent..."

The leader tossed aside the knife, choosing to extend his aura out.

"Silva, I-"

Vastorie objected to Zeno's plan before he could say anything "Nope, it's my turn." He cracked his neck once, then twice on his opposite side before continuing "This is a once in a life time opportunity... and a man like this has a lot to offer, to my profession. You may do what you want on the side, BUT, whether I'm truly an assassin or not..."

Vastorie crouched a tiny bit; sliding one foot towards the man "My thirst for knowledge will ALWAYS," he kicked off the ground, charging towards the Phantom Troupe leader "trump my need to kill!"

The leader jumped back, focusing his aura into his hands. Vastorie switched gears at the conjuration of the book, choosing to keep his distance while circling the man like a lion waiting for an opening with his prey.

_A book...? Kinda reminds me of my ability... except universally more useful._

The book opened, flipping through the pages before stopping on a certain page.

Aura focused in his hand as a large piece of cloth formed in his hand. Never once did his eyes leave Vastorie or the others. He seemed rather too calm and collected, considering that two out of three of them planned on killing him.

Vastorie shifted his weight, focusing his aura into his arms and hands while putting one arm behind his back. Without warning, he charged the man again.  _Let's see exactly how dangerous this piece of cloth is..._

The man swung the piece of cloth in Vastorie's direction. Vastorie quickly ducked, using his own momentum to slide out of the way before coming back in.

Vastorie swung his hand from behind his back at the Phantom Troupe leader, revealing a serrated Combat knife. The man jumped out of the way, eyes trained on the knife. Vastorie never once left the man's side, picking up the knife the Phantom Troupe leader had thrown away earlier.

Before Vastorie could lunge forward, he was forced to back away from Zeno's attack. Calm and collected, Zeno was lunging towards The Phantom Troupe Leader with his aura.

Vastorie whistled at the old man's technique, observing the man's ability to control and manipulate his aura with ease. Even if it so much as tapped the enemy, it still would have harmed them.

Unfortunately, for Zeno and Silva, Vastorie needed the man alive. He wanted to know two things specifically. He wanted to know the Phantom Troupe Leaders name, and their reasoning for this little game of cat and mouse with the Mafia. What exactly was the purpose of all this fighting?

Vastorie jumped back into the fight, catching the others off guard. He managed to kick the Phantom leader out of Zeno's path of attack, and then use the man's back as momentum to get back out of the way.

Unfortunately for Vastorie, he failed to predict Silva's following reaction. Rather than landing safely on the floor, he felt Silva's presence right behind him "Oh Sh-"

CRACK

Vastorie heard the sound of something break in his back, followed by the sound of him colliding with the floor. When the man hit the floor, for a split second he thought his ears were ringing when the knives hit the floor.

It was excruciating to him, like getting hit in the back with a monster truck. He was pissed. The incentive was growing with each passing second; the reason to put Silva through the ground. Slowly, Vastorie got up. He groaned along the way as he let his aura creep out slowly.

Vastorie clenched both hands. He felt the hilt of one of the knives in his hand, the grip still filled with the aura of the murderer and blacksmith. Plans began to form in his head and there was one thing he'll get before the end of the night, revenge.

He turned, seeing the fight still go strong, himself already long forgotten in the game of cat and mouse. With a chuckle, Vastorie threw the knife at Silva as he allowed his aura to release, swallowing the room whole.

Silva may have tensed at the man's presence, but still stepped back in time to avoid the knife "You're still alive?"

"Silva... it will take more than a single punch to knock me out. I've had more broken bones from my husband," Vastorie held up his finger to immediately correct himself "due to poor self control... then you will ever hope to achieve; that being said..."

The man held out his finger to point at Silva, letting his aura condense and flutter his clothing, as if he had a fan pointed straight at him "I'm pissed off at you... and I'm going to 'Stamp on the Ground'. Prepare yourself Silva, this just turned into a three-way triple threat!"


	53. Dance X with X Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Updates will be slower starting from now on. And also what do you guys/girls think of Daniel's obnoxious father, Vastorie.

**Vastorie Darkscryer**

**Gender:**  Male

**Aliases:**  Pervert (By Daniel), Womaniser, The ladies man

**Birthday:**  12/11

**Age:** 52 years old

**Eye Colour:** Azure Blue eyes

**Hair Colour:**  Black

**Hair Style:**  Medium length and spiked back

**Distinguishing Features:**  N/A

**Height:**  216 cm/ 7'1"

**Weight:**  47 kg

**Body type:**  An average build.

**Personality:**  Lustful, intelligent, passionate, stubborn, Secretive, manipulative

**Nen:**  Specialist

**Back story:**

Vastorie has a bad track record. His abilities and strengths are what make him feared, and the butt of all jokes.

When Vastorie is out and about, if people draw his attention, he comes across as an annoyance. The longer people put up with him, the more they come to realise, his not at all what he seems to be.

He's gentle and caring to his closest of friends, and willing to help them in need.

He treats Daniel like a child, often pranking him. And when he gets caught in compromising situations in front of his son, he doesn't seem to mind or care.

He has two distinct abilities, one of which cannot be used while fighting.  **Sage's Archive**  is his front  _Nen_  ability which allows him the use of others abilities, however, not freely. His second ability is a much darker nature which only a select few know about due to its dangerous after effects.

In terms of ability, he could have been in the top five  _Nen_  users; however, due to productivity and secretively, he's push down to the top 100s.

Both abilities were not designed for fights. And can use only the basic and advanced forms of  _Nen_  besides  _Hatsu_.

**Personal Goals:**  Gain all knowledge contained in the world.

**Bad Habits:**

* Very sexually active.

* Doesn't tolerate bad behaviour

* Hypocrite

 

* * *

 

Vastorie smirked at the three men, each reacting in their own way. He could see it; Zeno knew that man's ploy the moment he was  **'pissed off'**  at Silva. It was a game between the two of them.

No matter how pissed Vastorie got at Silva; in a worst case scenario he would put Silva through a wall, with dealing the least amount of damage. Silva was build like a brick house, opposed to Vastorie's lean physique. Then there was the issue of Silva being a Transmuter which happens to be the Enhancer's next door neighbour; whereas Vastorie was a Specialist which is on the opposite end of Enhancer.

Forty against eighty, would not be a wise choice.

Vastorie shifted his weight, appearing more flamboyant than he had anticipated. He watched Silva for any visible negative reactions; after all, he did say he was going to turn this into a  **'three-way triple threat'**.

Judging by the Silva's bristling of anger, he could make this work.

Vastorie shift his gaze towards the Phantom Troupe leader. Never once did he address the man, asking for his name "Leader. Boss... what exactly is your name?"

When the man failed to answer, Vastorie swayed his hips side to side, walking as slowly as he could. He really wanted to know the man's name, dedicating a book of vast information about the man. His talents where intriguing, representing the talents of a raw, untrained, talented young man.

He was up against two of the Zoldycks, the best of the best. And not once did he falter during their fight. Vastorie was just a third man, dealing more stun attacks than physical damage. It wasn't in his nature to harm a human being, without proper reasoning. But the man before him was a Phantom Troupe member, a leader of one of the most notorious thieves' gang. They were skilled at stealing and killing.

Whichever way he puts it; this was a fight to be recorded. If not for himself, for at least the younger generation; it's testament to what happens when you have raw, unnatural talent.

"Should I name you," Vastorie froze for a second; he could have sworn he heard someone say  **Danchou**. But it sounded unlike any of the voices of the people currently in the room, maybe it was his ability syncing with someone's aura. Someone is calling out to the Phantom troupe leader or maybe... the leader is calling out to someone. " **Boss of the Phantom Troupe**  then?"

"Chrollo Lucilfer..."

"Chrollo, huh...?" Vastorie smiled, stopping so he could tap to a beat echoing in his mind "Let's dance..." he held out his hands, slowly dropping them to his sides as he hummed a tune out loud.

Vastorie shifted his aura to extend around his body, while systematically increasing the aura contained around his hands and feet. He needed enough strength to put Silva through a brick wall, at least as both pay back, and way to make it look like a three-way fight.

He trusted Zeno enough to attack him, and he trusted his skills in dodging enough to come out of this unscathed, minus the serious damage Silva dealt earlier. Vastorie slid across the floor, using his aura to propel his movements as if he was on ice. And without warning, he began to sing; focusing more on saying the words rather than actually singing them "Stamp on the Ground!"

On specific lyrics, Vastorie focused his movements on replicating the lyrics he spoke-sung. He slammed his foot into the ground, kicking off the floor so he could propel his body towards the wall "Jump," with each repeat of the word, he jumped up the wall three more times before pushing his aura to its limits, kicking off the wall so he bounce off the walls constantly, forcing his aura into over use "Moving all around."

Vastorie forced himself to land in front of Silva, attacking him first. Once he landed, he slid in close to Silva, delivering a message as quietly as possible to the man "Flank Chrollo. Zeno and I will keep him busy, while I probe him for information."

During the whole time Vastorie had been speaking, he focused most of his aura into his hand. Vastorie delivered a strong, opened palm strike to Silva's chest, propelling the man outside the room.

If everything went according the man's plan, hopeful Silva wouldn't comeback in the room and immediately to pound him through the floor. Hopefully he would hide and come out to attack Chrollo's blind spot.

If not, he would be road kill; nothing but a mangled corpse on the ground, unabled to be identified. Seeing as Vastorie targeted Silva first, he wouldn't run it by the man to not bust back in the room and knock him out, permanently.

During the second repeat of the first chorus, Vastorie aimed for Chrollo next. There was no way he was going up against Zeno in close combat. Zeno's Dragon Lance is one of the most difficult skills to deal with up and personal. It's a short to long range skill, which given earlier was able to deal damage to Chrollo, even though it lightly tapped his side.

Regardless, what happens next, Vastorie had to make sure he was never caught in any of Zeno's attacks. He shifted his weight, kicking into the ground so he could get up and personal with Chrollo.

Vastorie held his ground against Chrollo, while trying to dodge any of Zeno's attacks. His body contorted like water, shifting and avoiding constantly, only attacking if he had a chance to counter.

He always fought to avoid and never to kill, even though he mentioned 'assassin' as one of his job traits. But if he did eventually get knocked out, even if he were to be captured, he had no ability to offer, at least to everyone's knowledge, besides himself.

Only he, Netero, and his husband currently knew about his real ability. The ability he's known ever since he was a child. After avoiding so many of Chrollo's attacks, he found the perfect moment to counter, and launch the man towards Zeno. Unfortunately for him, Silva stopped the fight "Father..."

Vastorie distanced himself from Chrollo, preparing to defend from two different sides. He was mentally preparing to fight the large Sasquatch.

"Hmm...?"

"It's Illumi."

Zeno sighed in relief as Vastorie was left in confusion. What exactly did Illumi's call have to do with this fight?

"Yes," Vastorie watched as Silva flicked a piece of rubble off his shoulder he missed earlier while Chrollo was dusting his clothes off, well at least what was remaining of his clothing "Illumi killed the Ten Dons. And he wants you to write the money to his account as agreed."

Vastorie burst into a fit of laughter, dropping to the floor like bag of cement "You both had to assassinate the targets your targets listed. Imagine if  _you_  killed Chrollo and  _Illumi_  killed the Ten Dons at the exact same time. NO ONE would have gotten payed."

"Heh... wouldn't have happen."

Vastorie stopped laughing as he squinted in disbelief at Zeno. What exactly, was the old man hiding up his sleeves?

Chrollo spoke rather calmly, as if constantly accessing the situation "Wait, aren't you supposed to kill me?"

"We were hired by the Ten Dons. Now that they're all dead, you are no longer our target."

Chrollo smiled after hearing that "Really...? That's surprising. You won't get another chance like this."

"Do you really believe we kill for pleasure?"

Vastorie raised a hand to object, smiling with both a guilty and mischievous expression "I would imagine Silva does."

Silva stayed quiet, ignoring the man completely while Zeno turned to look at Vastorie "We don't do this for fun. Unlike you, I refuse to work for nothing or die for nothing."

Vastorie let out a brief chuckle as he got up, expression never changing in the slightest "Surely you jest. I would never accept a job without having a contingency plan of some kind."

"Ditch us half way through a fight?" Silva spoke out loud, eyes refusing to look at the man.

Vastorie could help but smile at the man's plan.  _Maybe he isn't a beef-cake after all..._ He nodded at the man's plan "Exactly! Who better to cover my ass, then two of the most powerful assassins in the world? Plus, if I knew you were going to pull this stunt, I wouldn't have joined in the fight... I feel so used!" Even though he said it, he couldn't help but break into a smirk. After all, he was going to use the Zoldycks in a worst case scenario.

Chrollo's smile widened, liking this obnoxious, hidden man. Something about the man however seemed off, as if he was hiding a secret right under everyone's nose "Zeno, did you know that I hired Illumi to assassinate the Ten Dons?"

"Of course..." Zeno frowned. "But that's irrelevant. We simply do the job we're hired for."

"Say, can I ask you something? If you and I were to fight one-on-one, who would win?"

"Hmph," Zeno turned around, barely batting an eye at the Phantom Troupe Leader "Most likely, I would win. Unless, you decided to actually try and kill me... honestly," Zeno walked away from Vastorie and Chrollo "you're a cheeky kid."

Chrollo closed his eyes, looking down at the floor with a smile. He hadn't expected Zeno to see right through him. Now, Chrollo looked back up, focusing on Vastorie who for some reason had his back turned. As if the man had forgotten about him immediately after conversation.

"Hey, Zeno, call me later...?"

"For what reason...?"

"No reason... I do miss our youthful conversations."

"Hmph, you're still a child as always."

Vastorie smiled at the thought. He humoured the man's idea "Who says we need act our age? We both know someone who doesn't... and he is a lot older than us!"

"Hah," Zeno smiled at the reference "though you aren't as strong as he is."

"And like that, burned. It's good talking to you, although briefly..."

"Yeah, yeah..."

As Zeno closed the door behind him, Vastorie turned to look at Chrollo "I guess that leaves me and you..."

There was something plaguing Chrollo's mind, and he couldn't help but ask "You aren't a real assassin... are you?"

Vastorie crossed his arms, standing on the spot as he tapped his foot in irritation "Oh, and what makes you say that?"

"When you kicked me... you don't attack to kill."

Even though Vastorie's eyes narrowed dangerously on the man, he couldn't help but smile in his mind. Someone was way too smart for their age "Neither did you, except maybe when you cut Silva's arm with that knife."

"It should've paralysed him."

"Hmm..." Vastorie hummed out loud as he shifted his gaze towards the door Silva left through. "He is built like a tank..."

"Less than a milligram would have taken down a whale."

Vastorie mentally freaked out.  _LESS THAN...? Oh good grief if I got stabbed by that I would have gone down for the count_  "It's a good thing he isn't a whale..."

"What is your ability...?"

Vastorie sighed, preparing himself for the best, pessimistic expression he could whip out. He turned away, pressing his arm into his eyes as if he was about to cry "The ability to..." He sniffed hard, adding a depressive effect of the story. "Summon a world where I can freely push others into it. It's used to both train and use other's abilities to the best of my knowledge. So," he allowed a smile to crack along his face, widening as he pulled his arm away "your ability except less useful. Oh, and I also don't have to steal their ability it in order to use it. I merely... borrow the person's knowledge for either my own or the owner's gain."

Vastorie paused for a few seconds before casually blurting out one final comment "But usually it benefits me more than the original owner... except when it comes to using it in reality."

A shadow loomed over Chrollo, one arm wrapped around the man's neck. The figure seemed to be quiet large, possibly even taller than Silva and just as strong. That meant two things to Vastorie:  
First, the person meant something important to Chrollo.  
Second, was his queue to leave; he had to avoid becoming attuned to the ghost of the past. If he could visualize the ghost, that meant he couldn't ignore person. It would be like trying to ignore a giant pink elephant stomping around the room which he could only see.

Vastorie turned and walked away. He kept calm, ignoring the fact that Chrollo's eyes were watching his every move. Vastorie grabbed his jacket, slinging it over his shoulder as he moved towards one of the many doors littered throughout the room. As his hand pressed against the handle, Chrollo asked another question "What is your  _real_  ability?"

Vastorie's expression changed; anger almost seething in rage as his hand clutched the door handle "That is... it! It's the ability to train others... like the practice mode feature in games." Vastorie tilted his head slightly in Chrollo's direction "However, ask that question again... and you'll find out why dead people tell no tales... Danchou..."

"Really...? You'll want to fight me without pay?"

"No... I get no kicks out of fighting; with the intention to kill people."

Vastorie left without another word. He felt as though he may have given away too much at the time, letting the pink elephant slip out of the bag that time. But even with that, the closer he got to Chrollo, the more the shadowy figure looming over the man became visible.

During the whole fight, there was someone attracted to Chrollo's presence.

It was a ghost reaching out to the man, maybe it was a friend, a lover or even a close colleague. Whoever that ghost was, he meant something to Chrollo. And if Vastorie was to spend any more time with man, the presence would have come clear as day.

A ghost from the distant past, acting as though he'd had never died. Although the ghost may have felt ignored at the time, Vastorie's apparent reaction to ghost's presence would have triggered a long list of questions about what is happening.

Usually ghosts wouldn't know about their decease, but the few of them who know of their last few moments before passing would have different reactions. If they were to learn about Vastorie's ability, and the loophole; they could temporarily take over his body to speak to the living.

Though a request from the living to the dead could have a drastic effect... One even might say a world changer.

_I dread to think of how much the world will change after this ghost's passing..._

"~"

Daniel frowned at Leorio, unable to believe how close to the truth he was. Leorio was drinking alcohol, and stuffing his face with Cheetos. But, Leorio wasn't alone. Oh no, he was with Zephile as well, whom was doing the same thing as him. It was like they were having a mini competition. And Leorio was losing badly by the looks of it.

"Yeah, I'm getting into this!" Leorio laughed out loud, hand snaking around him for another drink. He found a bottle of wine, picking it up to pour Zephile another drink "How about another?"

Daniel couldn't help but ask Leorio a question "Before or after you drop dead drunk..."  _You're as red as a tomato. Maybe you have **that**  gene or something... the one that makes you red in the face._

"Agreed..." Killua raised an arm haphazardly before crossing them. His eyes were still adjusting to idea that Leorio was drinking in the room "They  _were_  drinking while we were captured?"

Time seemed to slow down for Leorio, or maybe he was too drunk to acknowledge when the boys had in the room. Leorio finally acknowledged the boy's presence after hearing Killua speak, as if the three of them were using  _Zetsu_  the whole time "Oh, you're back?"

"And you're drunk..."

"Huh?"

Daniel rolled his eyes at Leorio "Oh, I thought we were pointing out things we already know... Turns out I was wrong..."

"HUH? Come and drink with us!"

Daniel blinked slowly at Leorio, unable to believe Leorio is deaf, dumb and blind while intoxicated.

Killua uncrossed his arms, resting them on his hips as he stared down on Leorio "Are you an idiot? We're underage! And aren't you underage too?"

Leorio looked at Killua, smiling in glee like he was about to prove a point "What's your point? In my country, you can drink once you're sixteen."

Killua sighed "I see..."

Daniel let a slight, brief laugh escape his lips "I don't know if drunken Leorio got the memo... but we're thirteen. That's three years under  _your_  country's drinking limit!"

"Huh?"

Killua held a hand to Daniel's face, stopping the boy from saying anything further "Wait til after his sobered up to say anything. He's probably too drunk to acknowledge anything we're saying."

Daniel nodded at Killua's every word, unable to add any more input to the conversation. If they were going to talk about what had transpired, they would have to wait til Leorio sobers up; whenever that would be.

"~"

Leorio sighed hours later after hearing what the boy's had to say "I had no idea that happened. I'm amazed you escaped alive." If the boys were to look Leorio in the eyes, they could tell he was mentally beating himself up.

Zephile nodded as well, unable to believe the situation the three had went through "The Phantom Troupe's that dangerous?"

Gon smiled at the older man, telling him something they had forgotten to mention "Back there, one of the tricks you taught us came in handy."

"Multiple..." Daniel corrected, while Gon happily complied "Oh yeah! Double Dipping and Side Stepping..." The boy bonked himself on the side of the head, a goofy smile spread from cheek to cheek.

Zephile was slightly taken back, coming to terms on how the boy's achieved their escape. He mulled the idea through his mind, while Gon explained how the three of them managed to achieve the escape through careful planning. After Killua pitched in explaining the parts Gon didn't quite understand, Zephile finally spoke "I get it. I'm glad I was able to help in some way."

Zephile smiled at the thought, speaking out loud as his eyes drifted towards the roof "Experience can sometimes blind you. A con artist's knowledge might come in handy against the Troupe."

Daniel turned to look at Leorio when the man injected "Yeah! There's more to being a con artist than you'd think. I haven't just been drinking myself senseless here..."

"Are you sure?!" Daniel injected with one eyebrow raised. "You were redder than Killua, when either Gon or myself embarrass him..."

Killua suddenly gagged on his drink "I- I don't get red." Killua hid his face from the others; a light rosy colour gracing the boy's cheeks.

"... Point proven!"

Even with the light blush, the boy somehow managed to make a sudden glare intimidating. It was a rare, yet somehow cute and dangerous look the boy mustered.

Leorio flick out his finger to the side, drawing the boys' attention back to the conversation "I've been learning a lot from Zephile. And tomorrow morning, we'll hit the auction. You guys are coming, right?"

Killua shared a look that somehow left Daniel out of the loop. But when Gon spoke, he remembered about the deal he almost forgotten out of fear "I'd like to, but I have to find Kurapika and learn about  _Nen_ from him."

"Kurapika? You got through to him?"

Gon nodded, staring at his drink as thoughts drifted. He spoke each work carefully "Yup, but we're waiting for him to call us back."

Leorio blinked once, then twice. He had to make sure he had heard Gon correctly "Hold on. Did you say you need to learn about  _Nen_  from him?"

"I did..."

Daniel interjected with a smile "Leorio you are the only friend, from the Hunter's Exam who didn't learn  _Nen_."

"Wait, what about your sis-"

"Already knew about it..."

Leorio rubbed his head sheepishly. Being singled out wasn't on his to do list; he had to somehow redirect an already failing conversation "But... didn't Kurapika just learn about  _Nen_  recently himself, right?"

Gon tilted his head slightly, resembling a dog who had just heard a strange sound "But Kurapika managed to defeat a member of the Phantom Troupe."

Leorio was flabbergasted. He must have been hearing things. Did Kurapika know something the others didn't? Kurapika started training around the same time as the others, and here Kurapika knew more than the five of them combined "Seriously?"

Killua nodded in confirmation, barely batting an eye at the others. Out of everyone, Killua had taken it quite casually, and without single ounce of doubt "Yeah." The white-haired boy's eyes opened, looking directly into Leorio's eyes as he spoke "He must know some secret about  _Nen_. Some strength that doesn't require experience or power..."

Daniel frowned slightly "Whatever it must be... it's seriously OP. Judging by what the Phantom Troupe members said, Uvo was their strongest... Maybe he's an Enhancer?"

Gon's phone started to ring, as if Kurapika knew the others were talking about him this very moment.

Gon closed his eyes for a second, then opened them to make sure he wasn't day dreaming. Somehow in the back of Gon's mind, he didn't believe Kurapika would call them back so fast "It's Kurapika?!"

"Speaking of the devil..." Daniel couldn't help but say at the mention of Kurapika's name. "Hello? Kurapika...?"

Even though Kurapika wasn't on loud speaker, he sounded way more quite than usual "You said you wanted to stop the Troupe, right? That won't be necessary now. The spider is dead..."

Gon couldn't believe his ears. He had to be dreaming now. Every single one of the spiders was dead, killed within a single night. Gon had to make sure; he had to make sure he wasn't day dreaming "Huh? What you mean? KURAPIKA?!"

With Gon's last request, all he heard was static; the sound of a phone line dying. He brought the phone down to his lap, defeated from what Kurapika had parted with.

Killua looked at Gon curious, wondering why the boy had such a defeated expression "What'd he say?"

"The Troupe's dead..."

"What?!" Leorio reacted in disbelief; followed by Killua who had been angry at the moment of the news' release "Seriously?!"

"He hung up. I had no way to find out anymore."

Daniel let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that the spiders were dead was a weight taken off his shoulders. Now Gon and Killua had no reason to go after them. The spiders were now nothing more, but a figment in their past. A memory that would soon be forgotten as the worst time of their life... But if they were dead, did that also mean Hisoka was dead as well?

Even though Gon was down in the dumps, he wasn't about to let this moment ruin his night. Without even thinking, he sent Kurapika a quick text.

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern.

Gon rebutted Daniel concern with the biggest smile he could muster "I invited Kurapika out tomorrow."

"To do what exactly...? I didn't even know we had plans..."

"To lunch!" Gon stuck his tongue out at Daniel, even though the boy had no reason to do so "We having lunch tomorrow with him. He didn't sound like he should be left alone... at least that's what I think."

Killua frowned for a moment, only to smile immediately after "Sounds great!"


	54. Good X Bad X News

Daniel couldn't believe his eyes. After what they had experienced last night, the weather was great. The atmosphere was great. It was as if nothing had gone wrong last night. Families were out, enjoying the afternoon weather and park, not even letting the news running this morning ruin the day.

Smiles were seen everywhere and Daniel couldn't help but smile. He wasn't about to let last night's events ruin that day. His eyes drifted towards the families littered throughout the park as he barely listened to Gon and Killua "Ready, go!"

The others had entered a food devouring contest; stuffing their face to the brim with whatever food that could grab in time.

Gon suddenly screamed out Kurapika's name, drawing Daniel's focus back in time to see Gon discharge whatever he was last eating into Killua's face; crumbs, drool, spit and a piece of tomato was plastered to the boy's unfortunate face.

Daniel barely contained his laughter with a smirk. He held out a napkin for Killua, observing the boy quietly as he wiped the undigested food off his face.

As Killua was wiping the food way, Daniel began to notice something weird how he was looking at Killua. He saw things he normally wouldn't have picked up on others. Killua's eyes were closed shut, probably just in time before Gon spat the food in his face. However, it wasn't that Killua's eyes were closed shut; it was he had a blank expression as if he could be thinking anything at this point.

**Revenge...**

**Anger...**

**Disgust...**

Killua could have been thinking anything at this point, and Daniel really wanted to know what's going through the boy's mind. He wanted to know Killua's current thoughts, and the thoughts to follow. He secretly wanted to know everything, Killua was thinking of right now.

Killua's eyes looked between the remainder of what was left, thinking of which piece of food he should ram into Gon's face.

Killua picked up the cream filled pie, quietly sneaking up to Gon. Daniel didn't even bother alerting the other at this point. The boy had it coming; he did after all spit food into Killua's face, even though it was most likely an accident.

Daniel couldn't quiet catch what Gon was talking to Kurapika about, but the moment Killua slammed the cream pie into Gon's face, the two immediately began to bicker and banter; already lost in their own food war.

Daniel took the time to step up to Kurapika, holding his hand out to greet the other. Even though Kurapika shook his hand with a smile, Daniel could see the sadness in his eyes. They barely hid the thoughts that weighed heavily on him.

Daniel wanted to know, but he chose not to obsess over them and instead focus on Killua.

Kurapika was the first to speak "How... How are you?"

"I'm good... just feeling sorry for Gon right now. But then again... he did put himself in this position. How are  _you_?"

Kurapika spoke, barely hiding the sadness in his voice "Could be better..."

Killua suddenly ramming another cream pie into Gon's face elicited a long, hardy laugh out of Kurapika. Soon he was smiling, losing all other thoughts of what weighed on his mind. All Kurapika needed was a reason to laugh. A reason to make the sadness go away. He needed a moment to break his track of thoughts.

That moment, was Gon being hit with a pie. Even when the boy never said a word, he could still somehow make anyone smile.

Daniel's smile slowly spread, choosing to revisit an old question "How you feeling now?"

"Sorry..."

"No reason to apologise. A laugh is all, the doctor needed to prescribe."

"Speaking of doctor..."

"Leorio...? He's with Zephile."

"Zephile...?"

"One of Gon's new friends..."

"Oh." Kurapika continued to smile, looking down at the floor as he spoke "He does make friends easily." Daniel saw it, the sincere, easy to understand smile. It had awoken the boy to some extent; it brought life to those uneasy eyes.

Daniel nodded at Kurapika's words. He couldn't deny it. Gon made friends though his curious amber eyes, unyielding to the endless troves of information. In a sense, he was like Vastorie, except when it came to Vastorie he was secretive to his relentless. Vastorie was a puzzle, waiting to get cracked open. "Gon reminds me of Vastorie sometimes."

"I met Vastorie..." Kurapika covered his mouth after casually blurting it out. He let a secret, one which he should have really kept to himself, especially seeing as Vastorie strictly said they were not on equal footing.

"Oh, did he talk about any embarrassing stories about me? Mention things that should be behind closed doors? Talk about weird sleeping habits?"

Kurapika was not expecting those questions. Was Vastorie deceitful or was Daniel, hiding secrets just as well as his father? "No, he said you dislike him..." This was the first time Daniel has openly spoken about Vastorie. He knew nothing about Vastorie, prior to meeting him.

"I dislike aspects... but he's my father. Well, one of them."

Kurapika blinked once, then twice.  _Daniel has two fathers...? Wait, that might explain why Vastorie said **Daniel was a pain in his backside, pun intended.**  Maybe Daniel knows what he was referring to..._"Hey, Daniel, you said you have two fathers... correct?"

"Yes...?" Daniel watched Gon and Killua continue to play; both boys were ignorant of the conversation happening around their little game of cat and mouse.

"Would you know... what... What Vastorie meant by  **you were a pain in his backside?** " Kurapika purposely left the last part out. He wasn't really sure if it was something he should have said out loud.

Daniel blinked, he wasn't expecting the question, and neither did he know how to answer it. He didn't know was his father meant by that. Sure, he was a child. Sure he drove his father insane at times. But never once was he  **that**. At least... not to that kind of level... "No...? Was that all he said?"

"Yes."

"No embarrassing stories?"

"No."

"No weird habits of mine?"

"No. But, he did say you two were a delicate topic to talk about."

"Oh..." Daniel smiled slightly. Vastorie was right there, but so wrong at the same time, at least in his own eyes. He hated being compared to Vastorie; it left a bad taste in his mouth. Being told constantly by people who had just met him,  **'he was a splitting image of Vastorie'**  made him feel inferior. Vastorie could do things Daniel couldn't begin to dream of hoping to achieve. Vastorie was faster, stronger, and more cunning when it came to everything. If Daniel had half the skills his father had, he could have stopped the Phantom Troupe members from hurting Killua... AND Gon! "Have you ever been compared to someone so much, you wished you were them?"

Kurapika shook his head "No."

"Sometimes, I wish I was like my father... in some things, not all!" Kurapika knew from Daniel's last sentence, something was up. But he stayed quiet, waiting for Daniel to continue. "I... I thought he was unnaturally strong. He knew how and when to block my attacks. He's perceptive... and... I just wish I had his talents..."

Kurapika didn't know how to take in the man's words. How Daniel was describing Vastorie, his portrayal within the first few minutes goes against everything Vastorie showed last night. Yes, the man was cunning. Yes, he knew how to dodge. But he wasn't strong, at least in Kurapika's view.  _Was he that cunning...?_  Kurapika shook the thought away before smiling again at Daniel "He certainly is cunning..."

Daniel had been absent minded during Kurapika's words, sadly more focused on what Killua and Gon were doing. The two of them hadn't stopped for a second, Killua constantly pummelling Gon's face with food. The poor boy looked like clown who had fallen into a cream cake. He smiled sincerely, allowing his lips to let loose a small controlled laugh.

One thing Daniel couldn't stop looking at was Killua's smile. Gon's was contagious, but Killua's... it was unique to the boy. No matter how many times he looked at it, each time was different. It was like the moon smiling in pitch black darkness. A beacon for those lost in the woods.

"Daniel?"

Daniel snapped out of his day dream, looking up towards Kurapika as if he had been caught red handed, sleeping in the middle of a class "Yes?"

"Can you stop the two of them? We should be meeting up with Leorio."

"Y-Yeah... Sure! I can do that!" Daniel ran after Killua and Gon, trying to step into the middle of their food fight and end it.

"~"

The five of them together again, smiling at one another as if it had been years since they last met. Gon smiling the largest out of the four welcomed Kurapika with open arms in the restaurant; even though the boy had been travelling with them for the last hour. "It's been a while since we were all together last!"

Gon's words rang true, but the smile accompanying the boy was far too contagious. It was like a plague, sweeping and affecting everyone around him. Even when Kurapika was sad just an hour ago, the sadness had been long forgotten, replaced by a smile set to rival even Gon's.

Leorio joined in after Gon, trying to mimic the boy's wide, goofy opened-mouth smile "Yeah."

As the five of them walked towards the set of elevators, Gon was more interested about why there weren't six of them "Where's Zephile-San?"

"He wanted to validate our check and find more hidden gems to sell."

Daniel waved off Leorio, brushing Zephile off like he was the third wheel to the group, or in this case sixth "It's kinda good... If Zephile joined, then it wouldn't be the gang back together. It'll be the gang plus one."

Killua smirked, his mouth lifting a fraction at Daniel's gesture "You mean the gang plus two."

"Huh?"

"Well, the other day you referred to yourself as the mascot of the group."

Even though Daniel knew Killua was insulting him, he smiled, knowing that Killua remembered. "Oh, you remembered."

For some reason Killua blushed. He was caught off guard by Daniel's sudden reaction. He was expecting more of a retort. Not a smile with acknowledgement.

Leorio couldn't help but smirk at the boy's sudden shyness "Oooooh...? Is the little boy embarrassed, hmm?"

"Shut it, old man!"

Leorio's brain clicked mid sentence, a sudden thought coming to mind. The cogs in Leorio's brain started to turn; half ignoring what Killua said while the other half said what he wanted to say "Oh," Leorio's eyes trained on Kurapika, looking at him as if he just saw something on Kurapika's face "You've got this intensity about you... You seem a little more intimidating now."

"Really...?"

Leorio disengaged the conversation, firing back a Killua with attitude "I'M NOT OLD!" It was like watching a man who didn't know if he was coming or going in the conversation. The cogs were turning again, shifting Leorio's gaze back to Kurapika "Yes..."

Kurapika broke into laughter, unable to stop himself from Leorio's almost Gon-like air-head attitude. Through for Gon's sake, the boy at least listened to all parts before breaking down under too-much-information pressure. As Kurapika was unable to stop laughing, the boy tried to make an observation "You don't seem to have changed much. Maybe a little more air-headed then usual..."

Leorio's facial expression changed at Kurapika's observation, going from a slight cheerful smile to a pout; it was similar to what a child would make when they weren't getting their way. "You're definitely more annoying, too!" Leorio frowned, pressing the button to call the elevator as he shifted conversation gears "Oh, I heard that you defeated a member of the Troupe. Having only just learned  _Nen_ , how did you manage that?"

Daniel offered a witty retort at the end of Leorio's conversation "Says the man who only knows  _Ten_  at this point..."

Leorio frowned at the boy just as the chime let everyone know the elevator arrived. Everyone filed into the elevator, Kurapika addressed the question "If you're looking for advice on catching the spiders, then stop."

Gon quickly dismissed Kurapika's argument, choosing to redirect the conversation to something more meaningful. It was something they could all agree would be helpful in the end "That's not the only reason. We want to master  _Nen_  because we'll definitely need  _Nen_  in the future."

Daniel nodded, joining in after Gon "Yeah! And who better to teach us, than the man who beat the unbeatable."

Kurapika looked at Daniel, smile faltering; Kurapika then gave his attention Gon, barely thinking about the answer "Then you don't want my advice. It won't do you any good."

Gon looked curiously at Kurapika, wondering why the blond-haired boy objected to being their teacher "Why not?"

"My power can only be used against the Troupe."

Everyone was caught off guard, even Daniel. But the boy had to ask. There is no way Kurapika would have only a single ability. He would have to have at least several; several to cover the dangers of Kurapika's one powerful ability...  _shouldn't he?_  "All of th- WAIT, never mind I only heard  **power**. Why do you have only one power...? Wouldn't you make several to combat all your power's weakness? Unless... do you have one really over powered ability!"

"Like yours?" Killua spoke with a smirk, cutting off Daniel's train of thoughts. Killua was right; his ability did fail him with the fight against the Phantom Troupe, even changing into a weaker and unique form.

Kurapika shook his head slightly, offering only a request they must fulfil "I'll tell you when we sit down."

Daniel hummed a questionable sound, wondering what Kurapika could have up his sleeves.

"~"

The boys were holed up in the room they were staying at. And even though the room was quieter than usual, Kurapika began his story, speaking about his training with his  _Nen_  teacher Mizuken without pause. From what Kurapika told the boys, they uncovered that Kurapika was a  _Conjurer_ ; that meant Kurapika was able to create objects out of his own aura, which also made Shalnark guess correctly, although the boy also offered  _Manipulator_  as a second choice.

Different concepts were thrown on the table, all new and ripe to learn from.

 **Restraint and Vows**  was one of them. It sounded like it would be a simple concept, paths to different routes of opportunities that were vast, endless. Daniel could only wonder how much  **Restraint and Vows** could benefit him and his dilemma to his own ability, which will ultimately benefit him in the future.

Even though Kurapika barely had time to speak on the topic, Gon was already repeating it like it was a question he had first come up with "Restraint and Vow?"

Kurapika nodded once before continuing his explanation on the topic " _Nen_  is strongly affected by your mental state. The stronger your resolve, the more power you receive. However, you also incur a big risk at the same time. In return for  _Nen_  power, I vowed to use it against the spiders alone."

Kurapika's sudden pause gave Daniel time to digest. Daniel's  _Hatsu_  earlier indeed took on a new form, weakened as though it was made out of glass or paper. But the moment prior to the ability had a unique display. It was acting as though it was made out of liquids, and as far as he could tell a shadow was nothing like water. Maybe it would ripple if someone was to walk through sand or stand on uneven grounds, but even then, that was a stretch to explain why the ability dripped like thick, sludgy water.

"I established a rule for myself."

Daniel's head shot up in time to hear Kurapika's comment, followed by Leorio's curious question "What's the rule?"

"If I use my chains on one who isn't a spider, I will forfeit my life."

Kurapika's words hit like a ton of bricks. But, there had to be loop holes of some kind. There was no way Kurapika never once used one, or any of his abilities. Judging by the chains on Kurapika's hands, he had to at least have five of them... or maybe they were there for looks rather than effectiveness.

"HUH? What do you mean?"

Daniel cut in before Kurapika could speak "He means if he uses his ability on someone other than a spider... Phantom Troupe member, he'll die!"

Kurapika nodded, extending a thumb out to point towards his heart "There is a  _Nen_  blade pointed at my heart. If I break the rule, the blade will pierce my heart, killing me. This is the rule that shows my resolve. Restraint and Vow."

Daniel swallowed hard; this would be hard to swallow now that Gon has also heard Kurapika's resolve. But, there must be a way to still learn from the topic; something that can benefit the others, including himself.

Kurapika held out his hand, glaring intently at it as if his own hand offended him "My power is the product of pure hatred. It only works on spiders. I'm telling you because I trust you. Don't tell anyone else."

Daniel wanted to make a joke about whether it was effective against all spiders, or the Pgantom Troupe members. But this was neither the place nor the time to do that. But, something didn't feel right with Kurapika's explanation. It was as if Kurapika overstepped a crucial key point. How come Kurapika's ability hadn't killed him now? He wasn't a spider, so something hidden wasn't adding up.

Killua broke the silence quickly; ready to object to Kurapika's explanation "Why..." he suddenly stood up, hands clenching as he yelled every word "Why would you tell us something so important?!"

The question hit Kurapika hard, leaving him unable to answer honestly. He just sat there, staring silently at the table. Daniel argued several motives in his mind, but each had no merit to the thought. Only Kurapika truly knew the answer to the question. And when he spoke, he could only offer the conclusion for being 'unsure' why, but the next few words that left Kurapika's mind gave a clue to as why he said anything at all "With their leader's death, I must have relaxed."

Daniel nodded at Kurapika's words, but one question remained. How many of the Phantom Troupe members were alive, and is Paku one of them?

Leorio spoke next, dismantling the danger to the best of his ability "It'll be fine if we keep our mouths shut."

"Wrong!" Daniel objected, staring deep into Leorio's eyes. "What if Pakunoda is still alive...? She can read minds!"

Killua nodded at Daniel's words, backing them up with his own argument "She is! And he's right, it's still too dangerous! Like Daniel said, one of the surviving members can read minds. If they find out, Kurapika won't be able to beat them!"

"AND, they'll know all of us are involved. How long would you last against them Mr.  _Ten_..." Gon joined in the conversation next, arguing on the opposing side of the group "But she didn't learn anything last time."

"That's because we didn't know Kurapika was the chain user. They even thought Daniel was the chain user at one point, because of his weapon..."

Daniel shook at the thought from the things that could have happened to him if Pakunoda didn't exist. Would he still be alive if they assumed Daniel was the chain user because of his weapon?

Leorio waved off Gon's immediate fear to Killua's answer "Then we just have to stay away from them. They've already checked you, so they think you're clean."

"Even then, there's also a guy called Nobunaga. He's especially dangerous. He's not only looking for Kurapika, but he's also trying to chase us down and make Gon join the Phantom Troupe."

"Is he aware that you guys know Kurapika?"

"No..."

"Then it's okay! As long as no one around the mind reader knows Kurapika, then you're safe."

"UNLESS, they run into us again and force us into said position!" Daniel retorted back with a dead-panned expression. He didn't like Leorio's way of thinking. Anything could happen, especially if the remaining members accidently bump into any one of them.

"Well," Kurapika jumped back into the conversation, this time offering something else. It was a secret that he was obviously keeping back, out of fear from being judged harshly, considering the person involved was dangerous on all manner of levels of sanity "I've also been in contact with Hisoka."

"What?!" Everyone freaked out; including Daniel who had to make sure it was the same person "Hisoka the paedophile?"

"He knows that I am the chain user. We made a pact, but his target, the leader of the spiders, is now dead. So I don't know what he'll do."

"Either move onto another target or Gon..." Daniel offered with an estranged smile. Gon gulped from the thought Hisoka would pursue him next. However, Killua immediately objected "Hisoka would NEVER get that close to us... again! That leaves a question. What do we do now? Now that we know Kurapika's secret, it's dangerous to wait around. If Nobunaga captures either Gon, Daniel or myself again, we probably won't be able to escape. But we have Kurapika with us now. We should take them out before they have a chance to recover and escape."

Daniel had been nodding at Killua's speech the entire time, completely ignoring Killua's last sentence "Yea..." It was only when he repeated Killua's last words in his mind that he objected to the entire plan. He stood up, pointing a stern finger in Killua's face "WAIT, there's no way in hell... am I going to hunt down those monsters! WE, should be dismantling, packing up and relocating to a different part of the town; far away from their base of operation!"

Killua raised a finger to Daniel's face, poking the boy in the head furiously "I say we take them out when they're at their weakest, which happens to be right now! We know where their current base is. If we take too long, they might get away. We need to move fast."

Kurapika raise a finger to his chin, mulling the thoughts over. This was indeed the right time to strike. With only six or less members now remaining, and Hisoka on their side the remaining members of the group would be killed with a chinch, IF Hisoka were to join as a behind the scenes rat.

During the whole time Kurapika had his face towards the floor, deep in thought, Killua gave Daniel and Gon each a look. It was a ruse, forcing Kurapika to stay with them, while possibly training them at the same time "They could be making an escape as we speak. We don't have time for too much thought."

Daniel's eye twitched in anger at Killua, the thought of Killua's statement ringing true could have put them all in jeopardy. Dealing with the remaining members could be a whole different kettle of fish, especially with who were remaining. The two, most dangerous remaining Phantom Troupe members... Pakunoda and Nobunaga...

"The woman you mentioned is certainly a threat..." Kurapika paused, giving the situation more thought. Even with so many members dead, the threat was still high "But since their leader is dead, I'll do as Gon says, and focus on recovering my brethren's eyes."

Daniel felt relieved to hear Kurapika say that, but at the same time he felt a sense of defeat as well. Killua would be destroyed about that, and it would mean the likelihood of Kurapika staying to teach them about  **Restraint and Vows**  is decreased.

"Seriously?!" Killua was refusing to accept that. The look in his eyes gave away that much to Daniel, and even then, it still managed to make the boy tense at the thought of Killua refusing to give up.

"Yeah!"

"You're sure about this?"

Daniel smiled at Kurapika's determination to continuously refuse Killua's signs to reconsider the choice.

Leorio smiled, butting into the conversation "Kurapika's made up his mind. We can't force him to change it."

"Thank god!" Daniel accidently blurted it out, receiving quite an intense stare from boy who was arguing against the request to reconsider. He had to change the statement, even if it went against everything he valued "I mean... such... a... moment of bitter defeat...?" He had the words completely figured out in his mind, but the poor execution made the situation no better, and neither did it lessen Killua's rage towards the boy's earlier relief.

Killua had only one choice, and that was to give up. The saddened expression Killua made, didn't help Daniel feel any better. But even then, having no choice but to avoid the Phantom Troupe meant Killua and Gon will no longer have a reason to fight the Spiders. And no reason to fight meant the fear was no longer a valid feeling.

"Sorry, Killua... Thank you for the valuable information."

Daniel smiled, now offering another piece of valuable information, even though it sounded more like a joke in his head "She's the one who... As my dad puts it...  **leaves her... assets**   **out for show and tell...**  I think..." Daniel couldn't even believe what he said, so he changed his description immediately "Just look for the woman who is wearing a jacket, obviously too tight for her... figure."

Kurapika nodded, but the looks Leorio was giving right now said something completely different. It was like Leorio wasn't acting his age... or was he...? Daniel was unsure about how someone should be acting after hearing a woman had big boobs, which not only didn't fit in her clothing, she was also flaunting them in everyone's face.

Kurapika phone rang; notifying the teenager he had a new message. Kurapika grabbed it, bringing it to his face as he checked it "It's from Hisoka..." Kurapika's sudden change of emotion took a turn for the worse. He was dead silent, eyes shaking. But they weren't eyes of fear... they were worse. They were eyes filled with rage. Did Hisoka make a poorly time joke, or did he say something that was about to change Kurapika's views.

Even when Gon called out to the older boy, he was met with dark, brooding silence; a silence so thick not even a  _Nen_  chainsaw could cut through it.

"The dead bodies were fakes..."

The words Kurapika spoke instilled fear into Daniel, a fear that not only was all the Phantom Troupe members alive and well, the five of them will be forced to battle with them. Daniel didn't want to go up against those monsters, not now... not ever again. They were powerful, unrelenting enemies to fear. He had to make sure... he had to make sure it was just a joke, a joke they could all throw behind them "Don't tell me... the Troupe members are alive... all of them...?"

"Yeah, the dead spiders were fakes!"

If Daniel never knew about fear... he was certain he would learn about it now, and that fear had a face. The face was filled with the eyes of the members of Spiders, each looking directly into the boy's eyes.


	55. Plan X Captured X Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** To those of you still waiting for the romance part, that's coming up closer to and during the Greed Island Arc.
> 
> He has an uncanny detection rate to feelings like I had during Tafe (College is the closest comparison, I think!) Put it this way... I had two girls hitting on me at the same time and I was none the wiser. I was sooooo oblivious, even if they had a neon signs above their head saying "I'm hitting on you, senpai!" I wouldn't notice...
> 
> Which brings me to my point... If you are staring at guys and never once acknowledge how hot a girl is, even when your girlfriend at the time is asking you the question, (She is Bi. And not the **'I'm doing this for attention'** Bi. My best friend told me how much my ex wanted her... including the ex) _you_ **might** be **gay**...  
>  Apparently I didn't get the memo from my brain... even when the alarm bells were going off... >//<
> 
>  **A/N2:** On another quick side note... You can figure out Gon, Killua and everyone else's birthday while using Nobunaga's which is September 8th, 1970. He mentions it during episode 54.  
> If Nobunaga is 30 at the time seeing as it's around the 2nd - 4th of September he should still be 30. That would make the year around 2000. Gon, Daniel and Killua are around 13 at the time, so that should make their year of birth during 1987, if I did my calculations correctly. If not, I just made myself look like an idiot to anyone who is reading this >//<
> 
> And on those notes... back to the story!

Kurapika grit his teeth together, furious from not having realized it sooner. He knew there were other Conjurers amongst the Phantom Troupe members, and he knew he shouldn't have over looked the chance of one of them having an ability which could replicate that effect "It would be possible for a Conjurer to accomplish that. Damn! Why didn't I realize this sooner?"

Daniel was freaking out; realizing there was no way to back out of it now. But judging by Killua and Gon's stoic expression, they were prepared for the fight to come ahead.

"The situation has changed." Killua took charge once again, knowing Kurapika could easily be persuaded, or Daniel thought Killua would take charge "What's now?"

 _We run!_ "We run!"

Killua frowned at how quick Daniel took the easy route "Kurapika took out their strongest!"

"In a one on one battle...! We're talking about eleven more  _Nen_  users remaining! Three of us can't use  _Hatsu_  and one of us can barely even use  _Ten_!"

"HEY!"

"Ten more users remain, Hisoka isn't even apart of them. And even if we don't know  _Hatsu_ , we can help in other ways! And that's what we are going to do. Kurapika, don't listen to Daniel we're here to help."

Gon awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, somewhat smiling "Yeah... we are here to help." Even Leorio agreed to join in.

Daniel hated himself for being the odd one out. But he hated himself even more, knowing Killua was right. He could help other ways without having to rely on violence.  _Why didn't I realise that sooner?!_ Daniel grits his teeth, apologising for his outbreak "I'm sorry... Killua's right. I'm willing to help, as long as I don't have to go up against any of them in a fight. If anything, I'll hold everyone back..."

Kurapika was about to open his mouth to speak, but his phone distracted him for the second time that night. Someone was calling Kurapika this time "Hello?" Kurapika paused, listening to the person "Melody? What is it?"

_Who's Melody...? Is that a code name or their real name?_

"What?"

_What's going on now?!_

"The Troupe comes from Meteor City?"

_Meteor City...? I think Vastorie mentioned it once or twice. I believe it's linked to a town that doesn't exist, or isn't supposed to. It's an enigma of some kind... I'll say something when Kurapika's finished with his call._

Kurapika paused, hanging up the phone to let everyone know the call is finished.

Daniel asked a quick question "Isn't Meteor City the town that doesn't exist?"

Kurapika was in disbelief. Something else Melody mentioned seemed more important at the moment to say "The reward for the Phantom Troupe has been rescinded."

"The reward has been rescinded? Seriously...?" Killua couldn't believe his ears. And even after the stunt the Phantom Troupe pulled off, the reward was rescinded. There was no point to going up against Phantom Troupe now. Unless one were to say Pakunoda was a major threat, then if they took her down quietly the Phantom Troupe wouldn't have any more reasons to be pursued... right?

Killua shared a worried glance between Gon and Daniel. How would Daniel react now knowing that it's a win or lose all situation?

"The Troupe comes from Meteor City."

Daniel cut in before Leorio could even begin to speak "Isn't Meteor City the place that doesn't exist. Well, city..."

"Yeah," Leorio cut in after Daniel "that explains why their identities are still unknown, and why the cops haven't been able to catch them."

"Apart from their strength and location; no  _normal_  cop would be able to cuff them, let alone find them..."

Gon's curiosity got the best of him; looking towards Daniel, Gon asked a question "What is Meteor City?"

Daniel shook his head, unable to answer "All I know is it's a town that doesn't, or isn't supposed to exist."

"You're right," Leorio smiled at Daniel for a second before looking over to Gon to address the question "It is a city populated by people who don't exist, as far as society is concerned."

"Really," Gon was surprised by the information, but his expression soon changed to one of a questioning manner "a place like that exists?"

"Yeah. Officially, it's unpopulated, but it's said ten million people live there. It began as a dump over 1,500 years ago. People began to live off the garbage that was dumped there. You're allowed to dump anything there. From garbage to weapons, and even people. And the residents will accept anything left there. I've heard that Meteor City residents share a bond thinner than that between strangers, stronger than that between family."

Daniel felt somewhat disturbed at himself for smiling "Sounds like a great family... except more tightly knitted. A family born and raised from the treasures left behind by others. Or junk if you want to look at it that way..."

Actually," Kurapika stepped into the connection "there are those who provide Meteor City with weapons and precious metals under the pretext of garbage. That would be the Mafia community."

Daniel was just as stunned as Killua.  _The Mafia provides guns for people who don't exist...? That's... I just don't know what that is..._

Gon had a hard time understanding the situation. He wanted to know more, possibly the reasons to why the mafia would provide such assistance "What do you mean? But the Mafia is hunting the Troupe!"

"In return, the Mafia recruited people from Meteor City."

"Well, that makes sense now..." Daniel frowned at the idea, and the thoughts that followed. "Who better to get the dirty work done; than the people who never existed."

Leorio nodded "People who didn't exist, were perfect for committing crimes. The Troupe destroyed the normally intimate relationship between the Mafia community and Meteor City. But the Mafia has decided to prioritize that relationship."

Daniel massaged his chin, thinking Leorio's words carefully "But... how would that work now? Thinking about it... the relationship would be one-sided in Meteor City's favour, right?"

"Not necessarily..." Killua mulled the idea in his head "It would mean if they show stock photos of the fake Phantom Troupe member's bodies, they'll relinquish any chances they could get at hiring the Meteor City members."

"But... in showing the bodies, apart from traumatising some members of the public, they show they are stronger. And on the flip side they show they are weak if they don't reveal the information."

"Right..." Killua smirked, showing a fraction of his tooth which for some reason made Daniel shiver "and so wrong! If they show the bodies, who will now have to do all the dirty work...? They will. But the people who work for them exist. In not destroying the relationship, they still have a chance of hiring. You can't put away a ghost. Now the Mafia has to control the system better, bailing out the ones who are a suspect or the Phantom Troupe will destroy the Mafia inside and out."

Daniel looked down at the floor, acknowledging every one of Killua's words.  _He's right... and..._  Daniel shook his head before any thoughts could come to his mind "What now? The reward is revoked and we can't just play cat and mouse with the Phantom Troupe..."

Gon mulled an idea through his head before speaking out "Killua... Daniel... I have an idea!"

"~"

Gon pulled Daniel and Killua to the side, talking more about the situation. Unfortunately for Gon, Killua wasn't having any of it "No."

"Huh? Why not? You were the one who wanted to capture the Phantom-"

"It'd be pointless now!"

Daniel had been switching between Killua and Gon, wondering why the situation had been reversed now. Rather than arguing for the capture of the Spiders, Killua was going against the original plan. To Daniel that pleased him, knowing that the plan to go up against the Spiders was out of equation. However at the same time Daniel felt as though he had to help Kurapika. He felt the need to help the boy in some way, without, having to go up against the Phantom Troupe in battle.

Gon pouted at Killua, showing a side to him Daniel rarely ever saw "But why?"

Killua relaxed the back of his left hand against his hip while lifting the right hand simultaneously, choosing each word effortlessly to persuade Gon. To some extent it sounded like Killua was speaking with either a dead-panned attitude or as an emotionless doll, to some extent "With the reward gone, you'd be taking a big risk for nothing."

"Yeah, but capturing the Phantom Troupe would be worth it!"

"Worth what exactly..." Daniel frowned at Gon expertly forgetting about the reward. Gon was dense, but he couldn't be  _that_  dense. And Killua couldn't agree more with Daniel "You're getting your priorities mixed up. Have you forgotten why we're here?"

" _Greed... Island_...?"

Daniel laughed at Gon's unsure answer, but he was pretty sure it was because Killua was in the boy's face, shooting an intense glare.

"Exactly! The southern Piece auction begins in two days. We need to build up our war chest!"

"Actually," As Gon was about to relay his brilliant plan, Daniel was already objecting "OH NO! Last time you two made a brilliant plan I was out by two-hundred million Jenny!"

Gon smiled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as Killua had something to say "Don't lump me in Gon's plan! This time it's Gon's plan... not mine as well!"

"So you don't object to your last failed plan or should I say, double failure..." Daniel raised his eyebrows in a suggest way, eliciting short blush from Killua, much shorter than he had like "N... NO! BAKA! And for that, I'll listen to Gon's plan... and judge him for it..."

Daniel froze in place; it was as if an ice storm just swooped past him only. Rather than achieving his original goal to get Killua to agree to bad judgement plans, Killua was now going to listen to Gon's plans. And if the past warned him about anything, it was Gon's plans are something to worry about. Killua's were bad judgements, where as Gon's were more like disasters waiting to happen.

"Gon...?" Killua rested his hands on his hips, waiting for Gon to continue.

"I have a great plan to get the game."

Killua tilted his head slightly to the side, as if already judging the plan "Which is...?"

"Hmm..." it was as if Gon was thinking of the best way to explain it. But the next few words that came out Gon's mouth did nothing, to soothe Killua's curiosity "It's a secret right now!"

Killua grabbed Gon by the neck, pulling the boy into a deadly headlock. If Killua were to keep this up, he would either crush Gon's neck or make the boy pass out from lack of air "STOP BEING COY, and spit it out..."

If Daniel didn't rush in, he'll be down one friend. Daniel grabbed Killua from under his elbows and pressed so close to the boy, he swore he felt his heart jump for joy "Killua!"

As Daniel tried to pry Killua away, Gon snuck a hand between them and continuously slapped Killua's shoulder "You're... You're strangling me! I'm gonna die!"

"That's what I plan to-"

Daniel managed to wrestle Killua out of his death grip with Gon, barely. Though the moment he wrestle Killua out of the death grip, was the same moment he ended getting a little too close. His lower half ended up rubbing against Killua's backside, which also made him release and jump back in surprise. It was as if a warm, electric feeling ran right through his body, and it scared him. The only comparison he could make at the time was his hand was caught in a bear trap.

Daniel stared intently at his hands, closing them a few times shut before looking back at Killua and Gon as if his hand was  _really_  caught in a bear trap. It was a strange, unwanted, and yet somehow a wanted feeing at the same time. He didn't like it... not one bit...

Gon had been coughing during the whole ordeal. He managed to barely catch his breath before smiling with a small sweat drop running down his face "I'll... I'll work something out for the game. So for now, let's stick to the Troupe."

Killua brought his hands up, cracking them a few times as if he was preparing for another choke hold, only this time it would be to the death "Do you really have a plan?"

"Yup... but it's not guaranteed to work."

"How likely are we talking...?"

"Huh...?"

Daniel jumped into the conversation, sputtering only at the start "Kil- Killua, It's a math equation! You don't ask Gon a math equation..."

"I'm not asking him to work it out to the nearest denominator. I'm talking simple..."

Gon was already shooting steaming out of his ears, as if the thought of giving the percentage in a point figure would overload his brain.

"G-Gon, I'm talking whole number! What percentage do you think your plan has of working?"

"Ah... Ahh... Seventy percent..."

Daniel and Killua were shocked at the same time "SEVENTY?!"

"W-Well... more like sixty..."

"SIXTY...? That's still a high chance. We talking low or high six..." Gon starting to steam at the ears, made Daniel retract his question "Never mind..."

A quick roll of Daniel eyes made Killua snicker, though from Gon's smile it looked more like a coin toss chance. He didn't quiet trust Gon's idea, but at the same time the chances of achieving the original goal in time was more than impossible at this point "Okay, have it your way... I'll let you handle the game. But we can't deal with the Troupe-"

Daniel freaked out before Killua finished his statement with a sigh "Alone..."

Daniel released a breath he didn't realise he had been holding, he smiled softly and awkwardly at the same time soon after. He should have known better than to believe Killua was NOT one to go in solo.

Killua this time rolled his eyes at Daniel's smile "We only move if Kurapika helps us, agreed?"

"Okay."

Daniel nodded profusely "Right!"

"~"

During the whole time Gon, Daniel and Killua were conversing; Kurapika took the opportunity to pry more information from his contacts. He learnt very little, if any at all. That left Kurapika with no more information, other than what he had already knew from Hisoka and Melody.

When Killua, Gon and Daniel came back they saw Leorio and Kurapika conversing, which Gon couldn't help but interrupt "Kurapika, let us help you. We're willing to do anything."

Daniel saw a neutral look gracing Killua's face, but he couldn't pin point what exactly the boy was thinking. Was it worry, hope or just a look that's saying this is a stupid idea? Whatever Killua was thinking, he was certainly hoping that Killua stuck around til the end.

Kurapika looked dead serious, yet somehow unsure what he was expecting the boys to say next "The reward was rescinded."

"I know. I want to stop the Phantom Troupe. That hasn't changed."

 _This is going to end poorly... isn't it...?_  Daniel so badly wanted to ask Killua the question, but how much would the question sway Kurapika's decision.

"You'd be risking your lives."  _And I did, sort of promise Vastorie I wouldn't let his son get hurt. But if they agree, I'm sure Daniel has talents which could remove him from harm's way._  Kurapika waited for an answer from Gon and the others, but from Gon's look alone, he couldn't argue anymore "Okay, let's put together a plan."

"Uh-huh."

Daniel freaked out, but not from what Kurapika said and Gon agreeing, it was from the look Killua gave him. It held a sense of fear, but not in a danger sense, it was more like an  **'oh, shit'**  look.

"~"

Kurapika broke down the sections of requirements into groups. This was going to be no easy task to pull off. They were dealing with the Phantom Troupe after all "First, we'll need someone to watch their base, and to provide updates."

"I can do that."

 _Killua..._  The thought of Killua being the first one in danger both scared, and worried Daniel. This was something he really hoped Killua wouldn't volunteer for, but if he didn't who would? Killua is the best for this position, and Kurapika came in at a close second. But Kurapika was needed for something else, something more important, the capture of the members.

"The target is the woman named Pakunoda. You can ignore everyone else."

"Okay."

_That sounds easy enough... now all that's left to assign positions to Leorio, Gon and myself._

"Be very careful..."

Before Killua could even respond, Daniel had to say something else as well. He felt a few feelings muddling up his thoughts, like a room full of doors. And he had no idea which door led to where or which one he should even open. One thing for certain did scare him, whichever door he opened next; he really hoped Killua was waiting on the other side. The thought of losing Killua hurt him the most and it was a feeling he was really scared about "Killua... PLEASE be careful. You mean a lot to me..." He didn't think anything by it from what he just said, maybe it was because Daniel was absent-minded at the time, or maybe it held a second meaning which Daniel was yet to figure out.

"Wh... What...?" Killua was mortified, and blushing profusely at the same time.

Daniel however was confused. Did he say something his mind didn't register?

Killua took the boy's confusion at face value, and he knew that pressing the topic would only make the situation worse. At least to him "W... Well, you don't have to worry. I won't push my luck."

Daniel raised an eyebrow and looked towards Gon. The boy held a thumb up which Daniel was yet to figure out the reason for.  _Achievement Unlocked... Confused as fuck! What exactly did I just say...? I was so focused on my feelings, it felt like word vomit. I only said for Killua to be careful... didn't I?_

Kurapika coughed in to his hand when it didn't look like Daniel understood what he had just asked, or the boy completely forgot what the second half was "Well, I'll need a driver to accompany me. Leorio, could you can handle that?"

"HUH...? Y-Yeah..." Leorio adjusted his glasses after his major freak out, acting all cool like nothing had happened "Sure..."

Killua smiled in glee "It's all good. No cop would think to stop you."

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Give it a few years." Killua smiled, showing off his trademark cat-like expression whenever he was hiding a secret "Anyways, you'll be fine with Kurapika nearby."

"HEY, Killua... Don't you dare make it sound like I was scared or something!"

Daniel snickered at Leorio as Gon jumped in, concerned about his role in this entire play "Kurapika, what about me?"

"I need you to act as a decoy, to throw the enemy off."

Gon nodded, understanding the request made to him "Got it."

_And that leaves me... There's no way I can be a decoy..._

Daniel hummed without complaint, waiting for a dreaded situation where he'll be forced to confront the troupe. But if one were to look in the boy's eyes at that very moment, fear would have been clouding them.

Kurapika massaged his chin at Daniel. Placing that boy is going to be hard. He made a promise with the boy's father, and he could see the evident fear in his eyes. From what Kurapika knows, Daniel is a  _Manipulator_ , probably like his father. Maybe Daniel would have skills in negotiation.

When Kurapika was thinking of what task to give Daniel, Killua interrupted; disliking Gon's main objective "Hold on! Isn't that a dangerous role? He'll have to face the Troupe members again!"

"That depends on our strategy."

Killua's argument was shut down in a matter of seconds, and even the boy was surprised by Kurapika "Strategy? What strategy will we use?"

"A very simple one..."

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, questioning the boy for how 'simple' it's going to be "How  _simple_  are we talking...? Are we going to drive past and nab the girl while she's walking in the street?"

Kurapika frowned slightly at the thought. Though he wouldn't disagree with  _that_  plan being simple too "No... While the enemy is occupied with Gon, I'll capture Pakunoda and escape by car."

"Uh... Huh..."Daniel didn't agree with that plan. The plan would be impossible to pull off, unless by some miracle only one other person is accompanying her at the time "Sounds impossible with the enemy we're are facing..."

"Agreed..." Killua fumed, having agreed with Daniel so many times in a single night. This couldn't have been good for his mental thoughts "That sounds awfully shaky..."

"There are too many uncertainties for me to devise a concrete plan. I'll let Gon decide his strategy. But I'll need you to draw their attention for at least half a second. A full second if at all possible..."

Going by what Kurapika is requesting, it sounds easy to pull off. The problem would be the demands from the tasks at hand. Each step sounded easy, but the obstacles would be hard, and the requirement just as worse.

"One second, then?"

"Yes..."

 _That... is going to be hard..._  "Gon," Daniel focused his attention on the boy he was calling out to "This isn't going to be easy... you do know this, right?"

Gon looked down, keeping quiet as he let his imagination run wild. Given the circumstances, Gon had to think of a fool-proof-plan that would lead the group to victory. The three of them had seen the Phantom Troupe in action, and they knew first hand, that one second would be hard to pull off.

"Gon, you are the key. Can you handle it?"

Gon looked up at Kurapika, focusing only on the older boy. He couldn't lie in this situation. And the task required from him would be difficult at best "I'm not sure. I'll need to think about it."

Kurapika looked up at the clock, checking the time "We have six hours. If the auction proceeds as scheduled, the spiders will make their move before then."

For a split second, Killua looked at Gon. Clearly the boy didn't want Gon to jump into the situation unprepared "Hey, two questions."

"Hmm...?"

"First, what is Daniel's role? And second, why are you accepting our help now?"

Daniel ran a hand through his hair, sighing in defeat. He was really hoping he would escape being thrust into the situation. But Killua and Gon was already knee deep. He might as well join the fight. Whatever Kurapika recommended, he would agree to, no matter how difficult.

Kurapika sighed at the situation, even right now, placing Daniel was difficult. The fear was evident in the boy's eyes, and deep down he knew Daniel dreaded the requirements placed on him, and then there was also the request from Daniel's Father, Vastorie "The risk I'm taking has increased. I have to eliminate Pakunoda immediately. No matter the cost..."

Daniel flinched at what Kurapika said last. Did that include friends as well? He hoped that Gon, Killua, Leorio and himself weren't a part of the costs. Though, Gon speaking up seemed to justify the costs "Kurapika, put a  _Nen_  blade in me!"

Kurapika freaked out, followed by a delayed reaction from Daniel. Daniel's mind was thinking so much that his mind felt like he was half listening, or that the conversation around him had been sped up "YOU... You can't be serious!"

Killua couldn't help but argue as well "A  _Nen_  blade? What for...?"

Leorio cut into the conversation, thoroughly disagreeing with Gon's main objective, even if he didn't know to what extent the boy wished the blade for "Gon, weren't you listening? Kurapika will die if he attacks anyone who isn't a Troupe member!"

"KEEP your voice down!"

Gon was about to speak but Daniel couldn't help but object to the whole scenario "Wrong, Leorio!"

"HUH?"

"Indoor voices... think about it! Kurapika is not a member of the Phantom Troupe. So stabbing himself with the blade would be a direct violation to the ability in use. That combined with the fact, Kurapika created all his abilities to only be used against the Spiders would leave him in a weakened state. The  _weakened_  state being all his  _Hatsus_  are designed to be used against only one enemy. If Kurapika were to go against anyone other than a spider, he would have no other abilities to defend himself, correct?"

Leorio's jaw dropped to the floor from Daniel's information overload "Wh... What?"

"I'll break it down... for the slower man.  
One, Kurapika is not a Phantom Troupe member.  
Two, He has a  _NEN_  blade pointed at his heart, which is apparently designed to be used only on Phantom Troupe members.  
Three, he works for a mafia group, and I'm sure they would have had a rigorous exam lined up to test everyone's strengths and abilities.  
Four, using the last three points... How would Kurapika achieve anything, if all his abilities are only to be used on one group of enemies...?  
Oh, and FIVE... why would you love to have a  _Nen_  blade pointed at your heart Gon?!"

Gon determination faltered, instead turning into a pout. Daniel was expecting Gon to fizz up at all the questions, but the boy surprised him "I was going to ask that! Well..." Gon surprisingly held a hand to the back of his head, rubbing it slowly as if he were about to apologise "I was only going to ask why Kurapika had a Nen blade in his chest... but I guess the other questions are important too..."

"What about five...?"

"Ehh...?"

Daniel's eyebrow twitched at Gon's reaction. Did he miss the fifth point, or would he only answer it as soon as Kurapika answered the four above points.

Daniel let out a deep sigh before waving off the fifth point "Beside the fifth point, something about Kurapika's abilities has been bugging me. There was a major contradiction which, I have been mulling in the back of my mind for a while now... How can one exist, without contradicting others...?"

The older boy shared a look between Gon and Daniel. Clearly the two boys had been paying attention. Somehow Daniel managed to show a bit of his father's side in that moment, the way he would pick on certain cue points. If anyone was contradicting themselves, Daniel was certainly doing it right now. Daniel wished he was more like Vastorie, and he showed a side to him which ironically, resembled Vastorie "What I'm about to tell you will increase my risk further."

Leorio stood up after a second, sighing deeply "Okay. Hey, Killua... Daniel..."

"Uh uh... I'm staying to hear this... and Gon's immediate response..."

Killua shared a look between Gon and Daniel. Somehow, he didn't believe Daniel to an extent. It was like Daniel had ulterior motives to hearing what Gon and Kurapika were about to discuss. Then again, Daniel could only be focused on Gon's end of the discussion. Killua focused on Gon, wondering if the boy would give a signal saying he wanted him to drag Daniel out as well.

Gon nodded towards Killua, offering a smile.

It didn't look like Gon was objecting to Daniel staying, and Daniel wouldn't be forced into a position where everything he's about to learn would be a threat. With a sigh, Killua got up, following after Leorio.

Once the two had left, Kurapika looked towards Daniel "Are you sure?"

Daniel nodded towards Kurapika, begging the boy to continue with a silent nod.

Kurapika then turned to face Gon, speaking to him as if he was the main catalyst to this conversation "I'll start with the conclusion. It is indeed possible. The five chains have different abilities. Two of these chains are for attacking spiders. The first is  **Chain Jail**. The bond target is forced into a state of  _Zetsu_. This power is for capturing the spiders."

Kurapika tugged on the chain attached to his finger, pulling a cross out from under his sleeve. It was an unusual design, resembling a small dagger with a cross for a handle "And this is my  **Judgement Chain**. I point a blade at the target's heart, then state rules they must follow. If a rule is broken, the target dies."

Daniel nodded during the whole time, pieces falling into a place that resembled a way better picture than earlier. Kurapika had set contingencies, allowing his abilities so far to carry another if one were to fall.  **Chain Jail**  was like a cage, designed so that none of the prisoners could escape, but the main draw back from Kurapika's earlier points would suggest if  **Chain Jail**  were to be used on anyone besides the prisoners, in this case the Spiders, the guard would has serious repercussions.

Next came the  **Judgement Chain** , the executioner and warden to the  **Chain Jail**. If Daniel were to paint a clear picture  **Judgement Chain**  is the sole reason why  **Chain Jail's**  repercussions were so high.

"As you've figured out, I pointed a blade at my own heart. At first, I devised the rule that I would die if I attacked anyone besides a spider with my chains, and set a blade pointed at myself. But that was when I realized something. Would using them on myself be considered a violation of the rule?"

Daniel spoke out, saying his piece "Would the ruler be breaking the rules he set in place...?"

Kurapika nodded at Daniel before continuing "But, would I be an exception? I didn't know for sure."

Daniel wrapped a hand around his chin, slowly rubbing it in contempt. All of these are valuable pieces of information which could serve as a foundation to him when it came to devising the best possible  _Hatsu_  for himself.  _Would the King be executed for breaking his ow rules...?_

"That's why I adjusted the rule. I can only use  **Chain Jail**  against the spiders... meaning that I can use my  **Judgement Chain**  on those who aren't spiders. But first, a condition must be met."

Daniel's ears perked up, speaking almost in sync with Gon:

"What condition...?"

"A condition...?"

"This chain can only be used when my eyes are scarlet."

"You can make your eyes scarlet now?"

Daniel gulped when Kurapika's eyes changed colour. The thought of Kurapika's eyes being beautiful jewels crossing his mind. They were a rich, blood-red, gleaming with a few colours between like little stars. They were like watching the night sky with a blood-red hue. It was both terrifying and exotic at the same time.  _They_  were a testament to Kurapika's training.

Though, the weirdest thought came right after. Daniel for some reason felt really guilty, and the only thing crossing his mind at the time was Killua. Why did Killua cross his mind in that moment... maybe it was an eye thing seeing as Daniel saw Killua's eyes originally being beautiful. Then again, Killua's eyes didn't terrify him like Kurapika's eyes did. It was another strange thought that left Daniel speechless. Why was Killua invading his mind so much lately?

"I had to work at it. It took a while before I could deliberately turn them scarlet. I mastered the power in my middle finger by vowing to never release this chain, and to always risk death. The power in my pinkie was resolved by my unique nature. When my eyes are scarlet, I become a Specialist. And I can use any ability I've learned at full strength."

Gon blinked, slowly looking between Kurapika's hand and face "I'm not sure-"

Daniel cut in before Gon could finish his sentence "That gives me a better picture. I assumed you were a  _Conjurer_  by your ability, but the statuses and effects of your two chains fall under different categories.  _Specialists'_  removes the barriers between the other five, creating a whole different world for them to express themselves... Damn, now I wish I was a  _Specialist_..."

Gon shook his head at Daniel "What I really wanted to know was if Kurapika can be able to use his Nen blade on me. Can you do it, Kurapika?"

Daniel blinked at Gon. His mind was focusing on other areas while Gon was focused on the sole reason for this conversation.

"Yes..."

Gon pointed towards his heart without hesitation "Go ahead. You can choose the rule to set."

Daniel really didn't know what to think about this. Gon still wanted to go through with it, yet Daniel didn't know if this was something he should join in as well.

"I accept your resolve." Kurapika slowly reached for his hand.

Killua and Leorio jumped out from behind the couch, startling the three on the couch. Even Daniel was surprised enough to let out a little yelp in surprise. When did those two sneak past without anyone noticing.

Killua spoke calmly, as if he had been listening during the whole conversation "Can you make four of those blades?"

Leorio couldn't help but make an assumption soon after. You can remove the rule once our mission is over, right?"

Daniel freaked out. Why was Killua suggesting four of them? Did he automatically assume Daniel wouldn't object to the thought of having a blade inside him? Guarantee there was no escape, but the thought of having a tiny blade inside, which could kill him at any given moment, terrified him more than the boy's galaxy red eyes.

"Killua! Leorio!"

Leorio smiled as he looked at Killua for affirmation "We had a little talk. And since we're working together..."

"We should share the same fate."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't like the idea of being lumped together in a mass suicide commitment, but the thought of losing Killua and Gon made him keep his mouth shut.

"What do you say?"

Kurapika sighed, having his judgment pushed so much to the limit in a single night is a terrifying thought to how much the others cared about him. Surely, this was a domino effect, Gon being the main trigger "The answer to both questions is yes. But you four are wholly mistaken. I never had any intention of using my blade on you guys."

Gon didn't like this outcome "Then why endanger yourself by telling us your secret?"

Kurapika smiled, looking sincerely into the boy's eyes "Gon, I wanted... No, I wanted to thank all of you for your resolve. However, even if one of you ends up revealing my secret, I will have no regrets."

Daniel was soon smiling alongside Kurapika. The boy thought of his friends as an unbreakable chain, and even if one of them where to loosen in the future, he wouldn't regret what happens next. A friend is more important, than an unbreakable rule to protect his life.

"I have good friends..."

Daniel saw Killua look away with a slight blush, but one of the pieces of the puzzle remains lost. What about him...? Was there anything he could do for the group?

But before Daniel could ask, Gon cut in, pouting like he had lost at a game "That's not fair, Kurapika. You're putting more pressure on us this way."

"Speaking of Pressure..." Daniel raised a curious eyebrow "I'm still the only one who doesn't have a required task..."

Kurapika smiled at Gon, first addressing the boy "That was my goal."

"Oh, I get it now!"

"Now, Daniel..." Kurapika had this thought at the back of his mind, and he wanted to really test a theory out. If Daniel was secretly as cunning as Vastorie, surely the boy needed a simple push to get the ball rolling "How about... you... deal with the negotiations."

Everyone's jaw, except for Gon dropped "WHAT?!"

"I think that would best suit your abilities. You, do not give yourself as much credit. You have a similar, if not a really close thinking pattern to Vastorie."

"Wait, you met his dad?!"

Kurapika nodded in affirmation to Killua question "He would suit the job task at hand best. If not, I could always take over..."

Daniel gulped, this was a major job, the second hardest, Gon's being first. Once Pakunoda has been captured, the Phantom Troupe will head as a pack of rabid animal after them. Someone would have to both sedate, and navigated to a solution so everyone wins. Daniel didn't know what to think, but the thought of Kurapika saying the job would best suit him, filled the boy with determination and an unrelenting drive to prove himself to the others "I'll do it! If you think I could beat my dad, I won't give up, no matter what!"

Gon smiled as well as Kurapika, seeing Daniel like this made them happy, happy to see a boy in a state without fear, and willing to prove himself to others.

Daniel looked at Killua, smiling widely at the boy. He really wanted to prove to the boy he wasn't weak, and if Daniel could make this work, he could use this ability later in the future, ultimately saving Gon and Killua.

"Well," Killua awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck "I'll head out, then. We can't waste any time."

"Be careful, Killua!"

Killua stopped for a moment, ears lightly flushing at the thought of both Gon and Daniel worrying about him "Ye... Yeah, I got this."

As Killua left, Daniel waved at the boy even though he probably wouldn't have seen it. Daniel shook his head, smiling like a dork from what had transpired. And with a new motivation to help guide him, he'll hope he does a fine job at showing the others what his made of. And maybe in the future, he can keep the promise he made to his sister, Zaikaria.

He'll protect Killua no matter what...

Now is the time he cannot be scared any longer...

It's do or die and now Daniel has been given a chance...

He'll rather die trying, than give up and not try at all...


	56. Capture X The X Spider

Daniel calmly ran his fingers though his hair, surprised at extent of his hair growth. It extended a little past his shoulders, gathering a little further than his armpit. While there may be a few more rogue hairs choosing their own direction, most of them followed with the flow.

The boy moved in his seat, feeling a little uncomfortable without his blade, Wolfbane. He wondered if he should have brought it instead of leaving it back at the hotel room. Though, he wasn't exactly worried about it being stolen from the room, due to its weight. He was more worried about needing it when he didn't have it. Then again, hopefully the blade wouldn't come in handy that night... hopefully.

Leorio drove along the street, not really following a direct path. It would take a while to get near the Phantom Troupe's hiding place.

Kurapika had been talking to Killua on the phone the whole time, discussing the situation in great detail, the problems have escalated. More buildings had surrounded the area now, blocking Killua from doing his job "That is more likely a Conjurer's work."

"Yeah, that's gotta be it. These buildings weren't here yesterday. This has to be  _Nen_."

Daniel squirmed in his seat, feeling a little uncomfortable with idea that Killua is in the situation. It smelled like a trap, waiting to activate. He really wanted Killua to leave the place, but voicing his concerns right now would be a little embarrassing.

He been feeling a little weirded out since early tonight, feelings he didn't know existed...

Saying things he couldn't even remember...

What was going to happen next, a feeling to do something he shouldn't do, or even consider doing...?

Leorio grumbled under his breath "Man, these guys are really crazy... They have someone who can conjure entire buildings!"

Daniel rolled his eyes at Leorio "Don't tell me I-WE never warn you..."

"It's safe to assume that they're rigged somehow." Kurapika murmured in the phone as he thought about the next plan of action.

"Yeah... That tells us they're still using this place as their base. The problem is that these buildings create too many blind spots. I can only watch twenty percent of the area at the time."

Daniel was really worried for Killua now that there were buildings that shouldn't exist; the members were on full alert.

Kurapika raised the concern for Daniel "However, if you move around too much, you could run into one of them."

"I'd like to avoid that. I mean, I have no idea what I'd do if I heard their voices behind me... My heart is already pounding."

_Me and you both..._

"Voices...?"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Kurapika, wondering why voices was a trigger. Did 'voices' have to do with something Kurapika knew that the others didn't?

"Huh...?"

"Oh, never mind. I read you. For now return to your original position. I'll call you back in five minutes."

When Kurapika hanged up the phone, the question only lingered further in the air, even as Kurapika was calling another, the phone pressed to his ear "Hello? Melody? How's it going on your side...?"

Kurapika was soon talking, Daniel lost in thought at what Killua is doing now.

It had been hours since Kurapika's last call. Daniel couldn't begin to describe how painful it was to wait for a call from Killua, discussing all that has transpired. The moment Daniel's phone rang, the time it took him to answer the call was so fast to even to him it was a blur "Killua?"

"Whoa, that was quick. Did you have the phone in your hand?"

"No... my pocket..."

"Ok... anyways, the woman's here. She's with her buddies. There are six, moving together. That topknot guy's here, too."

"Ugh, Gon's second stalker..."

Gon's expression turned into one of trouble as Killua continued "One more thing. There's one person that wasn't there yesterday. He's probably the leader."

"Well... I can't see what you are seeing right now. What does he look like?"

"I was getting to that! He's wearing a black coat, with St. Peter's cross on the back. He has combed-back black hair. I can't see his face. And they're too alert! I'm afraid to circle around in front."

"It's fine Killua! Don't do anything risky... You pretty much given a very descriptive picture of him. I highly doubt there will be more than one guy with combed-back black hair, while wearing a black coat with a St. Peter's cross on the back."

Kurapika held out his hand to Daniel "Let me speak to him."

Although reluctantly; Daniel gave the phone to Kurapika. He didn't quite want to give up the position of being the bridge between Killua and Kurapika. He actually found it somewhat calming, comforting to listen to Killua's analytical voice. The boy, even when he was in danger held a calm voice in his demeanour, something Daniel craved to one day obtain.

Kurapika brought the phone to his ear as he was holding a map in his other hand before talking to the boy "Where are you now?"

Daniel couldn't quite hear Killua's voice, but Kurapika held a finger to the map, pointing at the spot Killua mentioned, tracing a finger along a path Killua was continuously describing "There's a station nearby. Can you make it onto their train?"

Kurapika waited a moment before speaking again "Leorio, take us south."

"Okay!"

Leorio sped off, not before shoving a whole sandwich in his mouth. Daniel guessed he was too busy day dreaming about the updates from Killua, he didn't even notice Leorio had the sandwich in his hand.

Kurapika switched the phone to loud speaker, making it easier for everyone to hear. A lot had transpired in under a few minutes. Killua had managed to board a train alongside Melody, though the carriages were different. Killua continued to describe the situation for everyone to hear "Melody's in the same car as they are. This train's headed towards Castor. I'm in the last car."

Kurapika held a finger to the map, pointing at the spot where Killua got on, and then the direction which the train was heading "Castor..."

Gon made a quick assumption when Kurapika's finger crossed paths with a certain building "The auction site's that way."

"So is our hotel..." Kurapika calmly added, while continuously thinking about future outcomes "Thanks, let us know when you get off."

"Yeah..."

Kurapika quietly hanged up the phone as he focused in on the location of his hotel. This was a dangerous situation to be in, considering the destination of the Phantom Troupe was still unknown.

Daniel's eyes switched to Gon, wondering if the boy had figured out a plan to distract the Phantom Troupe. Seeing the boy generally curious, mixed in with a sense of confusion gave Daniel the assumption the plan hadn't come to fruition, yet... it was a matter of time before Gon figures out something.

All that was left now was to figure out where, and how to control the situation. Daniel had gotten a small clip-it of how the Phantom Troupe deals with each other. They trusted Pakunoda. All he needed was to figure out how to send her back without them giving chase. They valued each member like brothers and sisters, so therefore they wouldn't give chase, theoretically.

Shalnark would be the best to discuss terms, he sounded like he wouldn't do anything extreme, disastrous. He would be the best person to talk to...

It would be taking a serious shot in the dark, but Shalnark would definitely be the best bet when it came to making dealings, or even the leader, possibly... if Daniel knew the man's name or number.

"~"

It had been a while since Killua's last update, and Daniel's thoughts had slowly drifted towards the boy. He had been wondering what Killua was doing.

Soon Kurapika's phone rang, alerting the group with a news update from Killua "They got off at Liber Station. They're headed towards the Saloma Department Store exit."

Kurapika's eyebrows rose, shifting to concern. He had his suspicion, but he really was hoping that it wasn't going to come to this "That's not good. The hotel's that way."

Kurapika immediately hanged up, dialling another colleague's number instead. He brought up his concerns to the man as Daniel zoned out.

Daniel had been zoning in and out for a while now, thoughts shifting between the task at hand and Killua's current whereabouts. He didn't seem to think anything by it earlier, but now there was something horribly wrong. It felt wrong... not in a sense of the thoughts being wrong; it felt like something was about to go wrong. Between Kurapika's and Daniel's concerns, something was amiss.

If things took a sudden turn for the worse, the stakes would be higher, and the risks even more dangerous.

Leorio suddenly pulled over to the side, stopping amongst the traffic "The station's over there. Shouldn't we get closer?"

"Sure... It's not like if they were to surveillance area, they would notice Gon and I standing out like two sore thumbs screaming  **oh, we meet again...** "

"Right..." Leorio scoffed at Daniel's comment as Kurapika pointed out other reasons "No. If we get any closer, they might sense my animosity."

Daniel frowned "Before or after they notice the two people they've already met...?"

Kurapika addressed the question without batting an eye towards Daniel "Before."

Daniel shook his head. While it's true  _Nen-_ fuelled emotions have a stronger effect, after picking up on Kurapika's 'animosity', they would immediately notice the two boys.

"Gon, the range I should stay at is the distance from here to the station entrance. I must attack from this distance if I don't want to be noticed. It will take approximately 0.5 seconds to land an attack. That's more than enough time for them to evade it. Unless they're distracted..."

The more and more Daniel heard about the requirements Gon had to fill, the more he didn't like it. Gon had to not only keep six Spiders distracted, he had to also make sure they were at least thirty to fifty meters away and distracted for more than point five seconds. He was asking for the impossible at this point now.

Daniel focused on the entrance to Liber Station, waiting for Killua to round the corner. But to his surprise, the six spiders walked out first. Then again it shouldn't have been a surprise seeing as Killua was the one stalking them, and not the other way around.

Kurapika grit his teeth, muttering the very name of the group with utter disgust. The thought of seeing the spiders living and walking made Kurapika tremble with anger.

After a few seconds the spiders ran, bolting through the rain. It was if they were late for something... or after someone. They ran with a purpose, a purpose to catch a certain someone or something.

Kurapika freaked out as the Spiders ran in a direction "They're running toward the hotel. They're fast!"

Gon snuck his head around the seat to almost yell in Leorio's ear "Can we get there faster by car?"

Leorio shook his head, gritting his teeth at the sudden scenario change "Its rush hour. They might be faster on foot."

Kurapika suddenly opened the door, bolting after the spiders. Even as Leorio yelled out after Kurapika, he was too late. Kurapika was way too fast, already becoming a distant object.

Even after Kurapika gotten so far away, Gon was already running after him. He was chasing after the older boy, yelling so loud that Daniel thought the Spiders would turn any moment to see what the fuss was all about "Wait, Kurapika... I have a good idea. KURAPIKA!"

Daniel let out a groan to his younger friend. While it was not unusual for Gon to be so carefree and bold, this was bound to backfire sooner or later "Gon! Try to bring him back..." Daniel closed the doors before facing Leorio "Try to follow after them when the traffic is less... congested. They should be fine... I hope!"

Leorio grumbled, complaining about the traffic as Daniel looked one final time in the direction both Gon and Kurapika left. He'd hope the two return safely. Trailing the Phantom Troupe would be no easy task.

"~"

Leorio tapped the wheel impatiently, feeling more irritated with each passing second. Daniel's phone going off served as a valuable distraction, even if the boy was the only one to ultimately hear the caller's voice. At least it would be better than Kurapika's incessant car wheel tapping.

When Daniel answered the phone, he could hear the agitation in the boy's voice "Daniel, Where's Gon?"

"Gon's with Kurapika..."

"WHAT, why did you let them chase after the Spiders?!"

"Hey, it wasn't like I was given an opportunity to stop them!"

Leorio took the opportunity to yell loud enough for Killua to hear "He told us to wait, but I can't just sit around. We are heading towards Hotel Beitacle, but we're stuck in traffic!"

Daniel could feel the anger seething from Killua through the phone. He had either two options at this point, take the full brunt of Killua's voice or hold the phone further away from his ear. He would have chosen the former if he was to blame for the situation, but Leorio opening his big fat gob was the main reason why he held the phone away. Anyone within a ten meter radius could probably hear Killua's anger at this point "FINE, We're going after Kurapika!"

Daniel pulled back the phone to tell Killua to stop, but it was already too late, Killua had already hung up. They boy was devastated to say in the least. One friend was already doing something crazy, and he didn't need two friends repeating the same action. He'd wish that he could help them in some way, but the Phantom Troupe members already knew his face so that was out of the question. All he could hope now was that the three of them knew what they were doing, and that they could all arrive safely.

"~"

Daniel tapped his finger against his shirt in distress. How could this have happened? It was one disaster after another. First, Leorio left to help out Kurapika without a single word ushered, and now he returned with not only one other person, the leader of the Spiders, the teen returned dressed as a girl.

With all Kurapika done and dusted, he had give Daniel a serious update, the one he was dreading the most. Killua and Gon were captured.

What was happening to Gon and Killua? Were they left for dead by Kurapika...? No, that couldn't have been it. They would have had to have a sound on-the-spur-plan, one allowing even the boys to escape. Though Daniel would have to guess the window of opportunity to escape would have been really small.

Daniel's heart sank from the thoughts of what is being done to Killua and Gon. Would he be the one to save his friends in such a dire situation? There was no way Kurapika would leave it to chance, allowing Daniel to take point in negotiations.

He really hoped Kurapika would give him a chance...

He hoped that he would be the ones to save his friends. If not through physical means, he would at least hope through reasonable negotiations.

Killua and Gon were the first two he allowed himself to get close to, and he didn't want to lose the two that means so much to him, not now... especially not Killua... _  
_

_Killua..._  He wanted to mutter the name loudly, but he didn't have the courage to at the moment. He was more worried about the evil figure sitting between him and Kurapika.

Kurapika spoke calmly, breaking the thick, worried tension "It's okay. A number of enemies were injured. They won't move until reinforcements arrive."

It helped Daniel a little bit knowing the two boys managed to do some damage before getting recaptured... for the third time.

The leader had been staring at Kurapika, almost as if his eyes were boring holes into the younger teen.

Though if anything, the constant staring only annoyed Kurapika at this point "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing... I didn't expect the chain user to be a woman."

Daniel snickered at the Spider's leader's quick assumption. When Daniel saw Kurapika drag the Spider's leader into the car, he did for a split second get confused at Kurapika's new attire; then again Kurapika could have taken it one step further by wearing a business skirt, that really would have thrown him off guard. Then again Daniel already knew Kurapika's facial features so it would have been easy to spot the older teen.

The teen let out a quiet sigh from the older man's remarks, removing his wig as if he was performing a magic trick "Did I say I was? You shouldn't let appearances deceive you. Anyway, you should watch what you say; since it may be the last thing out of your mouth."

"You won't kill me. You left your precious friends behind."

Daniel grits his teeth at the mention of Killua and Gon. He was furious hearing that the leader saw them only as bargaining chips "SAYS, the man who is surrounded by four enemies. Don't talk about Gon and Killua being nothing more than pieces of silver! They are worth hundreds, thousands more than the loot you've stolen over the years!"

"Daniel..." Kurapika surveyed Daniel's anger, feeling as though the boy touched on all sides of the argument. Someone had to remain calm, even if he despised the man sitting between them "Do not think for a second, we will ignore your taunts..."

The Spider leader's eyes focused towards the road, completely ignoring the boys on either side of him "The girl's fortune didn't mention this. Therefore, this event isn't significant to matter."

Kurapika instantly lost all composure, glaring daggers at the man. He was infuriated at the man's second, quick, careless assumptions "You bastard!"

Melody called out the teen's name, a suggestion in the voice which told the teen and boy that they both should remain calm.

Daniel was far from calm, irritated and scared at the man's calm demeanour. If the man continued to keep up this charade, did he simply not care for his own life? Or was it a test to see if Kurapika was willing to point the gun and shoot.

Leorio however didn't care, he wanted to make sure that all of this wasn't wasted for nothing "If you kill him, I'll kick your ass!"

_Wow... Leorio... I'm shaking in my booties..._

The leader continued to egg on Kurapika, wondering how far he could push the teen; how unstable he could become "Do you need further explanation? I consider this situation the same as an afternoon coffee break. A peaceful   
out-"

Before the man could even finish his sentence, Kurapika socked him in the jaw, which he also almost managed to hit Daniel in the process as well. The teen was breathing heavy, eyes radiating the anger he just expressed. If the man continued to push his luck, maybe Kurapika might end up killing him.

Daniel was lucky that Kurapika didn't follow through to smash the leader's head into the car window, though he does deserve it. Then Daniel definitely would have been collateral damage.

"Calm down, Kurapika! We're on equal footing now! Nothing has changed." Anyone could have sensed Leorio's sudden change of demeanour. He feared Kurapika might be pushed enough to not only end up killing the man, but destroying all chances of saving Gon and Killua in the process.

The leader almost laughed at Leorio, a slight frown gracing his face as if it were some kind of joke to him "Equal footing? You are sorely mistaken. First of all, you've made the wrong assumption. I have no value as a hostage."

Chains jingled as Kurapika pulled back slightly, still filled with the anger from earlier "If you insist on babbling..."

"He isn't lying..." Melody paused; she knew something the others did not "Everything he says is true."

"There you go..." The man paused, eyes voided of any emotion he once had "This is reality. You people are the ones on the ropes."

Daniel scratched his nose at the thought. Even if the group was on the ropes, that could be changed in time. All they need was a few well placed moves, and a lot of luck.

Kurapika was curious to know about the information lurking within Melody's mind. What exactly was circulating within her mind "What do you mean?"

"His heart beat is normal. He isn't shaken by any of this..." Daniel attempted to look over the seat, wondering why Melody stopped before the reason. What he saw instilled a little fear in his heart. Melody was shaking. "He isn't worried or frightened of death. I can hear that he's accepted death. I can hear that he walks with death every day. How is he capable of producing such a sound? No more! I can't take any more of this! I don't want to listen to you or him!"

"Melody..." Kurapika closed his eyes, thinking over the thought of his very heart beat disturbing the poor girls ears. Somehow, he had to calm his heart enough so that she wouldn't have to listen to two of them at the same time.

"He truly believes that he has no value as a hostage. But the fact remains that he is their leader."

The leader's eyes were closed, excluding himself from the remainder of Kurapika's and Melody's conversation.

Kurapika turned to look at the Phantom Leader "What are you... What are you people?"

The leader opened his eyes, looking out the window with a huge smile "The spider."

Daniel took the time to sit down, getting as comfortable as he could get in this situation. The boy took this chance to make an educated guess, even if he was wrong by a mile "He is an enigma, possibly loved by his fellow Spiders. I'm sure there are one or two members in the group that cares about him... Nobunaga seemed to care about Uvo. So, therefore, someone would have to care about him also... We can't assume every word he says is true... We can't... I... We have friends we can't afford to lose!"

Kurapika nodded at Daniel's statement.

The leader shifted his gaze towards Daniel, finding him interesting. He had a striking resemblance to someone he had met just a few days ago, though much younger than him. The name was an enigma, forgotten. But the face was easy to recall... who was he...? "Daniel, was it?"

"Huh?! How do you know my name...?"

The man shifted his gaze up to the roof of the car, mentioning the man who remembered him so boldly "Nobunaga mentioned capturing three boys. Seeing as two boys were captured, the third was nowhere in sight, and you speak so adamantly about your friends... you must be the third."

Daniel half closed his eyes, frowning at the man for such a quick and obvious deduction "You don't say... Was I so unimportant, it wasn't until now you just noticed I could be the missing link?"

The man let a sinister smile grace his lips, extending the very word the boy dreaded "Yes."

"Ouch..."  _Actually that hurts more than it should._  The boy rolled his eyes, pretending he wasn't fazed in the slightest "That hurts..."

The smile grew as the leader thought; maybe he should try pushing the boy as well, and destroy another aspect to the groups teamwork "Actually, I met someone recently that reminds me of you... Though he was taller and had shorter hair. His name I believe-"

Kurapika and Daniel gasped in surprise "Vastorie?!"

Each boy was surprised that the other was quick to assume it was the same man, before the Spider's Leader could even breathe the man's name. The leader closed his eyes, noting down the enigma's name once again. He was annoying, but the name was rather unusual, especially the surname. It wasn't one that was typically passed down through generations. He was cloaked in secrets, including his own ability. Even with the thought of finding out and stealing the man's ability, something didn't add up about the boy. It was unusual for a child to have two fathers, and still manage to retain the looks of one. But that was unimportant. What was important now was using that information to break the boy.

The Spider smiled for a second, wondering if the child had resentment towards his father "Actually, he was strong. He would have a better chance of save-"

Daniel drew back his fist before swinging into the man's face.

The crack echoed throughout the car, though, the place of origination came from a different source, the boy's knuckles. He hadn't used any  _Nen_  to fuel his strength. If it hurt for the boy, hopefully it hurt way more to the Spider's leader.

Leorio was pissed now; having their chip being used like a punching bag wasn't going to help their cause if they killed him "DANIEL!"

Daniel completely ignored Leorio, instead yelling at the surprised Spider, even though the man was more surprised by Daniel's words "NO ONE saves Killua... but ME!"

Kurapika blinked, surprised by Daniel's words. He was surprised he would call out Killua's name, rather than saving his 'friends', though the fury in Daniel's eyes were frightening, the thought of Daniel worrying more for Killua than the both of them was the most frightening part. Maybe it would be best if Kurapika took Daniel's job instead, negotiating for Killua and Gon's survival.

The spider lifted his head, smiling at the reaction. Two forces will collide, and the chances of success were far from slim now.

Daniel's hands were shaking in fury, teeth gritting to the point Kurapika was sure the boy's teeth would break. He had to change the mood now. Kurapika shifted the conversation "Five years ago... were you the leader when the Troupe slaughtered the Kurta of the Scarlet Eyes?"

Daniel rested his back against the chair, letting his mind calm down while Kurapika spoke. In this state, Daniel wouldn't be able to save his friends, let alone be of any help. He would be a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode at the mere mention of one them being harmed in any way.

The leader remained silent. He completely ignored the teen, focusing instead on the road ahead. It was a demoralising tactic, one which Kurapika did not like. Kurapika held out his hand, threatening the man with his Judgement Chain "Answer me!"

The man instead smiled, gazing towards the very ability he was threatened with. It was as if the man was reminiscing on the past "Are those the chains you used to kill Uvo? What were Uvo's last words?"

The question gave Kurapika pause. It was the last thing he was expecting from the Spider's leader "I don't... remember..."

The leader laughed, finding the answer amusing "You're lying. Am I right, miss?" When Melody failed to answer, the man smiled towards Kurapika, the tip of his lips curving up into a smirk "I can relate. I feel the same way. I have nothing to say to you..."

Sweat dripped down Kurapika's forehead. He was about to rip the man's throat out so he couldn't talk anymore. The man was beyond irritating. He was enticing Kurapika into killing him, and ultimately sacrificing the two boys being held hostage.

Daniel felt as though he wanted Kurapika to stop and think, but for how long could Kurapika remain calm enough to consider the consequences. If the man kept going, his face was going to get caved in. As Daniel was about to voice his concerns, Leorio stepped in, voicing his own concerns in a way that would bring Kurapika back to reality "Kurapika, he's trying to provoke you! Don't fall for it!"

Kurapika's fingers curled inwards, hiding the blade from the man's sight.

Daniel let out a small breath of relief before reaching over to check the Spider leader's jacket. He needed a way to get into contact with the other spiders, and it was his job after all. But the small tugging feeling of fear was creeping over. His hands found the small lump, reaching over the pull the black phone that bridged both groups together.

The Spider leader noticed it, fear crossing the boy's face. However, before he could say anything, Kurapika's chains roped around the man's mouth.

Daniel's hands continued to shake, getting cold feet at the requirements that were about to come. He wanted to save his friends, but a piece of the Leader's statement gave him pause. What if the person he picks ends up being one of the so called members that didn't care about the leader's life?

Ten choices... and one of them was Pakunoda, the original target.

Kurapika held out a hand to Daniel, offering to take the decision "Daniel, I can take over... if you want."

Daniel took a deep breath as he sifted through the contacts. He managed to calm down his nerves long enough to settle on one name, Shalnark. He remembered the blond haired teen being calm enough to survey a situation.

Shalnark even figured out Wolfbane without any former knowledge. Wolfbane was based on transformative technology, which gave the weapon two forms. The first form was a regular shrunken down Scythe, with a unique design. The Dragon or Demon Wing blade served as a great way to get around enemies defences, even if they did managed to block with their own, while the hilt held two separate purposes. The hilt located at the bottom had a switch which could enable and disable the second form.

The Second form was designed like a Kusarigama, the links in the middle disconnected from the blades and hilt to form a whip-like blade. While it wasn't like a typical Kusarigama having the weighted chain and sickle, it had similar functions.

In either form, the blade was designed with three major purposes: Penetrating defences, distance attacks and disarming tactics.

So far Daniel had only been able to use it for the former two, but disarming was a little tricky with weird shaped hilt near the blade. If he could unshackle the blade just as he was gripping the second hilt, he could use the chains to wrap around his opponents weapon and disarm them that way.

But all of that knowledge was useless to him now. Shalnark had already figured out how the weapon worked at first glance, and the enemies he faced knew about his weapon... and probably even it weaknesses as well. All he had was a phone and a deal they would hopefully accept.

Taking in one deep, calm breath, Daniel looked towards Kurapika "No... I want to be the one save them." he felt selfish for saying it that way. But the way he thought about Killua and Gon being caught in a circumstance that he wanted to free them from gave him a purpose. If it was only about the deal, sure Kurapika could take over.

But he wanted to be the one to save them...

He wanted to be the one to set them free...

If he couldn't save Killua now, he didn't deserve to be his friend at all.  _Killua's... Friend..._

Daniel's cheeks coloured when he thought of their reunion. A single tear streaked down his face without warning when his thoughts changed to Killua. The boy wiped it away in shock, dialling the number so he couldn't delay the evitable any longer.

His heart raced as he waited for Shalnark to pick up. The thought of dread lingered as he waited. But when the phone connected the voice didn't match the name, and it instilled anger which he had to force down. The man who hurt Killua...

_Phinks..._


	57. Exchange X Hope X Feelings

"Hello?"

Daniel's heart pounded in his chest from Phinks' voice; it instilled both pain and hatred. He needed to remain calm, dictating the rules without side tracking from the main outcome; Gon and Killua's survival.

"Long time no talk..."

"YOU?!"

Daniel smiled, feeling somewhat cocky. If he could instil that much of a reaction from Phinks with just this call, he could only imagine what he could do with Kurapika's secret identity.

"I wish... but it turns out  _I_  did, or rather  _do_  know who the chain user is... imagine my surprise after finding out he was closer to me, than one would think. But, I digress. He and I will agree..." Daniel looked towards Kurapika, nodded with a slight smile after gaining an ego boost from Phinks' reaction. "I have two demands... and the chain user may have one or two more also."

Daniel took in a deep breath before calming laying down his own rules:  
"First, Killua and Gon must remain unharmed during all negotiations.  
Second, you will stay together as a group. If any of follow after us well... I spare myself the details..." Daniel looked towards Kurapika, wondering which rules the teen wanted to add.

Kurapika was about to open his mouth to add another rule, but Phinks talking through the phone suggested the boy to only focus on his voice "Can I ask you something first? It's about the first demand. The two hostages put up a struggle, and we had to break a few bones."

Daniel's heart completely stopped, eyes frozen in fear. He didn't know what to say, or at least ask in the situation. Or at least he didn't know which question to ask first...

Melody spoke up, pressing the boy for questions, even when his heart gave away all the answers "Daniel, what's-"

Daniel held up one finger, hushing Melody as he drew his eyes to focus on the phone "WHICH bones...?"

"Uhh..."

Daniel tapped the phone, expecting a straight answer. Though the answer Phinks gave sounded more like a question then an answer "A few fingers...?"

Daniel pressed the phone into his broken hand, holding it with great difficulty as he spoke "Did it sound like..." Daniel cracked one finger back in place. Even though he winced in pain, it was an unnecessary action to get a reaction out of Phinks, though it did also relieved some stress on his finger. It was a great way to portray how serious he was about to become "...like that? That was the first... I now have nine more to go. I'll call you back... maybe..."

Daniel immediately hanged up the phone, regretting the action. Even though Leorio was about to argue with the boy's action the phone ringing forced Daniel to pick up the phone "WHAT?!"

"Sorry, I was lying... Both of them are unharmed."

"Well I'm not... my finger STILL hurts. Specifically, my  _rude_  finger..." Daniel looked towards Kurapika, relief crossing his face "Chain user... what is your rule or rules?"

Kurapika looked at Daniel in a new light, one he wasn't expecting. He would have handled the situation way more differently, but the boy's method seemed effective... even with the dangers lurking behind them "I want to speak to Pakunoda."

Daniel blinked at the request, finding it unusual given the circumstances. But he agreed to repeat them, speaking in a low tone voice, enough to instil fear into a weaker opponent "The chain user would like to speak to Pakunoda... that's his third request... and his only request you'll ever hear... You break that one request and well... You just signed your boss up to a one way ticket to death row... and he is not as forgiving as I am. Now, put... her... on... the... phone... NOW...!"

A crackling in the phone, made Daniel smile in relief which in turn suggested Phinks gave in and transferred the phone. When he heard Pakunoda's dull voice he handed the phone over to Kurapika which the boy gracefully accepted.

Kurapika laid out the first request, whether or not he knew the person was Pakunoda or not "You are the only one allowed to hear what I have to say. Move away from the others." Kurapika waited a while before continuing to speak "Did you make contact with a man named Squala?"

It seemed like a reasonable question, most likely relating to another colleague of Kurapika's.

"Are you aware of a woman named Melody?"

The silence was killing Daniel. He had no idea what answers Kurapika was receiving due to the teen's poker face. Maybe it would be for the best seeing as the Spider's Leader could be picking up on social cue points.

"Then this will be quick. Listen carefully. You are forbidden from communicating with your comrades. No talking, gesturing, writing, signalling, or making eye contact. None of that is allowed. You must come alone to the place I designate. If your heart rate changes even in the slightest, I will kill the hostage. Understood?"

Daniel blinked several times during Kurapika's requests. Did Kurapika forget Daniel was the negotiator, or was this all of Kurapika's extra rules the boy hadn't foreseen?

"Now give the phone to someone besides the previous man." As soon as Kurapika finished speaking, he held out the phone to Daniel "Sorry, I know what we agreed on. But, I didn't want you to have to repeat everything. When Pakunoda is on the phone, I'll make the dealings with her... you deal with the others..."

Daniel nodded in understanding. He held the phone up to his ear before taking a deep breath. He knew what came next. He had to make sure one, Killua and Gon were safe. And two, the group stayed in a location that could be easily monitored.

"I'm here."

Daniel gasped in surprised. He wasn't expected to speak to Nobunaga of all people "Oh!"

"YOU?! I was expecting someone else..."

"Likewise..." Daniel dead panned; the boy slowly looked toward Kurapika, before rolling his eyes "Right! Anyways, the Chain User is expecting to meet with Pakunoda alone. That means the rest of you... including Gon and Killua are to go to... your hide out to wait for further orders."

"Hmph!"

"ALL of you... and you know what's at stake here."

"Yeah..."

Daniel frowned at Nobunaga's cold and distant reaction. Or maybe he was hiding his feelings on the matter. Whatever happens next, Daniel was sure the others would make the right choice "Now... Put Pakunoda back on. I'm sure we have much to discuss... or at least she has with my friend."

As Daniel heard the phone fizzle the boy handed the phone back to Kurapika. Daniel had to agree with Kurapika here, he had no idea where the meet up was going to be. The teen must have planned out the situation thoroughly while he was busy thinking of ways to keep the others busy.

Kurapika agreed that the meet up would be Lingon Airport, a location which would be harder to track as soon as it lifted off. He had given the woman until 8:00 to meet. After then, Daniel had no clue what would happen next.

Once Kurapika had hung up, he handed the phone back to Daniel, giving him one simple order "Call the same number back in ten minutes."

Daniel blinked, looking down on the phone as if he was expecting it to explode. He wondered why he would have to call them back. Considered the group maybe split on the choice, they may follow after Pakunoda.

Each passing minute was excruciating. However, the boy waited the time limited before calling the same number.

"Hel-"

Daniel's eye twitched after hearing Phinks voice again. He cut in before the man could even belt out a single word "Can you pass the phone to someone who has an IQ higher than ONE, preferable one of the hostages."

"You lit-"

"NOW!"

Daniel could hear grumbling through the phone before it was passed on. He was half expecting Gon's voice, but the first word uttered through the phone made his frown melt, and his heart feel heavy. He was smiling as he listened to Killua "What did you say?"

Daniel was quiet, allowing Killua's voice to consume his mind "I... It's good to hear your voice..."

"Wh... WHAT?!"

Daniel could have sworn he heard Killua blushing through the phone. He felt weird and happy at the same time for Killua's reaction. However, the boy needed to change the mood quickly before he could utter something even more stupid "I just said he had an IQ of one..."

"Damn..." Killua smirked.

"Anyways... How are you? Are you OK? Is Gon OK? Are you on the way to the hideout yet?"

"GOOD! Yes... Yes... and no. They are too busy discussing on whether to go after Paku-"

The talk was cut short, followed by mumbling. It infuriated Daniel, knowing that he couldn't hear Killua's calm collected voice any longer and instead be forced to hear Phinks' voice "He-"

"PASS it onto Nobunaga!"

"He's... he's knocked out..."

"ARGH..." Daniel took a deep breath "Fine! You have thirty minutes to return to the hideout! Anything other than that... and my friend will make sure you receive the leader in a body bag."

Daniel immediately hanged up, clenching the phone in anger. The man's nerves were getting on him now. He hated Phinks, with a passion. He hurt Killua. It was a feeling of dread washing over him. Maybe they would react more hostile. But Pakunoda was already gone, and there would be no way to follow her now... at least he would hope. Kurapika trusted him so far, so he would have to calm down long enough to make far more rash decisions.

Daniel remained quiet, the sound of the car's noise being the only thing anyone could hear. If Kurapika had been talking, Daniel was sure the teen would've remained calm, but he had one thing which probably gave him leeway. It was the fact they already met Daniel, so they knew who he was but not the chain user. Only Pakunoda, probably, knew what the man looked like.

"~"

Kurapika managed to hire out a Zeppelin, one where Pakunoda could easily spot, and one where the others could watch from all vantage points. Nothing was getting close without Kurapika seeing it.

Daniel remained calm, looking at the phone for guidance. He sat on a crate, secluded from his friends even though he was within a couple of meters distance. He hadn't even noticed when Pakunoda had come in because his eyes were focusing only on the phone.

"Now, for verification... Are you Pakunoda, from the Troupe?"

Daniel's eyes glanced at the doorway, meeting with Pakunoda's figure for a second before he tore them away to look back on the phone. He focused only on the group's voice, and completely ignored everything else in the process.

"Of course..."

Melody acted as the lie detector; even though Daniel could have said a simple 'yes' "She's telling the truth." But given the groups wide verity of abilities, the boy wouldn't be surprised at this point.

"I will present each of you with two conditions. If you abide by them, I will release your leader."

Daniel heard a dangling chain, most likely from Kurapika's ability.

"I'll begin with the leader. First, you are forbidden to use  _Nen_. Second..."

Daniel looked up, wondering why Kurapika went dead silent. The desired goal they agreed to was the return of Gon and Killua. Was Kurapika over thinking... wondering if there was another path? Now was not the time to take second chances. This would be the best route to take.

"Kurapika..." Daniel slowly blinked before looking towards the said boy. He spoke softly, unheard to all but himself, and maybe Melody. He just hoped Kurapika would make the right choice in the end. Without his abilities, they would have no chance of survival.

"Second, you may not contact any member or the Troupe. Those are the two conditions. And to make certain you adhere to them, I will use my Judgment Chain, the  **Arbiter Little Finger** , on your leader. You decide if this is acceptable, Pakunoda."

The room was dead silent. A pin dropping could be heard for miles.

Daniel slowly looked toward Pakunoda, wondering if he would be able to intercept and stop her before she attacked.

"Okay..."

Daniel was generally surprised, well... surprised to know that she was one of the factors the Spider leader forgot. She was willing to sacrifice so much, just for the return of the leader alone. The leader loses both contact and his  _Nen_  abilities in matter of seconds to the agreement. With those two rules, the leader's absolute rule over the spider was demolished... destroyed.

"You're next, Pakunoda. First, release Gon and Killua unharmed, before midnight, without any tricks. Second, you may not speak a single word about me. If you have no objects, I will use my chain on you."

"Okay..."

Daniel looked down at the phone in his hand, holding it even tightly now. With that agreement, it meant Killua and Gon would be returned safely, at the cost of an important figure, the Spider Leader's return. Friendship was expensive... and well worth every Jenny.

"I have something to say before the exchange. Start by returning to your companions. Inform them of the hostage exchange. I want you to bring the hostages to Lingon Airport before midnight. Bring no one else. Tell no one where you're going."

The rules sounded simple to follow, ones that even Daniel could have come up with. But he agreed with Kurapika when it came to dealing with Pakunoda, Kurapika would take rein and not Daniel.

"Very well... You have a deal. Take me back to the airport."

"Why haven't you asked any questions?"

Daniel's head shot up, looking at the teen in distraught.  _What is he thinking...?_

"You know who I am, don't you? You aren't worried? You don't find this deal unreasonable? Do you truly believe I'll return your leader?"

 _PLEASE... KURAPIKA! Don't risk anything to chance!_  The boy's heart was pounding in his chest. He felt as though the plan was about to go up in smoke.

"Yes... You wouldn't ask those questions if you intended to deceive me."

Kurapika went dead silent, no further questions to be ask.

Daniel dropped his eyes to look down at the phone again, sighing in relief. If Kurapika had other questions to ask, how far would he have pushed the topic? They can't risk anymore than they already have. Even Daniel had risked too much with the stunts his pulled over the last few hours.

It's now up to Pakunoda to return the two boys, and if she didn't...

It would be the last time Daniel would have seen Gon's cheery smile...

_Killua..._

Daniel's mind failed to pick one of Killua's main aspects. His mind wouldn't choose one... or maybe it couldn't. This wasn't the first time it has happened. It was like a never ending trend that was starting to be more frequent. Most of the time, he chose to ignore them without any repercussions. But now... he didn't know if he could shut down the thoughts. If there was one thing he really wanted... it was to see Killua smile at least one more time.

No, that would be wrong... Daniel wanted to see Killua smile for all eternity...

Even as Pakunoda left the ship, the main though that dominated the boy's mind was saving Killua. He wanted to see Killua smile just like Gon, endlessly...

The boy gripped the phone in his hand even tighter, holding onto the thoughts with determination. He wouldn't stop now... not when there was a chance of fulfilling that single dream...

"~"

It was time to make that dream come to fruition. Daniel dialled Shalnark's number again; hoping this time it would be the teen to pick up. But his dream were dashed yet again when he heard Phinks voice. It seemed like no matter what he did, that man just wouldn't leave him alone "Hel-?"

"Killua, now...!"

Daniel heard a whistle followed by yelling, most likely from Shalnark "Don't break it!"

"Killua...? How are you?"

"Eh, it's Gon."

"Ahh... How are you, Gon...?"

"Good! And Killua's fine too!"

"HEY!"

Although Killua's reaction from afar was somewhat hilarious, the boy let his thoughts of Killua's safety run though his mind before asking his next question "Is everyone there?"

"Yeah, they're all here."

Daniel suddenly heard whistling again, followed by more screaming from Shalnark. Were they using the teenager's phone as a tennis ball or something?

"We're following the chain user's orders."

Daniel smiled widely, and even through the phone anyone could have heard it in his words "Thank you..."

The call being cut short didn't stop Daniel's smile. He felt relieved, knowing that he would see Killua again made it impossible to stop. It was a giddy feeling, one he'd hope would never end.

Daniel held out the phone to Kurapika. This was the last time he'd hoped he'll ever have to talk to one of the Spiders ever again.

The boy retreated to the back, lying down against the wall to relax. He held one hand against his chest in an attempt to calm the nerves. Like earlier his heart had ceased to stop beating hard from the fact he's going to be seeing Killua and Gon again. But the thought of Killua was what kept Daniel's heart racing.

Daniel closed his eyes, recalling both boys' smiles in an attempt to calm the nerves. In comparison, Killua's smile would never match Gon's in terms of brightness. But the thoughts lingered on Killua's for a while. It was a rare phenomenon... one that when seen is hard to believe. It was the one Daniel craved the most.

He thought back to the Hunter's exam, repeating the conversation he had with his sister...

_Are you ready to leave?_

**_No. I want to help Killua..._ **

_What for...? You barely know the kid, and our families aren't exactly in good terms with each other..._

**_I don't care! I want to save him... I want to..._ **

_So you're gonna skip out on Vastorie's training?_

**_At least... At least until I save Killua..._ **

_Then you'll come home, right?_

**_Maybe..._ **

_Please... come home after this..._

The boy failed to uphold his sister's wish, instead staying by his friends' side. The main reason being something he said...

**_I want to save him... I want to..._ **

Daniel was given another chance of saving Killua, and somehow... he didn't feel like he saved the boy. Sure, last time he helped Gon, Kurapika, and even Leorio to save Killua. But this time... it was with Kurapika's help, Killua and Gon were saved.

Would there ever be a moment where he is the main reason why Killua was saved...?

Would the chance ever occur? What if it never comes...?

Daniel pondered the thought for a while before asking himself a question "Can I save Killua...?"

"~"

Melody heard Daniel's question; full of sorrow  _'Can I save Killua...?'_  She pondered the reason to why he asked that to no one in particular. Ever since the car ride, she has been pondering the reason to why Daniel reacted like he did, whenever Killua was brought up. It was a strange reaction from the boy. It was as if his heart and thought process was on two very different wave lengths.

When Daniel muttered Killua's name, sometimes it would be filled with a 'loveless' expression while others would be disconnected from reality. And even when listening to Daniel's heart beat, the moment Phinks mentioned Killua's harm, Daniel's heartbeat stopped dead in its track. It hadn't stopped in a sense where he flat-lined... it stopped as though his world was crumbling around him.

Then when she was about to pursued the topic, something deeper, darker rang in the boy's heart. It rivalled to Kurapika's own, even if it wasn't as permanent. Sorrow, hate, anger, confusion and even... love to some extend filled the boy's heart. It wasn't a concoction she wasn't expecting from such a response. The love, although yet small stood out from the rest. It was linked to one boy, and one name... and one name only. Gon's name didn't elect the same feeling as Killua's would. But the distance between the heart's feelings and the boy's words were far apart.

Did the boy not see the fine line between them... or was his mind mentally blocking the two from connecting...? She pondered the thought a little while longer before something clicked. Maybe the boy had figured it out, and he was yet to come to term with those feelings. It would explain why he would ask the question  **'Can I save Killua...?'** with such conviction.

He wasn't just asking if he could save the boy, but asking if he deserved to, going by the boy's voice. There was a pleading in his voice which would match the scenario.

Before she could ponder the though any longer, Kurapika was already beginning to dial a number to give orders to Pakunoda "Board the waiting airship. The pilot already has his orders."

Melody looked across the airport. Gon and Killua were walking a few steps in front, eyes watching their surrounding area "As promised, it's just the three of them."

"We can't be sure until the airship takes off. Stay alert."

Leorio suddenly became widely alert, tapping the glass as if attempted to point to something... or more like someone "There's someone over there."

Kurapika's phone rang as soon as Leorio pointed out the person. Although they were hard to see, the caller's ID left nothing to imagination...

**Hisoka**

The man full of mysteries... including, to why he would purposely invade this deal with his own agenda. "Hi..."

"Did you sneak out?!"

Daniel ran into the room, slamming the door open on his way in "What's going on?! What's the commotion?"

"No need for concern..." Hisoka whispered seductively into Kurapika's ears, each word filled with poison "I left a dummy behind."

"What are you up to?"

Hisoka was filled with a desire to only fill his goblet... to fill it with the lust of his dreams. It was a specific dream, a dream he'd been planning for a while "Allow me on the airship with them. If you refuse, I'll kill Gon and Killua."

Kurapika grit his teeth, looking towards Daniel in concern "Bastard..." He was dreading about the though what Daniel might do after hearing this. The boy had been acting weird for a little while now since the whole ordeal. What would the boy do if he found out Hisoka was willing to kill his friends without a second thought.

"My target is the boss. Once he's released, I'll get off the airship. I want to fight him. That's all I want."

Kurapika closed his eyes, thinking about the situation thoroughly. Once Hisoka finds out that dream is impossible, where would the man train his eyes next? Kurapika opened his eyes, speaking the words he was sure to regret later "Fine... You can come as well."

"~"

Daniel stood near Leorio, opting to be as far away as possible from the Spider's leader. He refused to be near the man during the deal. The boy's eyes began to wonder, observing the endless wasteland. Cracks formed around the area, leading to possibly long drops to the ground, but they also gave a sense of comfort. From below the craters, no one would see what's happening, and to reach them, you would have to jump a pretty far to go from platform to platform.

It was about time the deal was pushed along their tracks, and Kurapika calling Pakunoda seemed to be a good indicator. Though Daniel was more surprised when Kurapika called Killua first instead "Killua, place the phone next to your heart."

Daniel was surprised by the feeling that overcame him in that moment. He wanted to reach out and grab the phone out of Kurapika's hand. Even though he probably wouldn't be able to hear it, the thought of listening to the boy's heart sounded more than comforting. It was a thought that was pushing his mind from strange thoughts, to really scary ones. Recalling every thought so far, the more and more time past, the more obscure his thoughts became.

The first time, he punched the Phantom Leader in the face, breaking his knuckles in the process.

The second time, he threatened Phinks by pretending to break their Leader's fingers. And right after hanged up on the man.

The third time, he out right called Phinks stupid, saying he had an IQ of one.

Those were immediate reactions, which in some form was a cause and effect from Killua's connection. All though the connections were small, Daniel was starting to notice them.

When Melody held the phone to her ear, a tinge of Jealousy swept into the boy's heart. Melody side glanced Daniel before making a remark "It's fine, nothing's wrong with him."

Daniel froze for a second, the sudden realisation that Melody can hear what is beating in his heart, conflicting feelings. He should have realised it sooner. But the comment she made, made it seem so neutral.

Kurapika was unaware of the link Melody and Daniel shared, and instead chose to yell out to Pakunoda "Okay, let's begin the exchange!"

Killua, Gon and the Spider's Leader began walking.

Daniel watched the two boys walk in his direction, Killua's eyes trained in the direction of Pakunoda and the Leader.

Daniel remained indecisive, running the ideas of either running towards them or staying and waiting. The moment Killua reached seven eighths of the way, Daniel couldn't resist any longer. He ran, heading towards Killua. Arms wide open, Daniel latched onto Killua first, burying his face between the boy's neck and shoulder. He let loose an endless tide of tears, ones Killua was not prepared for.

Killua stood there, frozen between the choices of launching Daniel right off him or letting the boy finish. While his cheeks flustered at the thought of someone holding onto him as they cry on his shoulder, he really didn't know how he  **should**  react. The boy looked towards Gon for guidance, but all he saw was the back of Gon's head, still walking towards the others. His eye brows twitched from the thought of Gon smirking, or even smiling at what was happening behind him. But something else pulled at Killua's heart strings, a sense of pride being deprived from the situation.

Out of two people, Daniel was crying on Killua's shoulder. Even though the scenario was still embarrassing, he couldn't stop himself from roping his arms around the older boy. And in return, the boy could feel Daniel's grip tighten. His heart felt light, tingly. As much as Killua wanted to remain in the situation, which was no longer, he had to somehow break out of Daniel's hold.

After a few minutes, Daniel ceased his long wails; his tears lessening into softer sobs. The boy's grip began to loosen. He didn't think he would have cried for so long after holding onto Killua. The feeling of holding his friend so close made it feel like his heart was melting. And even after it did, he still felt like he shouldn't let go.

Killua took his opportunity when Daniel shifted his hands. The boy snuck his hands between them, and when Daniel least suspected it, he shoved the boy away.

Daniel was startled, surprised at Killua. But before Daniel could say anything, Killua was already running after the others.

Killua first noticed Leorio smiling, a glorified smirk showing wonderfully. The boy glared at the man for a second before yelling out to Daniel, face turned away from everyone "Hey, what are you doing?!"

Daniel stared dumb-folded for a second before running after Killua "Why did you push me away?"

"We're in the middle of a hostage transfer..." Killua then turned away, barely whispering under his breath with bright pink cheeks "Not a  _touching_  reunion..." The moment Killua whispered the comment; it was as if his mind had completely forgotten.

Killua looked up at Melody in distraught, trying to deny what he had just said, however, it was no use. Eyes close, Melody looked completely serene, a warm smile gracing her lips. Killua's cheeks remained flared. He avoided all eye contact with everyone. He couldn't believe he forgot about Melody's perceptive hearing.

Daniel ran after the others, wiping away the remaining tears. His eyes were puffy, but he had to agree Killua was right. This isn't the time for tears; it was the time to run while they still had a chance to.

Though, he couldn't help but admit the moment Killua's arms closed around him, it was a nice feeling. It was one he would hope to feel again.


	58. Obsessing X Smiles X Helping Hands

### Nathaniel (Darkscryer)

 **Gender:** Male

 **Aliases:** The Acropolis/Fortress

 **Birthday:** 02/07

 **Age:** 55 years old

 **Eye Colour:** Forest green eyes

 **Hair Colour:** Blond

 **Hair Style:** Medium/long length, combed back

 **Distinguishing Features:** N/A

 **Height:** 204 cm/ 6'8"

 **Weight:** 80 kg

 **Body type:** Built, muscle

 **Personality:** Protective, stubborn, caring

 **Nen:** Enhancer

**Back story:**

Nathaniel grew up as an orphan for most of his life. He treated everyone in his orphanage as family, each of them becoming a brother or a sister to him. While he doesn't keep in contact with everyone from his hometown orphanage, he makes sure to visit the place once a year.

Nathaniel met Vastorie during the 248th exam. He befriended the man with great difficulty, later becoming his lover.

While Nathaniel is not as 'active' as Vastorie, he learned to adjust, and sometimes even acts as a calming agent for the man.

He'll never choose one family member over another and love them all equally, even if they manage to get his bad side. But when danger comes crawling, he will act without a second thought.

Nathaniel is a weapon Master, training and maintaining all skill sets on multiple weapon styles. However, he usually prefers larger over smaller weapons. Apart from weapons, in hand to hand combat he practiced the art of breaking out of all types of holds, and even went as far as to teach Vastorie.

 **Personal Goals:** Protect everyone he loves

**Bad Habits:**

* Over protective

* * *

 

Killua felt irritated, weirded out by what happened earlier. How could Daniel forget about doing something embarrassing so quickly? The boy was talking to Gon, acting all casual. Killua didn't know what the two of them were talking about exactly; all he knew was Hisoka was involved in some way.

Though, the boy seemed to be smiling a lot more than usual. Actually, he noticed Daniel would smile a lot more in his direction. Killua would catch a glance here and there in his direction. Daniel seemed to be side glancing him more than usual.

What is it with Daniel's sudden obsession lately?

Before Killua could ponder the thought anymore, Kurapika raised his voice "Sorry, for putting you in danger."

Gon shook his head, waving off the apology "Nah... You used your chains on the boss, right?"

"Yeah, but... This isn't the end."

Daniel waved off his hand "For now it is! We've had a long day..." Daniel blinked several times, noticing the huge teabags under the older teen's eyes "and you've had an even longer day it would seem."

Kurapika nodded, suddenly feeling woozy. It was as if the fatigue had finally caught up to him. The boy's eyes closed, everyone calling out his name as Leorio managed to catch him in time.

Daniel ran out the room, coming back with a pillow so Kurapika could rest for a little while before they were forced to move him. The boy seemed relaxed in the moment, as if a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

Daniel crossed his arms at Kurapika's sight, wondering how much longer before the teen pushed himself completely over the edge.

Leorio held one hand to the boy's forehead. After a minute, the man looked up in concern "He has a fever!"

"~"

It had been a while since the three of them were together, alone; even though their concerns were focused elsewhere.

Killua sat propped up against the window, slightly swaying his feat as he looked at Gon sitting on the run down couch with his eyes facing the floor.

Daniel's eyes were trained between Gon and Killua. He watched the two of them converse.

"I hope Kurapika's fever doesn't break."

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why the boy would think to subjugate Kurapika to anymore pain. Kurapika had suffered so much and Gon was here, wishing he remained bed ridden. But Daniel began to think about it with Gon's mentality. It was true in a sense. Maybe it would be better if Kurapika slept peacefully for a while.

That would've given Kurapika time to gather his mentality and figure out a plan of attack.

"Yeah..." Killua absently grabbed a chip from the back next to him, completely ignoring the boy. It took a further sixty seconds before what Gon said reached his ears "WAIT, what? Did you say what I think you said?"

Gon nodded, head still facing the floor. He rotated his feet, moving them as if he were fascinated in them, or at maybe distracted by them "Kurapika shouldn't fight the Troupe anymore."

Daniel hummed out loud, sadly agreeing with the boy, but not as far to wish the teen didn't wake up any time soon.

Gon paused for a second, biting his lip. He thought hard about what he was going to say next "I thought of something when Kurapika told me about his powers. If he'd just wanted revenge, he would have chosen different abilities."

Killua curiously raised his head, fascinated on how Gon came to that realisation "Really...?"

"If he'd only wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of chaining their hearts."

Killua objected to the idea "Sure... if he only had one target." The boy held a chip to his lips, only to draw it back and use it as a pointer instead "But Kurapika's dealing with the entire Troupe. Even if he captures one, he can't kill them right away."

Daniel watched Killua in fascination as the boy munched on the chip before continuing. It was like watching a cute little kitten playing with its food... in a sense. Or maybe it was because Daniel was looking at Killua through a different light. It seemed like everything Killua did now was either cute or adorable... sometimes both.

"And he needs to extract information about the other members."

"Oh..."

Daniel held out a finger, tapping his leg. After a while, Daniel pushed his body back, lying down on the bed. It felt warm, still holding a part of Killua's scent. It was weird that the boy picked on the mild scent. Maybe he was turning into Gon after being around the boy so long "I think... Kurapika wanted to make them feel... what he felt I guess..."

Kurapika cocked his head in Daniel's direction before speaking "I guess... Though, personally, I think his powers were meant specifically for revenge."

"Oh..."

"Not all of them though..." Daniel butted into Killua's argument "Don't see how **Chain Jail** was an act of revenge. Suffering... Sure... but revenge...? Wait, I guess it can be revenge now that the Spider's leader can't actually ever see his friends again... much like Kurapika..."

"Hmm..." Gon hummed agreement. His eyes blankly looked up at the roof, as if thinking harder on the topic.

Killua held out his hand, stopping the boys' track of thoughts "But you do have a point. I'd prefer him stay still for a while. If their boss doesn't come back, they'll be even more determined to find Kurapika."

Gon hummed in agreement "Yeah..."

"Yeah..." Daniel snickered at the thought, even though it scared him to think otherwise "Don't need another repeat of last night... That... was painful..."

Killua sighed at Daniel "Regardless... We'll have to be extremely careful when we go to the auction house; which brings me to the next part of the conversation..." Killua slid across the floor, elbows propped up on the table in front of Gon as he held out an accusing finger. Killua wasn't going to let go of this topic now "SO... Do you really have a plan for obtaining a copy of Greed Island? YOUR _plan_ is all we have to go on!"

Gon's facial expression softens, changing into a more embarrassed one. Gon didn't really have a plan by the look of it "Y-Yeah, but it's a fifty-fifty deal."

"It doesn't sound like a fifty-fifty from here..." Daniel groans from the bed, forcing his body to sit up right "You haven't said anything about the plan really. It sounds more like a _zero_ percent chance of a fifty-fifty scenario..."

Killua frowned in Gon's face, raising a finger as if he was about to poke the boy "Originally, didn't you say it had a seventy percent chance?"

"Yeah..." Gon went on to explain his plan, touching on an almost borrowing type of plan. The boy mentioned asking someone who is was willing to buy 'Greed Island', to allow them to borrow to play the game as well.

Gon seemed to be thinking, not in a straight, easy way to obtain the game for the group, but a chance to access the game without getting the game.

Killua curled his fingers around his chin, running Gon's idea through his mind several times. While the plan sounded stupid, it also sounded like a great plan at the same time "I get it... that's clever. Actually, that may be our only shot. Realistic and sound."

Daniel shrugged "At least it's better than trying to rob billionaires... 'cause there is no way we going to get more than nine billion, in just a few days."

Killua smiled widely "Actually, Gon, I think it has an eighty percent chance!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, we can make it work!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, wondering how the line **'hey, can I borrow the game to see if my best friend's dad left a clue on how to help find him...?'** would be a great pitch sale. But given all the time constraints, there were no other good valuable pitch deals at the moment.

"~"

Daniel couldn't help but be mesmerised by Killua. The boy knew how to rock a suit, and Daniel was pretty sure Killua by now knew he had a gawker. Gon twiddled with his bow tie, trying to perfect the knot.

Daniel took the ample opportunity as a way to distract his thoughts. The boy swats away Gon's hands untying it before slowly retying it.

Gon smiled in embarrassment "Thanks..."

Daniel nodded, keeping silent during the whole time. He focus only on the knot as his thoughts wandered. Daniel remembered a time when he was dragged to a ball, forced into a suit by Vastorie. Though at the same time he was lucky his father didn't throw him into a dress at that age.

Even though Vastorie disappeared from most of the night, roaming around like a social butterfly, Daniel remembered sticking close to Nathaniel. Nathaniel had an unfortunate accident of wearing a suit one size to small. It actually looked like a beef-cake shoved into a suit. It was humorous at the time.

Though, Daniel's thoughts didn't focus on that for too long. It remembered about Nathaniel being socially awkward. Daniel was five at the time, uncomfortable being dragged into a social event. He looked up to his fathers, one of them roaming like a news reporter looking for the next juicy gossip and the other one who was static, maybe a few 'hellos' here and there.

Daniel stuck around Nathaniel, getting the few occasional 'are you lost?' or 'where are your parents?' The reactions some gave when Nathaniel stuck up his hand to say 'right here' gave some of them pause. One would guess they met Vastorie prior, and thought the boy could be a clone of the man, while another would guess at the time Nathaniel didn't look like he was the father in any sense.

When someone offered to take him back to Vastorie, Daniel remembered immediately hugging his father's leg in protest. He didn't wanted to be subjected to constant cheek pinches and 'cute' remarks all night the way his other father was going. He felt safer around Nathaniel, considering he looked musclier with the suit on.

As soon as Daniel finished tying Gon's tie, he remembered one specific memory of that night. The moment he fell asleep in his father's arms. Even with the constant noise in the background, and the constant threat of 'cheek pinching', he felt safe enough to put his trust in Nathaniel. Though, if the boy were to look at that time now, he would be more than embarrassed.

Daniel chuckled at the memory, his checks flushed at the thought of 'cheek pinching' being a major threat back then.

Gon quirked an eyebrow "What's funny?"

"Nothing... Really..." Daniel diverted his eyes to Killua "Ready?"

Killua had been staring at Daniel the whole time during that moment, wondering where Daniel picked up the talent to tie ties. He hadn't given off the 'social' vibe. Then again, Daniel had an unusual knack for hiding rare talents. He was like a fun bag waiting to be opened "Let's go."

"~"

Gon looked down at his tag, holding it in his hand as he studied it. It wasn't anything fascinating, but it did give Gon pause "The auction is in Hall B."

The three boys combined with Zephile walked around the hallways, almost lost in the design of the place. It was eccentric, except to Zephile. Zephile was already used to this world of trade, the hallways already planted in his mind.

Killua hummed out loud, acting as though he already knew the lay out "That way. Over there." The boy pointed to a corner, highlighting the side that was directing to different layouts to the building.

Killua pressed open the door, Gon's eyes filled with wonder as they opened. It looked as though the auditorium stretched for miles, extending to two different floors. Though, in reality it may have been roughly a kilometre, or even mile long.

Daniel had been staring at the roof of the place for so long, he didn't notice when Gon and Killua stopped "Why-" He froze in fear once he realised who they were staring at. Phinks and Feitan were two feet away, staring back.

In that moment, Daniel turned booking it. He ran towards the hallway exit alongside Gon and Killua. The boys slammed through the door, startling others on their way out. They ran as if their lives depended on it.

Each boy was freaking out, wondering why members of the Phantom Troupe were at the auction.

"Why are they here?" Gon yelled as he frantically ran through the hallways.

"How would I know?!"

Daniel turned to face Killua as they slid around a corner "Well in either case, they certainly weren't expecting us as well..."

Phinks slid right in front, stopping the boys from going any further. When they turned to run the other way, Feitan was right behind them, blocking them from going back. They were boxed in, forced at a standstill.

Phinks' expression remained dulled, talking as if the boys' presence offended him "Hey... that was cold. No need to run away."

Daniel curled his arm around his back, reaching for his weapon. Though, he forgot one major thing... he didn't bring Wolfbane with him. _Drat, why is it when I need it I never have it...?_ "What if we really needed to go to the bathroom?"

"At the same time...?" Phinks quirked an eyebrow "I highly doubt it."

_You too, would run if you suddenly saw someone could kill you in a heartbeat, before you could even yell **'wait'**..._

Feitan spoke in a bored tone, addressing the boys' concerns "Don't worry. We're not going to kill you."

Phinks spoke right after, as if he was in sync with Feitan "Because we can't kill the chain user now...."

"Huh?" Gon was startled by Phinks' statement "What do you mean?"

"Huh? Didn't he use his chains on the boss? That means we can't kill him."

This raised Daniel's concern. Was this a bluff, which would ultimately leave the boys' guard down, and in turn, hopefully lead them to Kurapika's location?

"Why not...?" Gon pressed further, hoping to pry the man for further information "Isn't it the other way around?"

Phinks sighed, holding out his hand in explanation " _Nen_ doesn't necessarily disappear after death. _Nen_ that's driven by hatred and regret can persist a long time after death. That _Nen_ will direct itself toward the target of those emotions. Since the boss can no longer use _Nen_ , he could be overwhelmed by that assault. Residual _Nen_ can be quite fearsome. That's why-" Phinks stopped, standing upright as if a gun was being pointed at his back.

Daniel wanted to press the situation, but ultimately if he were to guess, Kurapika's death would set off some kind of chain reaction.

"In any case... That means we're done with you, kids. We just came to enjoy the auction." Phinks walked off towards his ally, briefly commenting on the situation "The other members wanted to go home."

Gon pressed further, wanting to find out about something unrelated "Um, what happened to Pakunoda-san?"

Phinks stopped, looking back down at Gon. What was with this kid, and his endless barrage of questions "She died."

"Huh?"

Daniel was generally surprised, already thinking she was one of the members that already left for home.

Gon looked down, feeling depressed "Oh..." The boy looked up, surprised to see the man had been staring intently, as if he had his own questions needing answered "What's wrong?"

Killua shoved Gon in the back, refusing to stay for a second longer "Let's go."

"Paku... Paku wanted to thank you."

All three boys were lost for words. A member of the Phantom Troupe was thanking them, thanking them for what had transpired the night before. This was a strange world... a strange world where Gon and Killua were changing it slowly, piece by piece. Daniel looked to the other two boys, wondering what exactly they said to Pakunoda.

A lip curled upwards as Daniel drew the boys' attention "Well... that just happened. After this, I think we should find Zephile, and stick by his side for now."

Killua nodded in affirmation as he held out a hand "Gon, let's find Zephile."

"~"

The boy wandered for a while, eventually finding the man. He had been observing a large hallway, eyes drawn towards one spot as if he were waiting for someone.

Gon opened his mouth to speak "Zephile...?"

"Perfect!" The man smiled, turning around to face the boys as he jerked a thumb towards a direction behind him "There's someone who can help you, and he should be coming soon."

Cameras went off, taking pictures constantly as Zephile faced the opposite direction. The man waited until a certain individual entered the room. Zephile signalled the boys towards the man "There he is. That's your target. The tycoon, Mr. Battera..."

Gon's eyes gleamed, watching the man intently. He was the only one standing between Gon, and the clue his father left behind.

"~"

One after another, items were auctioned off. Most seemed useless or at least boring to Daniel. He watched intently, waiting for the games to be auctioned off.

The woman of the stand, vibrant, and with a smile held out her hand to something that sat on a podium "Our next item is the legendary game, Greed Island!"

People cheered out loud, getting rowdy from the item being auctioned off. The auctioneer waited until people calmed down before holding up a finger in exaggeration "Let's take a look at the mysterious power this game contains."

Someone came out from behind the curtains, holding up a rather large hammer; each stomp shaking the floor as he walked. He stopped before the console containing Greed Island, holding up the hammer over his head before bringing it back down. The console remained intact, as the wooden podium cracked under pressure, pieces of splinter being sent in every direction.

The crowd got noisy again, ranting in glee. The game was bound to get more people betting on it, especially if it could be used as a shield of some kind.

The auctioneer walked back on stage, proceeding with the auction explanation "As you can see, there is a mysterious power that protects the console from any damage..." The woman smiled widely, clicking her fingers in order to get someone to change the screens "as long as someone is playing inside."

A man with a thick black beard appeared on screen "This man is Jeitsari. He is a player who's inside the game at the moment. In fact, he's the one who signed a contract allowing us to auction it off."

A man wheeled out another podium to place the console on as multiple men cleaned up the mess. The auctioneer lady flipped open a book, reading out something "Jeitsari left behind the following agreement: **If we cannot clear this game before this date specified in the contract, seven active players, including myself, will present seven copies of the game and console to the southern Piece Auction, so our talented young Hunters can clear the game and fulfil our dream.** "

Daniel tapped his chin, wondering how hard exactly the game is. The man would've given himself a decent amount of time in other to complete the game, so one would imagine more than a year depending on the difficulty of said game.

The woman began to pout, frowning at what she was about to declare "Unfortunately, when we obtained these copies, two already displayed game over screens. That means the players also died in real life. This dangerous game requires that you risk your own life!"

Daniel's eyes widened, wondering how a game could be made in order to link one's own life to the game. It would be difficult, unless the game somehow links the avatar's life to person's life.

"Make sure you're prepared before you bid. Let's start the bidding at 900 million Jenny!"

The woman began, announcing the bids as she saw them.

Daniel saw Killua freak out as the woman announced six billion Jenny. He drew his attention to the man, noticing a rather large man hiding behind a seat. He wondered for a moment before leaning close to Killua's ear "Who's that?"

Killua bristled; breathing out a sentence Daniel wasn't expecting "My brother..."

Daniel's eye twitched at the mention of 'brother' "You mean that fat lump of shit is your brother...? He looks like he spends more time sitting down, than actually doing his job. Like... Why doesn't he take over the family job? I'm sure he can just roll over all his targets."

Killua stared blank faced. He wasn't expecting anything like to come out of the boy's mouth, but the last comment caught him off guard. It make burst into a fit of quiet laughter "W-What?!"

Gon looked over to Daniel, thumbs up "What's funny-"

The woman suddenly screams out loud "#201 doubles it again, to 24 billion!"

Daniel's neck craned in Gon's direction, eyes widened in shock. His voice was dull, expressionless "What... did you just do? Where do you think we are going to get-?"

"#16 bids 25 billion!"

The two boys along with Zephile relaxed.

Killua looked down once the next announcement was made, eyes glaring daggers at his older brother. Exactly, how much money did that man have on him?

Daniel shifted his gaze towards Killua's brother as the next announcement was made. He was filled with fury, hating the man immediately. Daniel thought for a second, he could easily beat up the man, but a split second made him reconsider. Killua belongs to the Zoldyck Family. Now, he might not be at his best, but some day, he knew he'll be able to make all the Zoldycks suffer for hurting Killua... he'll make sure of that one day.

"~"

Daniel tightens his fists, feeling a sense of dread over coming him. If this plan didn't work, Gon would be back to square one. Daniel stood behind both boys, hoping, that for Gon's sake this would work.

Gon held up hand, hoping with all his might this plan would work "Um, we're Hunters."

Killua nodded, smiling at the very words Gon spoke "We're willing to help clear _Greed Island_."

Guards stepped up to the three boys, blocking them off proceeding further "Don't joke around. Go home."

Gon's expression changed, going from his usual cheery self to a more determined, stern expression "We're not joking! I'm a pro Hunter."

"Hmph. What nonsense..."

Daniel smiled, grabbing the card as he flicked it around his fingers "Is this proof enough..." The boy continued to smile in glee as he held the card closer.

The guard took it from Daniel, looking it over before turning to look at a man behind him "They're telling the truth."

Mr. Battera stepped up, looking the card over "Hmm... the fact that you're here means you're certainly not ordinary." As the man handed Daniel his card back, he couldn't help but argue the situation "However, although I am looking to hire Hunters in order to clear this game, I cannot hire you at this time. Because there can only be so many players."

 _Drat..._ _How could we forget about that...?_ Daniel sighed in defeat, failing to remember about the amount of players that could be connected to the console at any time.

Before Daniel could say anything, Gon asked a question "There can only be so many players?"

Mr. Battera held up a finger to dictate the situation to the boys "Each memory card only has the capacity to store one player's data. With multitaps, you can have a maximum of eight players per console."

Daniel sighed "Thought so..."

Gon looked over to both boys "Oh, right. That Greed Island save used up all thirty blocks on the memory card."

Both Killua and Daniel nodded in agreement. The card had been filled to the brim with Greed Island. There was no way it could be used to save something else at the same time.

Mr. Battera freaked out "How did you know that?!"

Gon smiled brightly at the man "We have a Greed Island save file."

"H-Have you played the game before?"

Gon shook his head at the older man "No, we only have a memory card."

Mr. Battera eyes widened while thinking for a second. He closed his mouth, opening it a second later to pose another question "If that memory card is real, you would need another item to remove the card from the console."

Daniel spoke up before Gon could even say something "You mean like a ring...?"

Both boys smiled widely, finally figuring out what the ring was for. It was a piece of the puzzle, which had finally been divulged. The ring was used as a tool, in order to remove the memory card.

Mr. Battera turned, looking towards someone behind him, hiding away in the darkness "It appears that they are worthy of consideration."

A tall, built man came out for the shadows. His brown hair was combed back, complete with a thick bushy goatee and white eyebrows. He spoke like an authority figure, either higher than Mr. Battera or a client of the man "I assume that you can use _Nen_. Show me your _Ren_."

Each boy smiled widely, happy to hear they have a chance at obtaining the chance to play the game "Sure!"

The boys prepared themselves, relaxing as aura flowed around them. Taking one final deep breath, the boys released their _Ren_ , the aura flowed around them, licking the air fiercely around them. It was like knives cutting through the air.

The man stared at the boys intently. It was as if he was trying to discern the nature of the boys' aura.

"Well...?"

The man sighed, closing his eyes at Mr. Battera's question "It's hopeless. Letting them play would be a waste of time." The man then opened his eyes, smirking widely at the boys "They'd run around in circles until they died."

The words broke Gon's concentration, his aura fading back into its more natural state. He didn't like being judged so harshly, even if it was only a few seconds into the trial "How can you be certain when we haven't tried?!"

"It'll be too late once you're in game, kid. Unless, you die off immediately..."

Shock crossed the boys' face, each concerned for the reason to why the man would think that so easily.

"We don't need people who'll drag out the inevitable. As long as a player is alive inside the game, you can't reset or remove the memory card. In other words, you can't send in new players."

Mr. Battera held up a hand to his chest, agreeing to the man's argument "I've hired around one hundred pro and amateur Hunters to play this game, and over half of them have given up."

Gon's eyes widened in concern, wondering why exactly, would someone give up so easily "Given up?"

"They've given up on returning to the real world, choosing to live inside the game. That is why I must be careful when selecting players. We need people who are strong enough to obtain items for returning to the real world."

_Hmm, I wonder... what exactly you are referring to here. So, is the game like... a card game or something? Because I don't see what else you could collect which is easy to carry around._

Gon clenched his fists, yelling out at the man for degrading the boys even further "And you're saying we aren't strong enough?"

Killua held out one finger, pointing at the man who was degrading the boys' _Ren_ rather harshly "How can he know that?"

Mr. Battera turned to look at the man "Because he's a pro Hunter who has played Greed Island before."

The boys were shocked further by the explanation, finding it hard to believe. A man so old was playing the game "Speaking from my own experience, the items for returning to the real world are relatively easy to obtain. But with your _Nen_..." the man's smile widen into a smirk, judging the boys even more harshly this time "it's hopeless. In fact, it'd be game over in no time." The man dropped his hands down to his sides "Once the screening is done, I'm returning to the game."

Killua flinched slightly, confused to what he meant by his last statement "Screening? You're screening players?"

The man's eyes half closed, still smirking at questions the boy managed to ask "Yes, the screening will be on the auction's final day. If you are interested in participating, you'll need to work on your _Nen_."

Gon clenched both fists at the man's words, this time yelling in his face "We were going to do that anyway!"

Daniel's eyes half close, oh so badly wanting to fire back in a dead-panned tone _'Wow, what are you...? A child...?'_ but considering he, himself is a child, it would make the comment redundant. Actually, what Gon said seemed redundant; in an 'I won't do what you say, but I'm still going to do it anyway' kind of way.

Gon turned on his heels, walking away from the man with a huff of anger "Let's go, Killua! Daniel!"

Daniel looked at Gon weird, wondering what exactly is going on. They came to negotiate, not act like spoiled kids. While it's true they were being spoiled in hoping to gain a free, endless trial session with game, they wanted to hopefully find a clue in the game... not win a competition. But if training their _Nen_ is what's going to help them land a position, it's a sacrifice they had to be willing to make.

As soon as Gon managed to make one step out of the room, the man decided to ask a single question "Before you go, kid... How did you come by a memory card?"

Gon turned around, facing the man with anger still spread across his face "I'm not telling you!" And with that, the boy continued to walk away, his nose turned up right as if he were a snooty billionaire.

The doors closed behind them as they left, each, except for Daniel feeling angry. Killua couldn't help but vent his irritation "Damn it... I'm mad now."

"We absolutely must pass their screening!"

Daniel shook his head at both boys. His friends' reaction was priceless. But he had played this game many times with his father, Vastorie. The first to falter will be the last to win. All they needed to do was play their cards right; in this case train. They needed to be stronger than the other candidates.

"~"

Daniel sat in a seat, journal in one hand as he stared at the empty pages. He felt as though he needed a backup plan, one he could fall on. It didn't click earlier that he could have used his _Hatsu_ instead of _Ren_ , as a way to show off his skills. But then again... was Daniel's skill could enough to earn him a seat. It was useless considering he could go to the local blacksmith and pick up something equally strong, or if not even stronger.

Gon's aura flared in anger, filled with the same feelings as the boy "I'm so mad! I can't believe how he spouted off! Damn it!"

Daniel couldn't help but side-glace Killua, hoping the boy would have something to offer. But the boy was licking at a lollipop. The boy couldn't stop staring at Killua's lips, each lick seeming to slow down time.

He had been staring for so long, that when Killua spoke to him, he had completely missed the question.

"... Daniel?"

"Hmm...?"

"What I was just talking about... Aren't I right?"

"Two plus two equals four... right?" Daniel's eyes widened, wondering what exactly his supposed to be answering. He been staring at the lips for so long, he was being to wonder if it's as sweet and fluffy as the things Killua eats.

"No... Well, yeah you're right. But that isn't what I was asking about. Weren't you listening?"

"Honest answer...?"

"For some reason... I feel like I don't want to know..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Killua, wondering if he could play off the intense dreamland staring session he just had with Killua's _lips_ "Then I won't tell you... But I am going to answer your question with another question. Can I seriously try that lollipop...?"

Killua's cheeks flared up, reddening at the boy's question; what exactly was going on in that boy's mind at the moment?

"If you have a spare...?"

The boy continued to stare at Daniel, shock spreading throughout his reddened face. Either this boy is stupid... or his not even thinking about what he's saying.

Killua reached into the bag of lollies, pulling out a green one. But before Killua could hand it over Daniel posed another question "Any white ones left?"

"... Why?"

"No reason..."

Killua shoved the green one back in, and then produced to pull out a white one instead. As he handed it to Daniel, the boy popped it into his mouth.

Daniel sucked on the lolly a few times before smiling like a happy child "Sorry what was your question again?"

"Shouldn't we be thinking about taking our _Nen_ training to the next level?"

"Way ahead of you..." Daniel blushed, a little as he scratched the side of his ear in embarrassment. While he was thinking about how to further his training, he didn't exactly know in which direction "sort of..."

All Daniel knew was how to _manipulate_ his shadows into multiple forms. Though most objects ended in failure, he managed to replicate a few weapons here and there behind the others back. But most ended up fading back into the shadows after a while, and usually left him tapped out.

Killua frowned, finding the boy being a little shadier than usual "You thought about _Hatsu_ as well... considering you already had one."

The boy nodded his head, refusing to look the boy directly in the eyes "I do... and the thought to use it during that time the man asked us to use _Ren_ , did dawn on me afterwards. But even if I did, I still don't think it would've been enough make me pass..."

Killua smiled, liking the answer. He liked that Daniel was thinking more carefully than usual. Killua raised his finger, looking directly into Gon's eyes "And Daniel's right. We, have to know our special ability. Daniel's was dawned on him in the spur of the moment. But is it something that really defined him."

Daniel twitched at Killua's words. He liked that Killua thought about him, just as much as he did himself. But there was a little bit of guilt and sadness accompanied by the boys' thoughts as well. What is a _good_ ability to him?

Killua continued on, leaning against the window as he objected the other boys' thoughts towards a topic "Kurapika started learning _Nen_ when we did. But he was able to fight the Troupe because of his special abilities."

Gon looked at the boy, distraught that these thoughts also didn't dawn on him "Yeah, Kurapika obtained powers that make him basically invincible against the Troupe by placing his life on the line."

Killua's eyes narrowed, looking the boy directly in the eyes as he talked "We can't follow his example."

Gon nodded as Daniel commented "Which brings me to my dilemma..."

Killua sighs, already knowing what Daniel's thinking "We need abilities without too much or too little risk, which fit our specialties. Something practical and effective... That's what we have to come up with."

Daniel nodded, feeling slightly depressed at the thought.

Gon went deep into thought from Killua's words, thinking and running every scenario through his head. The boy kneeled down, steaming from his ears. The boy just didn't know what he wanted.

Daniel and Killua sighed at the same time, each boy thinking along the same line.

_Welp, Gon's just had a brain fart..._

_Well, I knew this would happen._

Killua smiled, kneeling down to Gon's level. It made Daniel's heart skip a beat when Killua smiled. Killua drew Gon's thoughts to something simpler "Let's take this one step at a time. First, what kind of abilities do you want?"

Gon processed the thought out loud "What kind of abilities do I want?"

As the boy thought, Daniel brought up his own thoughts, hoping to give the boy an idea "Think along the lines of my failed ability. Manipulating shadows... I would like to continue down that road. But I'll need to think of something that works with my fighting style. Range..."

Gon processed Daniel's ideas as well "Something that works with my fighting style..." Gon steamed up at the ears, thoughts already lost.

"HEY, now look what you did!"

"WHAT I DID?! I didn't do anything! I just gave him a suggestion, which was meant to narrow down his ideas..."

Killua blinked several times at Daniel before slowly turning to face Gon "You... have to have some idea... no matter how vague."

"Uh, a really strong power!"

Daniel blinked at Gon's idea. He couldn't be serious enough to be that vague. Daniel could have guess a hundred things that would fit the boy's vague idea. Like... explosive fists... punches that acted like mini nukes...

"That's _too_ vague! Start by thinking within your own category. You're an Enhancer, so think of a power that strengthens something."

Daniel snickered, remembering how badly his dad would have interjected.

"What's funny?! I'm trying to help Gon here..."

"Oh, I just imagined my dad saying **oh, I'll strengthen _something_...** or something along those lines."

Killua blushed at the thought his words could have been twisted in such away "I... I'm trying to be serious here."

"And don't let my dad stop you."

"F- Fine... Well, Gon?"

Gon nodded as he mauled over some thoughts.

Killua forced Gon to focus, hoping this time he could get through to the boy this time "Then we ask, what part of you do you want to strengthen, and how? Like a fist..."

When Gon began to steam up, the boy slapped him across the head, sending the boy's thoughts into a jumbling mess "That hurt, Killua! What about you, then?"

"I already know what I want."

Daniel beamed at that, hoping to probe the boy for a vague idea "Oh, do you mind if I ask?"

"How about you tell me what ability you want instead..." Killua looked towards Daniel with a smirk "Daniel?"

"Touché..." Daniel liked whenever the boy looked in his direction, it made his heart flutter.

Killua got up, looking down at Gon as he spoke "That's why I'm helping you."

The boy began to leave as Gon tried pressing the boy for more information "What ability are you thinking of?"

Killua stuck his bunny lolly back in his mouth, mumbling as he shut the boy down "It's a secret..."

"Huh? But maybe your idea will help me..."

Killua sighed, rolling his eyes as he turned to face Gon "If Daniel's idea didn't help you, I highly doubt my _secret_ ability is going to."

"Ehh..." Gon looked down at the floor in defeat, only to pip up again when Killua opened his mouth "Gon, I'm going to go start practicing my special ability. You keep thinking about it." Killua drew up his finger to point at Daniel "And you, should think fast about something as well. Or I'll leave you two in the dirt..."

Daniel snickered, getting up as he walked over to the door "Well, then I better be on my merry way. I need to sort thought my ideas, and I don't think me speaking and writing down all my thoughts out loud, is going to help Gon think any faster."

Killua smirked at the boy, betting on the scenario "Oh, is that so. I bet I'm the only one who'll pass the screening."

Daniel twitched, a wide smirk spreading throughout his face. He liked the way Killua was going, forcing Gon to press his mind, and hopefully figure out something sooner.

Daniel left alongside Killua, each heading to their room. As the two boys walked, Killua spoke quietly "He'll just get distracted unless I give him a scare."

Daniel smiled at Killua, agreeing with the boy "I guess you're right. So, are you going to give me a hint to your ability?"

"Nope..."

Daniel sighed at Killua, and then proceeded to whine "Killua... just a hint."

"Nope...! Then all you'll think about is my hint... you still have to think about _your_ ability."

The boy rolled his eyes at Killua, silently agreeing with the boy. With Killua's hint to the ability, Daniel's mind would wander towards what the boy was doing in order to manifest the ability.

They split up, Daniel stuck in his room.

"~"

Daniel managed to stick three pieces of paper of the wall, each expressing an idea.

**Shadows...**

**Vows and limitations...**

**Manipulator...**

Drawing his attention to the middle piece of paper, he hummed the words out loud "Vows and limitations..." Kurapika parted away with that knowledge when he was speaking about his own abilities. First, Daniel focused on the word 'Vows'. He mulled the word through his head while whispering to himself "What exactly am I vowing here..."

He vowed to do many things over the past few months. But one of them has stuck by, drawn constantly by Killua's presence. He wanted to protect the boy. He wanted to save him... to offer a helping hand.

Daniel's eyes widened at his last thought "A helping hand..." The boy held out his hand, simultaneously looking down at his shadow. The shadow's hand looked exactly the same, always linked to he's own movements.

Daniel focused, trying to force the shadow to reach out and touch his hand. Even though the shadow managed to lift off the floor for a moment, it dissipated. He needed something else. He needed a 'limitation' of some kind. After all, it was vows _and_ limitations.

He drew out his hand, knowing exactly what the 'limit'. A smile graced his lips, whispering the idea out loud "My shadow is a part of me, but separate from me... there's a reason I'm struggling to control my shadow."

Daniel drew out both hands, this time focusing on the aura around his body. He closed his eyes, whispering the very 'limit' he needed to address "If only my shadow and I were one..."

The boy's eyes widened even further when a revelation hit him. He knew the best phrase for the situation. He knew exactly what to use as the 'Vow and Limitation'.

Kurapika's was to never use his ability, **Chain Jail** on some other than a Phantom Troupe.

While he didn't want to use a limitation like that, he wanted something just as flexible; one that balances between life and death. He wanted one that he was sure to work to his advantage "What mine is... is yours as well!"

Daniel curled his fingers into a fist, and then proceeded to draw out his Long and Index finger like a gun "My **limits** are my own, and my shadow, will be an extension of my limitation..."

The shadow began to morph, drawing up from the floor. A single hand curled up from the ground, constantly twitching its fingers. It wavered like a shadow flicking in the light. Solid, and yet somehow like liquid at the same time... He reached out, the shadow drawing closer to his own.

When the two touched, Daniel clasped his hand around the shadow, shaking it as if he were making an agreement. The hand felt solid, strong, a grip just like his own. And to make the situation even more perfect, he had made the perfect Vow.

**He and shadows were one of the same.**

While he may have to suffer the consequences of receiving damages his shadow also suffered, at same time, the control would be more powerful, easy to manipulate.

The boy released his grip on his own shadow, the hand fading back into the ground. Rather than his usual out stretched shadow, a replication of his own movements, he noticed it pooled around him. Circular, acting like cup hugging a candle stick. Reaching out, Daniel grinned at his next thought. He knew what needed to be done now.

First comes the Vow and Limitation, next comes pushing that very limitation. Morphing the ability into one that would ultimate suit him "Let's begin..."


	59. Training X Hatsu X Futures

Gon whined at Leorio, disappointed in the man's current explanation for Kurapika's departure "What? He left?"

The teen left without a word, gone before the others could have realised what had transpired.

Kurapika had been of great help when it came to dealing with the Phantom Troupe. Without Kurapika, would the three boys have still been alive? Daniel seriously doubted that. They may have been able to escape, but a second time, they wouldn't have been so lucky...

While it pained Daniel to admit without Kurapika's help, he wouldn't have been able to help his friends... It also managed to bring a smile to his face. He had strong friends, ones he could lean on in difficult times. He thanked Gon for being able to draw in such powerful figures.

Leorio sighed at the boy, eyes focusing on the window. Even though it pained him to see Kurapika leave as well, he knew the boy needed to go, and that he was among friends who could help him as well "We'll see him again. He said to keep training hard."

"What? He didn't have to worry about that..."

Daniel snickered at Gon "Considering you had three brain malfunctions, within the first few minutes, just from mere ideas on how to train... I think even I would have left without a word too."

Gon turned toward Daniel, pouting "I didn't have a brain Malfunction!"

Killua raised a finger, also agreeing with Daniel "Are you sure? From the amount of steam coming out of your ears, I _almost_ thought you were a kettle."

Daniel laughed at the boy's joke; the thought of Gon being compared to a steaming kettle was hilarious to him. Daniel laughing made Killua join in the laughter as well.

Gon felt the two were being mean, both picking on something that was trivial, at least to him "Killua... stop picking on me! I really didn't know what kind of ability I wanted. I'm not like you, smart!"

Killua quietened down, eyes drawn away in embarrassment "Sh- Shut it! Weren't... Weren't you happy to hear Kurapika was leaving Yorknew City?!"

Leorio watched with a quiet smile, happy to see the three of them bicker like children. It was times like this he cherished most. Young boys, playing, learning; never worrying about what was happening around the next corner of life.

Gon looked over to Killua, not the least bit worried about embarrassing Killua "Sure, but without telling us..." Gon looked away, more depressed than usual. Kurapika hadn't been gone for longer than a day, and already the boy missed his company.

Leorio chucked a small book over to Gon, yelling out to the boy before he could get hit in the face "Here. It's from Zephile. He said you'll see him again."

Gon looked down at the tiny book. His eyes wavered for a moment, just before reality came back and bit him. Eyes widened in shock, the boy was surprised once again "What? Zephile-San's gone, too?"

Daniel snickered at Gon's surprise. Now all he needed was for Leorio to say his leaving as well, then Gon will mostly likely be surprised three times in a row.

Leorio chuckled for a moment, and then immediately smiled "Yeah, and he recovered your hundred million, as promised."

Gon immediately checked the bank check, noticing a few extra zeroes there "He really did..."

"Now you can buy back your Hunter License."

"Yeah..." Gon was smiling once again, looking up from his bank card "Zephile-San really is special."

Daniel held out a hand, offering a little comment of his own "Speaking of special... Tomorrows the special event, you know... the one we've been practicing for."

Gon looked at Daniel, a stern nod. It looked as though Gon was prepared. But whatever happened tomorrow, they'd have to make sure each, and every one of them passed. If not... it would be the end of their adventure together.

"~"

The auction halls were filled to the brim, more people most likely waiting outside. Daniel silently sat, waiting for the moment the trials come. His feet kicked under the chair, shadow wavering underneath him.

He'd been practicing for so long; he had to relearn to focus his shadow to mimic what it would be like to stand in the light. Sometimes it would waver, returning to a pool beneath his feet. It was as if the Vows and Limitation gave his shadow a mind of its own. Once thing for certain was his shadow when left untamed could be hurt.

He learnt that the easy way when he dropped a bag on it.

It felt as if he threw the bag on top of his back, but when he looked behind himself, nothing had been in the vicinity. Nothing could have hit his back.

Finally, after focusing on the past for so long, the trails were about to begin. A man stepped up on stage, speaking into a microphone "I apologize for keeping everyone waiting. We will now begin selecting the players. As everyone already knows, you must use _Nen_ for this game. The test will proceed as follows. First, we need each applicant to demonstrate their _Nen_. We will then make our decision. The judge will be the pro Hunter, Mr. Tsezgerra!"

The man that had insulted them earlier in the week stepped from behind the curtains. Daniel's eye twitched. He finally had a name to the face he so badly wanted to degrade.

Tsezgerra spoke, not even having a few words of help to offer "Let us begin the test. One at a time, come up and show me your _Ren_. A shutter and curtain will block any view of the stage, so other applicants cannot see what's happening. The moment we've chosen thirty-two players, the test will end."

As Tsezgerra was speaking the boy failed to realise a shutter was coming down, closing shut when the man mentioned how the test will end.

The announcer spoke, hand holding back a fraction of the curtain "Please step this way to take the test."

Daniel blinked, wondering why the situation ended so quickly. Some people had already lined up before others could rush to line up. One after another, people were being let in. But no one was coming back out. Were they all passing, or was there a back door behind those curtains.

A man behind them snickered, laughing at something or someone "Those guys are hopeless... They don't stand a chance."

The boys looked behind them, wondering what the man was exactly referring to.

He wore a purple suit, chin protruding out as if he had a pelican's chin. The man's eyes were drawn, focusing on the people still hovering around the seats "I'm talking about the ones still in line and those waiting nearby. Especially the ones standing next to the line. They're probably waiting for someone to return, so they can ask what's inside. If you do some research and use your head, you'd see there's no rush."

Daniel's eyes narrowed, wondering why the man was so laid back. It didn't look like he was someone so special. He looked quite normal, maybe a little too cocky or smart for his own good.

Killua clicked his fingers a realisation hitting him hard "I get it! This time, they aren't choosing thirty-two players!"

"Exactly..."

Daniel sighed at the man behind him, leaning back so he could look at him "Tell us something new. You never put all your eggs in one basket."

The man chuckled, leaning back into his chair with a smile "Exactly! It's been over ten years, and no one's cleared the game. And new players can't begin if old ones are still alive. Meaning that they have to save a few spots in case extraordinary players appear..."

The purple suit man rubbed his chin, smiling in glee as if he deciphered age old texts "I'd guess they'll choose around twenty this round... Personally, I'd say that those in line or standing nearby have no shot. Anyone worthwhile either got in line at once, or figured out the trick and stayed in their seat to focus, like we did. Wouldn't you agree, kid?"

Daniel sighed, leaning back comfortably into the chair, rather than resting his head over the back of the seat to look at the man. He'd preferred the man stayed quiet, but judging by how quick he'd made those judgments, Daniel was sure he'd be wrong over some of them in line. One or two of them in line had to be good. There was no way they'd all be bad.

Killua looked over to Gon, wondering why he was staring at his _Nen_ filled fist "Gon...? You realized what was going on?"

"Well..." Gon smiled sheepishly "it was just a hunch. I thought it was only natural that the hosts would want to test everyone here."

The pelican chin man laughed at Gon's outlandish remark "That's true. You win, kid. Yeah, I'm impressed. Not many people can stick to their ideals. The steeper and more dangerous the path, the greater the need for both wit and ignorance to move forward..."

When the announcer pressed for another person to come forward, the purple suit man jumped out his seat to get in line. But he stopped before lining up to mention his name "My name is Puhat. Nice to meet you..."

As he walked away slowly, Killua couldn't help but make a remark "People who act smart usually fail."

Puhat almost fell over in disbelief, but Daniel could help but agree. He seemed to be suspicious or at least cocky "Seconded..."

Gon smiled awkwardly at Killua and Daniel "He can hear you."

Killua got up; leaving as well to join the line "I'm heading over."

Daniel stood up, jumping down to join Killua as well. As much as he wanted to sit with Gon, he'd rather get the day over "Wait up Killua. I'm coming as well..."

Gon held up a thumb to the two boys, smiling as they left "Yep, good luck."

Killua quietly walked as Daniel followed behind. Killua was deadly serious. Killua walked up the steps, briefly waving good bye to Daniel "See you on the other side."

Daniel nodded, a smile gracing his lips. He couldn't help but wave back. The boy disappeared behind the curtain and Daniel stood in a very small line, waiting for Killua to either get through or fail.

The man ushered Daniel in. He followed the steps up, taking a corner, and proceeded to follow a single lined path into the empty room. Only Tsezgerra stood in the empty room, arms crossed as he looked down on the boy "Let me see your _Ren_."

A smile graced the boy's lips, slowly turning into a smirk. He was happy to hear the man being just as oblivious as earlier. The boy curled his finger into the air, instead offering a different choice "How about I show you something cooler instead..."

Tsezgerra smiled in glee "That's fine. You're free to show me anything that demonstrates your power. Prove that the _Ren_ I saw previously didn't represent your true power."

Daniel curled his hand outwards, creating cup with his Ring and Small finger, and then curled his thumb to create a circle. The boy pushed his Long and Index finger up like a gun, while simultaneously focusing the aura into his Shadow. The shadow leapt to life, creating five hands that crawling and grabbed at the air around him.

Tsezgerra was awe struck, focusing to the hands that rose before him.

The hands looked like human-like wolf, or werewolves' hands cloaked in shadows. Each hand wavered slowly in the light, waiting for Daniel to give the signal to move.

Daniel adjusted his other hand, repeating the same steps, this time with his palm facing towards himself as he spoke "I was working on this, thinking of ways to get pay back."

Daniel suddenly slid one foot back, crossing his hands, one facing Tsezgerra while the other pushed into his chest. The hands attacked, aggressively moving forward to the man. He took one step back but the hands behind grabbed his arms, legs and head, pushing him forwards as the others latched onto the same body parts.

The boy clasped his thumb, small and ring finger inwards, creating a miniature fist. Once the boy adjusted his hand, the shadows merged, clasping Tsezgerra between two giant werewolf hands "And that's my pay back."

The boy released his hands, smiling as the shadows dissipating into the floors. He liked the look of shock that crossed his face when he was trapped. Revenge was so sweet, especially to unsuspecting people who were quick to judge "Well, what did you think?"

"You pass... However, what would posses you to learn such a technique."

Daniel walked past the man, continuing to smile behind his back "Let's say my dads' training, and my desires adhere to my own goals. I want to offer a hand to my friends... and this was my solution."

A man outside the room directed the boy to a path which leads to double doors. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of meeting Killua. He opened the door, peeking inside. Eight people, including Killua sat down, each of them, except for Killua watching the boy intently.

"Look who passed..."

Daniel bounced up the steps towards Killua with a smile. He was happy to see Killua had passed as well "Fancy meeting you here."

The boy snickered "Likewise..."

It was a sincere moment. Daniel almost sat down next to Killua, stopping mid movement after a loud bang shook the room. He faced the door, waiting to see who peeked inside the room.

Black pointy hair snuck in, followed by a familiar face.

_Was Gon the one that had made the ruckus earlier?_

Killua held up a hand, ushering Gon towards Daniel and his direction "Gon!"

Gon smiled in glee when he saw Killua and Daniel both in the room "Killua! Daniel! Good, you got chosen too."

Daniel sighed in relief, resting his butt on the chair once he came to terms with Gon being the most likely cause to the sudden explosive sound.

Gon quickly ran up the steps, joining the others' side as Killua returned the smile "Of course. Was that boom your doing?"

Gon nodded in glee, fist pumping the air as if he achieved something reckless "Uh-huh."

Daniel liked this, moment. He relished in the smile Killua gave Gon, and the fact that they'll continue to remain by each others' side for a long time. Whatever happens next, he was sure a long adventure awaited them; one better than Heavens Arena.

The boys waited, joined by more men and women. Twelve more joined the group before Tsezgerra finally addressed the group that had passed. He had handed out forms, contracts waiting to be signed.

Once everyone had one, the man spoke as he stood at the podium, the form waiting to be read out "Well, allow me to congratulate you. The twenty-two people here have earned the right to play Greed Island. Upon clearing the game, you will receive 50 billion Jenny. The details are in the contract, so read and sign it before you depart at 5 pm."

Daniel had briefly looked over the contract, finding nothing really unusual, except for a single dot point. It related to something Daniel wasn't sure whether or not he should be really worried about it. **Items found in the game belong to Mr. Battera.**

He was sure he'd have to address it later with Gon and Killua.

"~"

Leorio smiled, laughing out loud. He was happy to hear the boys nuked the test, all of them passing with flying colours. He couldn't have been more proud of the boys, than he was now. He held out a cup, cheering to the three boys "Cheers! You've made it past the first stage."

A large selection of food lay out on the table, everyone free to pick and choose whatever they want. Daniel picked up a slice of pizza as Gon handed a form over to him "Could you look at this for us?"

Leorio quirked an eyebrow as he took the contract away "What is it?" As he flipped the document over, a brief look over gave him the answer to his question "A contract?"

Leorio read the document as the boys ate, eagerly waiting for the older teens' answer. As Leorio was reading the last line, the older teen adjusted his glasses "Looks like it can be summarized in three points. First, you can't file any claims if you're injured or die."

Daniel hummed out loud with a chuckle "You don't see too many zombies walking around the city these days, complaining about dying..."

Killua nudged Daniel, forcing the boy to keep quiet as Leorio continued "Right... Second, any items that you bring out of the game belong to Mr. Battera. Third, if you clear the game, you will receive a 50-billion Jenny reward."

Leorio smiled, shrugging at the contract "I don't see any problems. Once you sign it, you're good to go."

Gon smiled widely, nodding profusely as he agreed with the older man; seeing as the two agreed that there was nothing wrong with signing the contract.

Daniel held out a finger, addressing one of the points "I do... The second point..." the boy looked over to Gon, glancing in the boy's general direction "What if the hint your father left behind is said item?"

"Agreed..." Killua barely addressed with a sigh, head propped up on his hand "That _second_ point seems important. **Anything that you bring out of the game...** " Killua raised his head, tapping the table to make a very clear point "That's why he's paying the big bucks. What _if_ Daniel's right?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly. Not in anger, but from the thought that Killua barely agreed with him this time "I feel... hurt, by that statement."

Gon shook his head, disagreeing with both boys. While there's a chance of his father leaving behind an item for Gon, no matter what, he didn't want to reach out and grab it. He wanted something easier to obtain "I'm willing to hand it over. I'm not looking for items. I just want to get closer to Ging!"

Killua's eyes were closed, mouth softened into a warm smile, one that Daniel couldn't help but watch.

Daniel wanted to reach a hand out, brushing his fingers across the boy's cheeks. He felt as though he was falling madly in-love with just a smile. But it was always when this specific boy smiled. It was Killua's smile that elicited such a feeling from Daniel. His cheeks felt warm from the thought that popped into his head. He was only mere inches away from the boy.

All he had to do was reach out and draw their lips close. He'd seen it done well over a hundred times by his parents. He knew the motions quiet well. He just didn't know the 'during' and 'after' requirements for a kiss. But even without that information, he still wanted to do it.

The boy held out one hand. But before his hand could get an inch closer, he'd placed it on the table. A smile was directed at Gon, ushering the boy to not only listen, but serve as purpose to distract his own thoughts "Then, let's sign the contract. We've all passed... and your father's game will offer us a goal, and a memory to never forget... right?"

Gon's smile widened, and a pen clicking as it pressed into the paper "Yeah!"

A scribble made the difference between pursuing the goal and leaving it empty to walk away. Gon wasn't going to let the point ruin his goal, and the signature would serve as his marking to track down the very trace his father left behind. It didn't matter what was left behind, all he knew is he wanted to hold out both hands and grasp the very thing his father left behind in his wake.

Leorio left, a promise to become a doctor before the boys could complete the game.

"~"

The train shakes lightly, turns accentuating the tremors of the train. Killua snoring lightly as he swayed to the movements. Sometimes he would bump into Daniel, but the boy didn't care about it.

Sometimes he would even enjoy it. And the moments he did, Killua's head would be leaning on his shoulder.

Daniel head pressed against the window, eyes drawn towards the horizon. He wondered what exactly Greed Island held, or the adventures it would offer. But a buzzing caught him off guard; Gon was rubbing at his eyes lightly as he fished for his phone.

Daniel watched him intently, the boy smiling lightly in a goofy way. Much like when you catch a friend slowly waking up as he read a text message.

The boy barely read the message, replying to it almost as instantly as it was read. Then Gon's eyes caught Daniel's, the boy staring with a single question on his mind.

Gon breathed out a name; one he wasn't expecting "Its Sakura-Chan..."

"Oh..." Daniel recalled the girl (boy) who switched between gendered clothing; the one he was least expecting to get such a reaction from Gon, much less the 'Chan' suffix "How is he?"

"His dad got him a phone, so it's now easier for Sakura to message me. All of us..."

"Huh, that's funny. I haven't received a single text from Sakura... yet!"

"Yeah..." Gon smiled sheepishly, eyes lidded with sleep "He doesn't know how to start a text with you and Killua."

"Tell him a 'Hello' would suffice... as for Killua..." Daniel's eyes drew to the sleeping boy before looking back in Gon's direction "I honestly wouldn't know."

Gon nodded in understanding, a new text alerting the two. A warm, sleepy smile crossed the boy's face as he responded "Sakura-Chan is having a lot of fun. Did you know an **Ishocheewerry** combined with an **Adaisy** can make a solution which can be used to relieve and heal wounds?"

Daniel drew up one eye, confusion spreading through his face "No... Until now I've never heard of a, Isho-shwerry."

"I-sho-chee-werry. But..." Gon smiled awkwardly "if the fluids from an Adaisy are extracted at the wrong temperatures, it can cause severe pains. And sometimes paralysis..."

Daniel blinked at Gon "Who knew 'cute-ish' sounding plants could be so deadly..."

Gon looked down at his phone, his smiling becoming more contagious by the second "Yeah..."

Daniel suddenly noticed the phone shift between the boy's fingers. Was Gon... embarrassed? Or was there something behind the boy's sudden endless smiles "So, have you called Sakura by a different kind of flower...?"

Gon's eyes glanced up at the roof of the train, deep in thought "Hmm? No, Sakura's name fits him perfectly. But, he did say I remind him of a Larkspur... but he won't tell me the meaning of that flower. But I did see a picture of one... but the colour looks more closer to Killua's eyes."

Daniel rested his fingers against his chin, recalling the look of the boy's eyes "Deep ocean blue... endless?" As the boy finished his statement, a quick glance in Gon's direction showed that the boy was asleep. Gon must have been dead tired, but even as he slept, the smile never disappeared.

Daniel smiled at Gon's sleeping face for a moment before facing the widow. A sudden turn made Killua fall perfectly into his lap. The boy however didn't wake up, continuing to sleep even in his new position.

Daniel's hand curled out, brushing a few stray hairs from the Killua's face. The boy's face contorted for a moment, a slight sniffle and a shift his weight into a more comfortable position.

A quick buzz of his phone made the boy shift his weight to check his phone. It was a message from a new number with only one word, followed by a question mark in quotation marks.

'"hello?"' - Unknown number  
9:58

The boy chuckled silently to himself. Gon must have told Sakura his number, followed by an opener. Drawing his fingers to the number pad, he rapidly typed a text, letting Sakura know what had happened to Gon, and how the boy had fallen asleep.

'Sorry, Gon fell asleep...' - Daniel D  
9:59

'Actually, has Gon told you about what's happening?' - Daniel D  
10:00

'Yeah! He said you were about to play a REALLY expensive game and that he won't be able to message me for a while. But you guys are nerds anyways, except for Gon! I don't think he has played games before...  
But I still think it's cool that it's going to help Gon find his father, or at least get closer to him. But... the fact you need _Nen_ to play the game makes me sad. I could have joined as well... but the whole **I need _Nen_** in order to play ruins that chance. Oh, and also that I'm nowhere near you...' - Unknown number  
10:08

Daniel smiled warmly at his phone, happy to see Sakura already caught up. But something shifted in his heart, a question he wanted to know badly.

'What did you mean when you called Gon a **Larkspur**?' - Daniel D  
10:10

'(#0_0#) he told you that...? I'm not telling you! You'll probably end up telling Gon anyways... and it was just a spur of the moment...' - Unknown number  
10:13

'I can keep a secret! （ゝ‿ ・）I won't tell Gon at all...' - Daniel D  
10:11

'Promise...?' - Unknown number  
10:11

'Yes!' - Daniel D  
10:12

Daniel waited a while, but Sakura finally texted the reason why she (he) called Gon a 'Larkspur'. It was a reason Daniel was surprised to hear.

'Larkspur means... Beautiful Spirit... Promise you won't tell him! PROMISE! I don't know what I was thinking when I called him a Larkspur... But, he reminds me more of a Stargazer, full of ambition... He's always so happy, cheery, and spontaneous! I regret never coming with you... You sound like you're having so much fun.' - Unknown number  
10:20

Daniel didn't know how to react, much less respond to the text. Sakura remind Daniel of himself, though the reasons differ. Sakura may be in the same position as Daniel, feelings slowly consuming her (him). But the fact Sakura failed to mention the Phantom Troupe also told him that Gon was keeping secrets. Maybe he didn't want Sakura to worry. But Greed Island is something to worry about, considering that in the contract you couldn't sue for dying.

Daniel pressed his fingers into the phone, typing out a message to Sakura, a sly smile forming across his face.

'Your secret is safe with me. I think it's adorable anyways... I just wish I had a little bit of your courage...' - Daniel D  
10:30

'QUIET! And... Wait, what? What do you mean by **a little bit of your courage**? I don't have to courage to say anything, which I know Gon for sure is going to compliment me back for...' - Unknown Number  
10:34

Daniel closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips.

'Nothing... Anyways, I don't know what time it is for you over there... by its 10:35 over here. I know I should be sleeping... But I'm not too sure if I'll be able to sleep with Mr. Larkspur and Mr. Sleeping Beauty snoring like a bunch of rabid animals.' - Daniel D  
10:38

'You're evil... I hope you never fall sleep! Stay awake! Just listen to their constant snoring all night...' - Unknown number  
10:40

Daniel chuckled at Sakura's reaction, but a sudden flash of his screen made him blush.

'Wait, who's Mr. Sleeping Beauty?!' - Unknown number  
10:41

He couldn't believe he referred to Killua as 'Mr. Sleeping Beauty'. He closed the phone, refusing to answer the question. Daniel pressed his head closed to the window, closing his eyes as he forcing himself to fall asleep.


	60. Greed X Island X Obsession

Daniel followed Tsezgerra, walking along a long, empty building. Guards may have been standing at certain points of the building, but the place seemed empty still. It looked like an old castle dungeon.

As the group walked, all twenty-two passing participants on the Greed Island trials, Daniel observed the architecture.  He felt as though his father, Vastorie would resonate with this building. He was a buff when it came to archaic architecture. Like his father, that's one thing he would have to agree with. Archaic gothic styles were magnificent. It held a sort of scary, yet, awesome look to it.

Tsezgerra stopped at a door, pressing a finger to the machine. It was one of the few things that looked modern in the entire building. The door opened, leading to a room filled with JoyStations containing Greed Island.

The man stopped before one of the machines, allowing everyone to let out their awes of excitement. There had to be at least forty machines containing Greed Island. "Now, then... Before we begin, let me explain a few things. The individual game copies are not independent. It doesn't matter which console you start from. You will arrive at the same place."

_Oh, so it's like an MMORPG..._

Daniel looked at the people in the room, memorising their faces for later. He didn't know which ones he would bump into later. And a few friendly faces would be nice to know.

Tsezgerra held out his hand to one of the consoles "Consider it a virtual area accessible from any spot on this planet."

Gon fizzed, already feeling as though he was being overloaded with information.

Killua frowned at Gon. He didn't like the boy was already struggling to memories the details. Daniel could only chuckle at the boy as Tsezgerra continued, holding out a small box full of memory cards "I will now hand out memory cards. You will head immediately into the game. But first, we must decide the order."

Puhat looked distraught at Tsezgerra, finding that piece of information peculiar "Order?"

"Only one may enter the game area at a time. We will decide the order now, to forestall bickering inside the game."

Puhat smiled, feeling as though he had the best chance of getting first place and landing the best chance of one upping everyone "Then let's use rock-paper-scissors."

One after another, everyone challenged everyone, scoring a point per person. For those who managed to score the same amount of points as others, were forced into a round with those of similar points.

After a few minutes, Gon smiled in glee "Yes! I'm first!"

Tsezgerra looked at Gon in shock, a sudden realisation hitting him "Oh? You're the boy who had a save file."

Killua bickered in defeat "Damn, I'm 18th!"

Daniel smiled, holding out his hand to Killua in a gloating manner "I got 9th... Looks like you'll be waiting a while."

The boy looked infuriated; annoyed at Daniel "You cheated!"

Daniel darted his eyes in the other direction towards Gon and Tsezgerra, smiling more mischievously this time "I got lucky... you're just unlucky when it comes to gambling."

When Gon produced the ring and memory card he found in the box on Greed Island, Killua's anger abated, eyes focused on the boy.

Tsezgerra asked a question, wanting to know whether or not the boy was willing to take a chance "Do you want to use it?"

Gon looked to Killua and Daniel, worried about the consequences of using the save.

Killua and Daniel offered a smile, assuring the boy they wouldn't mind on whatever decision the boy made. Tsezgerra sweetened the deal, telling the boy there was nothing to be concerned with "Don't worry. Your initial destination is always the same, regardless of your save."

Gon looked up from his card and ring, a stern expression showing his resolve. He was willing to take the chance that was offered to him with the save, no matter the consequences "I'll use my own card."

Tsezgerra nodded at the boy, holding out both hands in a welcoming manner "Then put the ring on, and start the game."

As Gon slid on the ring, Killua interrupted the boy's track of thought "Gon." Gon looked startled in the boy's direction as Killua continued "Wait in the starting area until I get there."

Gon smiled, holding a thumbs up as Daniel interrupted "You do realise I'm ahead of you as well."

"Don't remind me... but Gon will probably make you end up waiting as well."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Killua, the sudden realisation that he'll probably have to explain the rules of the game again to Gon as they wait for Killua.

Gon walked up to the console slotting the memory card in, holding out both hands around the machine. As soon as he flooded the machine with _Ren_ , the boy disappeared without a trace.

Puhat whistled as the others in the group were impressed. Daniel was awestruck along with Killua, a slight whistle also escaping their lips. Tsezgerra held out a hand to the machine Gon just used "Once you see a **Now Playing** message, the next person can begin."

One after another, people went through. The moment had arrived, Daniel holding out his hands to the machine. Before he flooded it with Ren, he looked over to Killua "I'll see you in the game."

Killua nodded, a slight smirk escaping his lips "You better."

Daniel grinned at the boy, his heart beating faster from the boy's smirk. _Ren_ flooded the machine, teleporting him to a different reality.

The room was white, a circular pattern on the floor and the door filled with symbols similar to the ones on Gon's ring. He took a deep breath, standing in front of the door with a smile.

The door opened automatically, leading to another room filled with even more symbols, a large bowl hovering in the middle. A small girl stood in the middle of the bowl, wearing a weird contraption on her head with two chunks of hair sprouting out of the weird Helment like wings just above the ears.

She spoke, a smile accompanying her face "Welcome to Greed Island. You must be new to the game. What is your name?"

A small screen appeared in front, a single empty line accompanied by a keyboard.

Daniel pressed certain keys, spelling out his surname.

"Mr. Darkscryer, is that your name?"

Daniel nodded slightly at the girl, a small smile escaping his lips "Yes..."

"I will now explain how the game works. Would you care to listen?"

The boy walked down the steps, getting closer to the girl. He noticed that her clothing contained a lot of cat eyes, staring blankly in one direction "Lay it on me."

The girl held out two fingers for the boy as she started the explanation "In this game, two magic spells are available to anyone wearing a ring: **Book** and **Gain**." A small ring like Gon's appeared in front of him, floating in mid air. "Place the ring on your finger."

Daniel placed the ring on his left pinkie, the ring shrinking enough to fit perfectly. As he was slotting the ring on, the girl never stopped explaining on what to do "Hold out the hand with the ring in front you, and say, **Book**."

Daniel curled his fingers inward, holding out only his pinkie to repeat the word she specified "Book."

A book appeared in front of him, starling the boy in the process. He wasn't expecting an object to explode out of thin air. Daniel allowed his hand to hover, the book floating always at the same space as the finger containing the ring "Nifty..."

"In this game, your task is to collect certain cards. That book is for storing the cards you've collected. Please look at the first page."

The book opened, the first page holding a single slot while the second held another nine, each numbered "Each slot is labelled with a number. You can only place cards of the same number in these slots. These are your **restricted slots**. Please flip ahead a few pages."

Daniel held out his hand across the pages, the ring acting like a magnet. Pages flipped, stopping at a section of the book that held no numbers "I'm guessing these are my extra card slot... seeing as they aren't numbered."

"You are correct. You may place any card inside these slots. These are your **free slots**. There are 100 restricted slots, numbered 0 to 99. Then, you have another 45 free slots. To clear this game, you must fill the 100 restricted slots."

Daniel ran his hand across his chin, thinking aloud to the current girl in front of him. He couldn't exactly say whether she was an NPC or not "So in total, I could thetically hold 145 cards, but I only need 100 out of those 145 in total."

"Yes. Specifically, you must transform one hundred items into cards and put them in your book."

Daniel ran his finger across the book, flipping through the pages constantly back and forth "I thought so..."

The girl smiled at the boy "For example, if you obtain a sword," a holographic image of a generic sword appeared off to her side "it will become a card the moment you get it. If you wish to use the card as the item, you must use the spell **Gain**."

"Hmm... sounds easy enough."

"However, once you used Gain to return a card to item form, you can never transform it into a card again. If you want to make it a card again, you must reacquire the item. Do you understand everything so far?"

"Yup, Book calls my book, and most likely makes it disappear. The book holds 145 cards in total; one item per transformation. Gain transforms a card into an object, and you can't change a card back and forth. Got it..." _I wonder... did Gon started to struggle here? Nah, maybe a little bit later..._

Holding out two fingers, the girl continued, unloading more information on the boy "There are two other cases in which you cannot transform an item into a card. The first is when you reach the item's maximum card transformation limit."

"Oh, there's even a card limit." _Then again... if there were 400 players in this game, having no restriction would be a pain to manage all the cards._

"Yes, every item in this game has a card transformation limit. For example, if an item has a transformation limit of three, and three players have already transformed the item into a card, the fourth to find it will be unable to change it into a card. In the second case... if you don't place the card into your book within one minute, it will automatically revert to an item. In this case, as well, you can never transform that item into a card again. Do you understand?" The hologram reflected her words, an image changing to match the explanation.

 _She would have definitely lost Gon here... that's a lot of information to swallow here_ "If the items reached the limit, it will not transform. Cards have a limit of one minute before it transforming back, and all those conditions also make it impossible to transform the card ever again."

"Yes. Finally, the most important note... If a player dies, their book and ring are destroyed and the book's contents are lost."

A single drop of sweat ran down his face, his sincere smile never matching the boy's words "I have a feeling this game revolves too much around death..." _Between the contract and that explanation, you're always going to lose..._

"That concludes my explanation. You'll need to learn everything else about the game by playing it."

"Right... Anymore information and the poor noob will be like **I'm out!** Thanks for the explanation..." The boy bowed in respect, still wondering if the person was an NPC or not. If that was really a player, one could only imagine the struggles of having to explain the rules of the game constantly, over and over again.

A section of the floor dropped, creating stairs all the way down "I wish you the best of luck. Please take those stairs."

The boy was startled by the girl, her Helment flashing different colours "Creating a new save game." After her sudden announcement, the boy continued forward, having nothing to worry about.

Light blinded him for a second, eyes adjusting just as his name was called out. Gon was sitting down, back pressed up against the wall. He couldn't help but smile at the boy "I'm gonna go on the wild-" He stopped mid sentence, eyes darting in two directions "Are... we being watched?"

"Yeah..." Gon nodded, a small smile escaping his lips "I was wondering if everyone felt the same."

Daniel sighed in relief, though only for a moment "Right, so as I was going to say... do you remember the explanation at the start of the game?"

Gon's sudden awkward smile, followed by a single sweat drop told him otherwise "Yeah..."

The boy sighed, killing time by re-explaining it, shorting it down to a few dot points. He kept it brief, making it easier for the boy to swallow and digest. Others passed the boys, the two lost in track, unaware of another man waiting nearby.

They were startled by another player entering the game "Yo, sorry to make you wait."

The man whom had been listening to the boys stood up, a cheeky shark-toothy grin escaping his lips "Do you feel something constantly watching us?"

"Yeah, eyes this persistent can only be a human's. Well, they can't be too good if we can sense them from here." They left, taking the towards the north direction.

Daniel's eyes looked towards the boy, his smile growing as his fingers curled into a tight fist. Killua's voice startled them this time, pointing out the obvious "We're being watched."

Daniel turned, his expression softening at the boy's presence "Hey, Killua! You aren't the only one..."

Killua chuckled, eyes turning to watch both directions before drawing to the two boys in front of him "Sorry. I didn't think it would take that long... Anyways, I don't see any nearby towns."

Gon pouted at the boy "Yeah, but everyone headed in the same directions."

Killua frowned, already bored from the scenario. He pointed to Gon's left and behind the boy, emphasising which two ways everyone headed "They either went this way or that way?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

Daniel tapped his nose, even though it had nothing to do with his nose "Let's just say Hisoka gave me keen senses. His constant staring gave me a hint. They went usually, if you're facing from the stair case North and West. Or straight ahead, or towards the left if those aren't the normal bearings."

Killua shivered, changing the explanation to suit his own, a non-paedophile detection reasoning "Because that's where we're being watched from. But we still don't know why they're watching us."

Gon sighed "True..."

Daniel interjected, summarising one of the few reasons why they would be watching "Maybe because we easy pickings... If Tsezgerra were to be believed, everyone enters from here. And one would assume if a new person is entering the game; this would be the ideal target to rob new guys. But, I don't think they'll have much to gain from robbing us blind... we aren't really carrying anything valuable."

Killua rubbed his chin, finding that choice of wording to be highly valuable "I guess... Well, let's go anyways. Regardless of who's watching, we should start by gather information. I don't think anyone would target us..."

Killua began walking, choosing to head towards the north, or straight ahead from the game entry point. The meadow was endless, leaving no places for anyone to sneak up on them.

As they were walking, Killua spoke, initiating small talk "So, how did it go?"

Gon was unsure of what Killua was referring to "Hmm?"

"Your save data..." Killua held out an accusing finger, pointing towards Gon's ring finger.

Daniel nodded at Killua's question "I was going to ask you the same question, but then I thought, you'd only have to repeat it twice around Killua." Killua held out his ring finger, recalling his own book "Book." The book appeared in a puff of smoke, the boy holding out his finger as book followed the sway of his movements "How many cards were inside?"

"There weren't any cards inside."

"Huh? For real...?" Killua was agitated by the boy's response, followed by Daniel's shock "He could have at least given one card... Like a teleportation spell. That would come in sooo handy!"

"But there was a message from Ging."

Killua pressed the boy, wondering what kind of message Gon's father managed to leave him "What did he say?"

"To enjoy the game..."

"Enjoy the game?"

Daniel frowned at the message "Only that...? No tips?"

Gon shook his head as Killua sighed "But this doesn't really feel like a game."Killua flipped the book one final time before allowing it to disappear back into the ring "Book."

Gon looked over to Killua, wondering what he had to say "What do you think about the rules?"

Killua shrugged his shoulders "I still don't know enough yet."

Gon stopped, mouth parted as he looked forwards. He felt a sudden presence, as if something or someone was running towards him. However, nothing was in front of him. Just a vast, empty, meadow...

Soon each boy could hear a noise, similar to an airplane passing over one's head. It was an annoying high pitched noise, and the thing creating it finally appeared. It was shaped like a yellow orb, landing a few feet away from them.

It kicked up a dust storm, each boy getting on guard for whatever just landed. It was a weird, lanky man with purple dreadlocks, wearing a yellow tank top with grey baggy pants. Among his other attire include a pair of headphones, black knee and wrist bands.

He stood tall, looking around as if to make sure no one else was around. Eyes slowly drew towards the boys in front of him, happy to know they weren't going to be bait from a larger group. However, his eyes narrowed slightly once he saw none of the boys managed to pull out their Book "This must be your first time playing this game."

Killua's smile grew upwards, a smirk showing wonderfully across his lips "I wonder if you're right. Since you're carrying a book, you must be a player."

"Well, sure." The man flipped through his binder, pulling out a card before hitting some buttons contained within the book.

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, wondering what he was doing. He was just standing there, moving around a card as he hit who knows what button. A creepy smile swept across the man's face "Killua-kun, Gon-Kun and Darkscryer-Kun, huh? Darkscryer must be a nickname..."

Each boy's eyes lit up in shock, curious to know how the man knew their names. But a smile suddenly twitched across Daniel's lips. _Jokes on you... that IS my surname._

Gon spoke, asking the question each boy wondered most "How do you know our name?"

Purple dreadlock man laughed, his wicked grin growing further "How indeed?" The man hit a few more buttons, and small golden light dissipated from behind the man's book. Pulling out a card, the man proceeded to yell at the top of his voice "Trace on! Attack, Killua!"

Daniel's eyes widened in terror at the man's words; the card dissipated into a golden light. It shot forward as Daniel jumping out in front of Killua, using his weapon as a shield. However, the light only went around the boy, chasing after Killua. He turned to look for the boy, screaming out his name as the yellow light followed after the boy.

The purple dreadlock guy laughed at the boy's reaction "You can't run from spells in this game!"

Killua got hit, making a noise of shock. Gon called out to the boy, hoping he wasn't hurt by the spell "Killua, are you okay?"

The man stop mid laugh, eyes uneasy from both boy's reaction. Daniel's eyes were filled with anger, almost red from the rage that was over taking him. And Killua's reaction was the one that caused him to take a step back, filled with terror. The boy's eyes were dull, expressionless, a blood lust rage escaping the boy "What did you do to me?"

Daniel clenched his fist around the weapon tighter, running after the guy as he unshackled the blade, chains dangling out in the air "Undo what you did to him!"

The man reached for his book quickly, pulling out a card as he screamed the words for his own life "Return on! Take me to Masadora!"

Just as the man finished his announcement, Daniel swung his blade at the man, hoping to cage him to the spot. However, he was too late he'd missed the man by a few seconds, chains hitting the ground as purple dreadlock guy disappeared in ball of bright yellow light.

_Shit..._

Killua let out a noise of irritation.

The boy hit the button on Wolfbane, returning the blade to its prior from before turning to face Killua. He failed the boy yet again, unable to make the man undo what he did, and also preventing Killua from being hit by the man's spell "I'm sorry... if only I was a little bit quicker."

Killua looked towards Daniel, although he was irritated at the situation, he tried his best not to sound too upset "Its fine... He was a scaredy cat anyways." Killua began walking once again, heading in the same direction the bubble both went, and the same original direction Killua was already heading to before the attack.

Daniel and Gon followed after the boy, keeping pace as Gon asked the same question earlier "Killua, how are you holding up?"

Killua drew his eyes up from the ground, sighing as he calmed down his earlier bloodlust "Well... I don't feel any different."

"But I'm still worried. He definitely did something to you..."

Daniel held out his hand, wanting to grab at the boy's shirt just to make sure the boy was ok. But he held back, fear consuming him from the inside out.

Then, Daniel's fear changed, forming a level of affection when he saw Killua smile "No point in worrying about it now."

Gon blinked slowly, unsure whether to believe Killua or not "Hey, was he using _Nen_ when he said, **Trace on**?"

Daniel paused, wondering the same thing. While it was most likely some form of magic in this game, he was unsure whether or not it was real magic, or some kind of magic formed through _Nen_.

Killua drew closed his eyes, speaking Daniel's thoughts out loud "Nah, it's probably some magic that only works in the game."

"Magic...? What kind of magic?" Gon pursed his lips, slightly confused to what the boy meant.

Daniel butted in after staying quiet for too long "It's probably enchantments, curses, voodoo... stereotypical magic found in games."

Killua drew one eye open, looking at Daniel through a single eye as he spoke "Probably... Well, in any case... we'll find out eventually."

Gon looked down, distraught at the change in situation "Yeah..." The boy's mood suddenly brightened, pointing to a place just ahead "Look, there's a town!"

And like Gon pointed out, there was a large town. Many of the roofs painted red, while the sides of the buildings were randomly generated colours. It looked lively from afar, but getting up close, who knew what kind of presence the town gave.

"~"

The boys stood just in front of the entrance, a large sign being hung from two branches.

**Welcome to Antokiba, City of Prizes**

The town was littered with papers, prizes and events being promoted just like the catch phrase of the town. Killua looked around, wondering what kind of town this was, willing to promote so many events in such a small time span "Are those the prizes?"

Gon cheered loudly, excited from so many events "Wow, these are the prizes?"

Killua frowned, reading a page that was promoting an event to find a dog hidden somewhere in the town "Looks that way."

Daniel looked over the boards as well, trying to figure out if any of them involved betting of some kind. He was pretty good when it came to gambling, and winning a few games couldn't hurt... right?

Gon gasped in surprise, calling the attention of both boys in the process "Oh, Killua, Daniel... look." Daniel turned, looking towards where Gon was looking. There was a big board, listing massive events and prizes.

Killua murmured the words on the sign " **Antokiba Monthly Tournaments Schedule.** "

Gon beamed in delight, pointing to the current month "There's a rock-paper-scissors tournament this month."

Killua ushered to the sign "The prize is a **Sword of Truth**."

Daniel got excited, feeling as though this would be an easy win "Oh, I call dibs on this event!"

Gon stared at the sign, wondering out loud "Is that an important item?"

"Probably..." Killua hummed as Daniel interjected "It has a unique name. It has to be..."

Killua eyes glazed past Gon and Daniel "Or you could look to your right."

Daniel and Gon looked right, noticing the man in the red shirt that had entered the game along with them. The man's gaze caught the boys, smiling.

Killua then forced the boys to face another direction "And to your left."

Both boys looked to the left, noticing another man who entered the game with them.

Gon looked up at the sign, humming "Should we participate?"

Killua's smile grew "Of course..."

Gon's smile grew wider, and he knew for a fact what Gon was going to say. "Then let's try to win all kinds of prizes."

Killua returned the same smile, lifting up his finger to point out something else they should do at the same time "We should also gather information."

Then it came, what neither boy was expecting. A low grumble rumbled between them, like an orchestra of hunger. Killua and Gon were embarrassed, which left Daniel to point out another situation "Maybe we should kill three... or at least two birds with one stone. Lunch break?"

"~"

The town was hard to navigate, and finding a cafe that was not filled to the brim with people was strangely easier than expected. With so many events going on, one would expect the restaurants to be filled to the brim.

A small cafe offered a nice welcome, a cat ushering the boys to a nearby empty table. This couldn't be good for hygiene; then again it was a game after all. Reality was different to game reality, so a feline chef wasn't something to be unheard of.

"Welcome!" The cat chef grabbed three massive plates of pasta, handing one out to each boy. Daniel looked at his plate, dreading it. He really hoped that wasn't tomato sauce glazed over the top. It held a light red, possibly orange texture, topped with mushrooms meat balls and herbs, most likely basil on top.

Surprisingly, it reminded him of his dad's cooking. Not so much the portions, more the ingredients. No meal came with less than five, and all of them tasted delicious. He'd hoped the same for this meal.

The cat took in a deep breath, announcing the rules of the meal "If you can finish this within thirty minutes, you don't need to pay! In addition, you'll also receive a Galgaida as your prize. Okay, begin!"

Gon and Killua began shovelling the food in their mouth, while Daniel was somewhat more cautious. He grabbed a spoonful, swallowing it slowly. The sauce had a thick creamy texture, hiding any of the tomato flavour, if it even had any. Happy to know it was safe; he ate it faster, but not at the same speeds of Killua and Gon.

Killua with a mouth full asked the cat chef a question "Hey, chef. Do you know how to use magic?"

The cat leaned slightly back; unsure what the boy was asking "What's that?"

Gon swallowed a massive mouth full, asking a question without the sound of food being eaten "Who's the most knowledgeable person in this city?"

The cat chef turned to face Gon, just as stumped with the boy's question as he was with Killua's "Knowledgeable? What's that?"

Gon stopped eating, a mouthful of pasta as he spoke around it "This guy doesn't know anything..."

Even Killua had stopped eating as fast as he was earlier, eyes staring at the cat as if he were trying the engage the person's intelligence levels "He's probably just an in-game character."

Daniel looked over to the cat, hoping a key piece of information will be able to help solve their dilemma "Do you know any information brokers, or where we can find a pawn shop?"

"Information broker...? Pawn shop...? What are those?"

Daniel went to slam his head against the table, stopping after nearly slamming his face into a plate full of pasta "Oh, gaaaaaah... You would think they would program that in."

Killua snickered, finding it funny if the boy did end up slamming his face into the table.

So the event came to a close, the cat chef exclaiming in surprise "Oh, no! You did it!"

It sounded way too sarcastic to the boys, like a feint of excitement. Either multiple people have beaten the event already, or the NPC was programmed to be this excited when the event was won.

The cat chef went back into the kitchen, returning with three cards "Here is your prize, Galgaida."

**Galgaida**

**1217 F - 185**

**One of the island's three greatest delicacies. Delicious, despite its appearance. The roe is said to extend your life.**

**Good boiled or grilled.**

Galgaida red looked like a fish; it looks similar to an angler without the light bulb on top of its head, purple fins and a larger body.

Upon receiving the card, Daniel hummed out loud "Galgaida, one of the island's three greatest delicacies; delicious, despite its appearance. Well, exotic foods tend to taste... better... or unique at least. The roe, ewww... is said to extend your life."

Killua slowly looked at the boy, judging the boy on his sudden reaction "Do you even know what 'roe' is?"

"My dad told me... and it's not something I want to repeat."

Killua raised a curious eyebrow, wondering if the boy was joking or not "So... you've eaten 'roe', before?"

"Before or after he told me I ate it?"

Killua smirked at the boy, finding the situation to be more hilarious than the boy's reaction "He's a new kind of evil. Anyways, enough about Daniel eating fish reproductive organs-"

"Hey!"

"What's with the details at the top? 1217, F-185..."

The cat smiled, finally being of use to the boys when it came to prying information "Is this your first time seeing a card?" As Gon looked up, curious as ever, the cat continued without missing a beat "The left number is the item's card number, and the sequence on the right ranks how difficult it is to obtain. There are ten ranks, from SS to H. F would be the third easiest. The number next to the rank is the item's maximum transformation limit."

Daniel blinked at the card, slowly coming to terms with the others "So, basically..."

"This card is..." Gon continued after Daniel, followed by Killua finishing the statement "nothing but junk!"

The boys let out a unison sigh, only to be disrupted a few seconds later by a loud explosion. The room shook, a symphony of screams to follow from outside.

Gon's eyes narrowed, concerns and anger radiating from his face as Killua and Daniel observed the sounds, wonder who, or what had caused those sounds. They ran, chasing after the screams of concern.

"~"

Pushing past a crowd, they stopped dead in their track. The man in the red t-shirt that entered the game with them lay dead on the ground, a pool of his own blood. From the look of his shirt, part of the front was charred. It was as if the explosion had happened around his chest, and only his chest; it hadn't affected any of the surrounding area.

Daniel could only look at the man's chest, wondering exactly what kind of ability could have made such a sound and effect so little in the process.

Killua looked up at one of the surround men, hoping that one of them knew what had transpired "Hey, what happened?"

"His body suddenly exploded. From the inside."

Black smoke grew around the man, swallowing the body and his blood whole, disappearing like nothing had existed. Daniel's eyes widened, shocked at the disappearance.

Gon could only look between both boys, concerns to be raised "He disappeared?"

Killua spoke, slow and calculated "He probably went back to the real world. Game over."

"Hey, Killua... Daniel. Was the magic used on you earlier..."

Daniel's eyes widened at the revelation, concerns going through the roof. He looked at the boy, hoping he would say no. But the words that exited the boy's mouth were ones he didn't want to hear "I don't know..."

Daniel threw out his arm in exasperation, almost smacking one of the bystanders in the process "THERE'S NO WAY! He used 'Trace' nothing about that spell sounds 'explosive'!"

A cool, calm voice spoke behind them, addressing and calming one of the boys' thoughts "And you would be right. You have nothing to worry about."

They turned, facing the man behind them. He wore a bluish-grey hood with a reddish-orange jacket on top. His hair was unkempt, and beard scruffy. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, yet he wasn't sporting any black bag under his eyes. "There's no such spell in this game."

Gon gave the man his undivided attention "Spell?"

"As you just said, it's something like magic. He died from another player's _Nen_."

" _Nen_...?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern at Gon. Had he completely forgotten about its existence, or was he asking for what kind of ability caused it. Killua however ignored Gon's question, asking for his own to be answered "Does that mean the players are trying to kill each other?"

"Why?" Gon pressed the question, hoping the man would answer it. It was a game, not a life or death situation. Who would kill each other over a game... or was this same player in it for the money?

"Player hunting..."

Killua tilted his head slightly, Daniel deeming it somewhat cute, even with the topic surrounding the air "Player hunting?"

"I can explain later. Anyway, are you interested in teaming up? We know of a sure way to clear this game." Each boy was surprised by the man's offer; it was unusual for someone to offer a way to complete the game, after such a horrific event. There must have been a second agenda to his offer.

"If you're interested, follow me. My allies are waiting ahead." The man turned slightly, pointing a finger to his left as he looked at the boys.

The boys huddle together, Gon being the first to judge the scenario "What do we do?"

Daniel pressed the situation, finding something unusual about the deal. Why would he offer a way to complete the game? True, it hadn't been completed in a decade, but that was no reason to grab every willing man to join arms and complete it "What does he really have to gain from this... a couple of billion? It's just a game..."

Killua nodded. He agreed with Daniel to some extent, the 'deal' being to sudden "I agree. This is too suspicious. And, we're already off to a bad start."

It was if the man was listening in on the conversation, ears attuned to the boys' every word "As I recall, on your way here, another player used an attack spell on you."

Killua's eyes narrowed; he didn't like that the man knew so much, yet they knew so little "Have you been watching us?"

"Yeah..."

_Well, that was easy..._

"And I wasn't the only one. Lots of people keep an eye on the starting point. If you come, I'll explain why. I can also tell you about the spell that was cast on you."

A smirk grew across Killua's face, hand held up in a taunting manner. It was as if the boy was egging the man on. He wanted to know what the 'but' is; there was no way the information was going to come for free "You're being very nice. There must be a catch."

A sigh escaped the man's lips; eyes drawn closed "We have no choice. This game is difficult, unpleasant, and frightening. Once you realize that, you'd be more willing to accept our offer. Well, it's your first time playing, so you could use the information..."

Killua's eyes narrowed slightly, judging the man's agenda as they continued to speak "What makes you think it's our first time? We could be returning players."

_Oh... not this again. If it didn't work the first time, it wouldn't work the second time... unless..._

The man turned, giving the boy's his undivided attention. Hand drawn up, the man whispered a phrase they've already heard "Book."

As the man's book materialise, Killua and Gon jumped back, acting on the defence.

"Book..." Daniel drew up his hand, muttering the same phrase with a smile as his book materialise. Though his reaction was more of built in nature, one that he was sure the other boys would repeat.

Daniel rolled his eyes at the other boys' reaction, though still concerned that he didn't really have a spell he could used to defend if the man even attacked.

"This proved that two of you are beginners..." However, once the man finished speaking, Killua changed the man's very perspective "What are you doing Daniel?"

"Hey, if the first time didn't work... I'm not repeating the same mistake, and... I thought you two were going do the same..."

"I guess you are all beginners..."

Daniel's eyes grew, pissed that he let that piece of information slip "Book." As the book disappeared, he turned around, stomping his foot onto the ground as he acted like a child throwing a temper tantrum "Damn it! Now I look like an idiot..."

"No," the man spoke, drawing a surprised look from each boy "You had the right idea. An experienced player would react by summoning his own binder. Because you need spell cards to defend yourself..."

"Then..." Gon opened his lips to speak, however, a glimmer of hope entered Daniel's eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the man knew how to remove whatever spell was cast on Killua "the spell cast on Killua can be removed?"

Killua frowned "No, doofus. Gon was thinking about before the spell was cast."

Gon smiled awkwardly, holding his hands up as he was getting ready to disengage the argument. But Daniel argued anyways, regardless of whether Killua was wrong or not "Well, I'm sorry I'm not a professional mind reader..."

A smirk rose from Killua's lips, however the man standing before them was adamant in continuing the lecture, whether the boys were prepared to listen or not "The boy has the right idea. Even when you aren't carrying any cards, you should still summon it. It's an important bluff. Book."

As the man's book dissipated, Gon walked up to him, hoping to gather more information on the matter at hand "Hey, how do we obtain spell cards?"

"The easiest method would be to go to Masadora, City of Magic."

"Masadora...?" Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, turning to look at Killua for conformation "wasn't that the place the man screamed, before disappearing into a ball of light?"

Killua looked up, feinting his emotions "I don't remember... though, I am surprised you do."

Daniel made a 'poof' noise, opening his hand as he was expressing a fake explosion "The sarcasm is strong with this one... Even my sarcasm meter broke."

A chuckle escaped Killua's lips as Gon smiled widely "Daniel, Killua, we should go with him. I'm worried about the spell on you. Okay?"

Killua was slightly taken back, unsure how he should feel from the boy's words. Though a part of him felt differently on the matter "At least one of you is..." Killua remarked in a snide manner, hoping to get a sound of annoyance out of Daniel.

But Daniel reacted differently, sorrow crossing the boy's eyes for a split second before he could fake a smile "I... I'm worried too. But a part of me is happy to know you are in no immediate danger. Seeing as no attack spells can do harm..."

Killua turned away, facing Gon in embarrassment. Here, he thought that he would get groan of agony out of the boy, but he got nothing but concern... and a faked smile. Who was this boy, and what happened to the real one; ever since the Phantom Troupe member's abduction in Yorknew, Daniel has been giving off a different vibe.

But as quickly as that thought came, he wanted to remove it from his head. Maybe he was over thinking it. Maybe the boy was finally starting to change for the good. He hoped the change was good "Yeah, Gon... we probably should go; with him."

"~"

Daniel stood there along with the others, looking at the people who were also drawn in with the same deal. Puhat was already there, sitting down next to a young girl in a pink dress and golden, yellow twin pony tails at the top of her head, dangling down into small spirals.

Next to her was another man who entered the game at the same time as them. His hair is short, and shaped like a miniature afro, and wearing some kind of dark blue martial arts attire. He looked calm, as if assessing the situation.

Among the others, ones they'd yet to meet were:

A tall, lanky man wearing a long white robe with a blue scarf around his neck; he looked relatively calm, maybe bordering a saddened expression, as if he'd just lost someone close to him, and he's still morning over the loss.

A medium sized man wearing whitish green spacey training suit with a blue sleeveless jumper over the top; his hair was grey and he was looking directly at the new boys, as if he was kinda peeved, maybe even annoyed.

A large, possible short man sitting down, wearing a white shirt with thin line pattern and brown pants; he had purplish medium length afro hairstyle, and looked as though he got roped into the scenario.

A brown haired man with a pompadour, wearing a pink shirt and purple pants; he looked as though he may be in league with the man in the red jacket.

The red jacket man spoke, as if he knew some of the people already here "Is this everyone?"

"Yeah..." the man in the blue sleeveless jumper spoke, as if bored out of his mind "Everyone else turned me down."

The man with the blue scarf spoke "Let's get started, then."

The man in the red jacket spoke, obviously the main leader of the group "Another player was just killed. He arrived with the rest of you. His stomach exploded. It was the Bomber."

"The Bomber?" Gon was the first to ask, followed by Daniel's weird assumption "Is that his calling card or something?"

The lone, sadden man spoke, his voice dull and depressing to listen to "The victims aren't killed by spells. No spell in this game is capable of injuring people. Which means that you won't be harmed or killed by any spell that's been cast on you."

Daniel made a mental note of that information, making sure to remember it later. He was sure there were some technicalities for that.

The man in the red jacket continued after the blue scarf man, holding up four fingers as he explained "There are forty different spells. The one cast on you was an inspection spell. Either Trace or Adhesion."

The man with the blue scarf continued "In short, once the enemy uses these on you, he will know everything about you."

 _So, Killua's been magically stalked._ Daniel thought in his head as he looked over to Killua, watching for his reaction. Killua's expression hardened, a revelation hitting him. Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly, a revelation hitting him as well; _why couldn't I be the one to use Trace on him..._

Daniel felt embarrassed, the thoughts that were lingering in mind were ones he shouldn't think about. Why did he want to know everything about Killua? Yeah, he was a friend... a best-friend at that. Be he didn't have to know _everything_ about him. Did he...?

"Some players wait near the starting point in order to cast these spells on new players. As soon as a player obtains a valuable card, they'll show up and steal it. In some cases, they kill their target."

Puhat grinned, a joke forming on his lips "Like the guy who just died? I won't be that easy to kill."

Daniel smirked "Sure you are... Taking into consideration that none of us know our enemies from your allies, I highly doubt we'll see the attackers coming."

Puhat blinked; surprised the boy was quick at divulging the situation. But even if his enemies were unknown, he wouldn't be taken down that easy. He'll make sure of that.

Blue scarf man had to agree to some extend with the boy "You're right. He was killed by something else. There is a violent faction hunting players. This was done by one of them... The Bomber."

"Bomber..." Gon breathe the name under his breath as Daniel held out his hand to argue "You keep saying the name like you know them personally... Does anyone in this group know what they actually look like, and done something to stop them? Or at least slow them down?"

"No..." Everyone in the group working with the red jacket man retorted.

_I thought as much..._

The man with the pompadour spoke, bringing the conversation to a different topic. One, he was eagerly waiting to address "In this game, there are three ways to acquire item cards. Do you know what they are?"

"If this game plays like any other game..." Daniel raised a finger for each example "Farming, Buying and Questing..."

"Close," the man with the pompadour commented, failing to address which ones, were right. Daniel had to guess either Buying or Questing was wrong.

Gon hummed out loud "Finding them yourself?"

Killua objected "That's 'Farming' Gon, Daniel already said that..."

"Oh, I thought he meant actual farming..."

Daniel blinked slowly, looking at Gon with serious eye "We aren't on a ranch Gon..."

The man wearing the blue martial arts attire spoke, ignoring the boys' small banter "Trade with the other players."

Killua threw out another one, one that Daniel also failed to figure out "Steal them from other players."

"Yes, those are the three ways. Obtaining them yourself, trading and stealing."

_At least I got one of them right... maybe two if I combine Farming with Questing..._

"However, the number of players stealing from others has recently increased. That's due to the card's difficulty to obtain and the card transformation limit system. Players who can't obtain cards themselves choose to take them from others. If those players resist, they're killed. When they die, their ring disappears, and their cards are lost. However, it increases the transformation limit of that type of card. If you kill a player, you can't take his cards. That rule was meant to keep players from killing each other."

Daniel swallowed the information, taking it in his own method of thinking. He didn't think that was the rule that was meant to stop players from killing each other. It was a buffer, a separate reason that just so happened to coincide. If everyone was able to kill each other and take their cards, who would be left to play the game? No one... There are probably parts of the game that require two or more people to complete. If only one player is in the game at all times... and you need someone else to help you complete a section in order to obtain another card, how would they do that?

The red jacket man continued, expressing his concerns "But now, it's backfiring. It's been over ten years since the game's release. If no one can find a way to beat it, the killing would only continue. That's why we're trying to end this mess. We're recruiting allies to clear this game. We need your help."

Daniel didn't like this plan; he didn't like it one bit. They saw this method as a means to the end. But the end wouldn't be that simple, right? The best plan of action would be to rat the Bomber, or Bombers out of their hiding-hole and force them into retreat. They were the biggest threat, so eliminating them would stop most of the merciless killing...

Yet no one, not even Puhat could see this. He was concerned about other things "How do you plan to obtain cards? One, find them yourself. Two, Trade for them. Three, steal them. Which method will you use?"

The man in the red jacket's eyes narrowed, muttering the words slowly "Three..."

The man in the blue martial arts uniform butted in "I assume you mean to use all three methods, but three will be the primary method."

Puhat grumbled in disbelief "What, so you'll still use force?"

"No! We won't use violence to reach our goal..." Red jacket man argued, though, the blue martial artist seemed to argue against; laying down his own ideas "Spells. You'll use spells. Am I right?"

"Correct."

Puhat turned his chin slightly up, upset that the man guessed right and he didn't.

Now they had gone back full circle, completely ignoring the elephant in the room. How did they plan to defeat the Bombers? Or, was this their plan in order to defeat said Bombers? Whatever their plan of attack is, the Bombers, no longer seemed to be a threat to them "There are certain spells for taking cards, and there are cards that defend against those spells. We'll focus on monopolizing these cards. We're going to use the very card transformation limit that's frustrated the players. This is the only way to clear the game."

_Not really... you could do it the old fashion way and obtain the cards yourselves, and then use steal on those who've monopolised the cards that no one can longer get..._

The man with the blue scarf spoke next, continuing off Red Jacket man's last argument "I have met many players, and they all reached the same conclusion. Even if you search for cards, they'll be taken from you eventually."

The man with the pompadour ended the argument "Because this game is based on players taking cards from each other. We will ensure that we can take cards from other players, while mitigating our risk of losing cards."

Daniel stood, silent, unable to believe those statements. Just because the features there, doesn't mean the game is based on it. If everyone horded all the cards, how was someone was supposed to complete the game with the card restriction?

Puhat argued against, something else bothering him "You're leaving something important. Upon clearing the game, how will you split the reward?"

The large man with the purple afro smiled "You were hired by Mr. Battera, right?"

Puhat grinned at the man, a large smile forming across his face "So you knew who we were when you invited us."

"Yeah. Mr. Battera also hired us to play this game."

The man in the red jacket continued of the large man "That means the reward will be fifty billion. We'll split it among everyone who helps."

Pompadour continued "Currently, we have fifty-three players. It'll take two months to collect the remaining spell cards, and one month to get the cards we need. We can finish in three months."

_So around nine-hundred million Jenny each give or take... That's a long drop..._

The man in the blue scarf spoke, drawing the attention of the men and boys they hoped to recruit "Of course, if you join us, we'll remove any spells cast on you."

Killua let out a slight noise as he looked towards Gon. Daniel side glanced Killua, wondering if the deal was even good in the first place. The boy would be fine, the spell affecting him had no reason to worry or even be concerned in the first place. He would be under watch, and when the man pops up again, he'll be sure to bind him in place, and force the man to remove the spell.

Puhat raised his hand "I'm in. I don't like the idea of splitting the fifty billion. But I like the three month schedule for clearing the game."

The man with the blue scarf looked towards the man in the blue uniform "What about you?"

"I have a question. If I obtain an SS rank on my own, what's my cut?"

The man in the red jacket answered "naturally, you'd receive five hundred million for a card of that rank."

Daniel rubbed his chin, thinking about the scenario even further. _So, if Gon, Killua or myself don't obtain a card of that level... we could be walking away from the game with even less than nine hundred million. Then again, I guess this game isn't fair from their point of view..._

The man in the blue uniform closed his eye, smiling on the inside "Okay, I'm in."

The man in the red jacket looked towards the three boys, wondering how they'll take the deal.

Daniel's inner gaming child wanted to play the game as it was intended. And this game was an MMORPG, so, theoretically, the game could be completed twice in a row. Daniel opened his mouth, wanting to object the deal so badly, but, Gon seemed to beat him to the punch "Killua, Daniel, sorry."

"Huh, what...?"

"I'm out... I'm playing this game on my own." The boy walked off, anger controlling each of his steps. Killua looked towards Gon, a smile gracing his lips as he looked back towards the recruiters "You heard the leader. I have to pass."

"Hey, Gon! Wait up..." Daniel watched Killua leave, focusing only on the boy's smile. He completely forgot that he should be following the two, and what he wanted to say to the men behind them. Their deal, felt like an insult to the game. And considering how much they insulted it, Gon was right to be pissed.

This game was the only clue left behind by Gon's father, and they had nothing good to say about it. Daniel followed after them, not even saying a word. He left, ignoring the man's pleas for a response.

Daniel held out one hand, running after the boys "Hey, wait for me!"

"~"

Gon stomped by through town, ignoring both Daniel and Killua's please of address. Though Killua seemed more adamant in getting Gon's attention "Hey, Gon... Will you just explain what that was about?"

Gon finally stopped, taking in a deep breath. He held it for a few seconds, exhaling as he turned to face Killua and Daniel. An awkward smile graced the boy's face. It was comedic in nature, though the apology following seemed more real than the boy's expression "Sorry, Killua. I couldn't take it anymore."

Killua's cheeks puffed up in the same comedic response. But the boy's eyes were wavering, and his expression was one of embarrassment "I still don't get why you're apologizing."

"But... this means you'll be stuck with that spell for a while."

"Oh, that's why..." Killua's expression soften, a smile gracing his lips.

Daniel held out one hand, wanting to tug the boy into an apologetic hug, but instead it grasped Killua's shoulder, making the boy turn in response "Well... if that man does make an appearance again, I'll make sure he removes what he has done to you..."

Gon beamed, a little bit happier than before. Though his smile grew when Killua rebutted Daniel's comment "You will...? Not if I get him first! Besides..." Killua turned his head to face way from both boys. He held his arms against the back of his head "it's no big deal."

Gon's smile dropped after hearing that. He felt as though dragging Killua and Daniel into this game, was the reason Killua got attacked in the first place. "But you're playing this game to help me find my dad..."

Daniel looked at Gon, focusing on the boy looking down at his feet. Daniel clicked his fingers to draw the boy's attention "Not really... being around you two is an adventure in itself..."

When both boys looked at Daniel, the boy frowned "When you're not too busy running into danger head first. Which, I feel is rather constant. Now, that, being said..." Daniel drew his eyes to focus on Killua "I'm sure Killua has his own reasons for being here as well. But also remember..." Daniel looked back across to Gon "I remember you dragging yourself into Killua's family matter as well. You didn't need to do that..."

"Ehhh...? But you came to rescue Killua as well..."

Daniel closed his eyes, trying to recall the words he said to Gon on the ride to Killua's mansion " **I want to pay back Killua...** I think that's what I said to you on the train ride to. But, I never said the reason why... I passed out from lack of sleep, and I ended up forcing Killua into a position where he could've left me... but he stayed to look over my... drooling mess..."

Daniel side glanced Killua, and what he saw made him smile. The boy was looking in disbelief, cheeks as red as tomatoes. He opened his mouth to rebut everything, but immediately closed it. He had no way to rebut anything without Daniel imposing a different scenario "Yeah... I guess I did get drooled on, a lot... But..."

Killua took in a deep breath calming his nerves. He wanted to get far away from that embarrassing part of his life "But still... Gon, why were you so mad?"

Gon's smile softens, holding a fraction of his anger and something else. Something hidden so the boy wouldn't know "Because... they had nothing but bad things to say about the game Ging made, like how it's based on killing and stealing. I want to do what Ging said, and enjoy the game. When I first started, I knew it wouldn't be easy. That was because I thought all the players enjoyed playing the game. People have died. But it's the player mentality, not the game, that scares me. They're willing to hurt others to get cards."

Daniel held a hand under his chin, thinking the boy's words over. It was true; none of them had anything good to say about the game. But they weren't looking at this as if it were a game. They were looking at it as the next pay check. At least that was the vibes he was sensing it from the men's words. They were obsessed on clearing the game as soon as possible. And if everyone thought that, well... it's just going to be a hunting match. First to obtain all cards, is the first to win.

"Really...?" Killua bluntly asks "I think it makes sense."

"That's why this game is meant for Hunters."

"But..."

Killua smiled, already knowing what Gon was about to interject "Killing is wrong. I agree with you on that part. But if two players have a fair fight with predetermined rules, and the winner gets to take a card?"

Gon was taken back; unable to believe he'd forgotten about that loophole "Th-That's acceptable."

Killua smile widened immensely "See? When the guy cast a spell on me and when those guys carry out their plan, they're just following the game's rules."

"Yeah..."

"Though it does still feel lame... Well, forget about them. Let's enjoy this game, right Daniel?"

Daniel was split in the middle, unable to choose a side. He agreed with Killua's methods and also Gon's mentality. This game was designed as a challenge, and the players made it even more challenging.

"Daniel...?"

However, Daniel had to disagree about stealing. Stealing was there because of the hoarders. If Killua's methods didn't work, stealing would fall as the next resort. The boy had been stuck in his head for so long; he failed to hear Killua talking to him.

"... DANIEL?!"

A quick whack across the back of his head brought him back to reality, a painful one at that "Ow... why did you whack me across the back of the head...?"

"Because you weren't listening; I called you three times!"

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly, leaning closer to Killua than he would have liked. He could feel the boy's breath on his own "And what was your question...?"

"Well..." Killua shoved Daniel's face away "Shouldn't we be having fun, instead of standing here like a bunch of idiots focusing on the past."

"Right... The answer would be, yes! Emphasis on the 'Ye' in yes... Forget about what the others are doing. This game would be more like an MMO. So, even if someone completes the game before us, we can still complete it on our own."

Gon beamed in delight "Yeah! Killua... Daniel..."

Both boys looked at Gon, unsure what the boy wanted.

"Thanks!" Killua had frozen, unable to comprehend, much less hear Gon's next few words "I'm glad you came with me. No... I'm glad I got to know you!"

Killua stomped off; cheeks redder than beetroots "Cut it out, stupid. You're embarrassing me."

Daniel watched Killua leave, smiling at the back of the boy's head. He liked this side of Killua most. It was the side of him, which showed off his feelings more often. Getting Killua to this point was one of the rare few times a much more open, sincere smile would often form across the boy's face.

Gon ran after Killua, words failing to calm down Killua's emotions "Why? I really mean it."

Daniel's hand curled out, grasping at the air between them. He wanted to hold Killua close, feeling the boy's smile being embedded into his chest. He wanted it so badly... like an obsession.

Picking up the pace, Daniel chase after the boys, hoping one day, he could fulfil that dream. He wanted Killua so smile so brightly, it would even overshadow Gon's...

One day...

When that day comes, he was sure that his obsession would come to an end. And he'll hold close Killua, hugging the boy after fulfilling his dream.

That smile... and never let Killua stop smiling...

From a-far, pink eyes watched the boys leave; a sinister smile forming across the girl's face.


	61. Greed Island X Bandits X Monsters

Gon and Daniel stared at each other, a determined smile forming across each other's face. Daniel hadn't expected to go up against Killua in the last round. And it gave him no pleasure when he won in Rock-Paper-Scissor. But now, his final target was Gon, and whoever won this time, they'll still obtain the card.

Hand held up, the announcer spoke "Championship Finals, round 7!"

"Whoop his ass, Gon!" Killua yelled from the bleachers, fist held up high in the sky.

Daniel's mouth twitched, switching between a smirk and a frown. It didn't matter who won this round, but now that Killua issued the challenge, he had to win. And this time, he would take pleasure in it.

"Ready..." The announcer brought down his hand, yelling as he sliced his hand through the air "Go!"

Both boys spoke together, mimicking the words like a broken record "First comes rock..." Both put out rock, managing to repeat the same process of drawing with one another for another two rounds. On the fourth, Daniel won placing out paper against Gon's rock.

Gon groaned in exasperation as Daniel cheered loudly, the announcer issuing the winner "Darkscryer wins!"

The man returned, holding out the sword to the winner "Congratulations. Here is your prize, the **Sword of Truth**."

Daniel managed to hold the sword in his hand for a second before the weapon went up in a puff of smoke, a card only left in his hand "Nice... looks like it goes straight into a restriction slot."

**Sword of Truth**

**83 B - 22**

**Sword that cuts through anything false. Has been used in trials to determine criminals. Breaks if used to cut something true, but will regenerate if left in scabbard for a day.**

Gon cheered loudly "Okay, that's one down!"

Killua managed to run into the ring, peeking over to the boys' shoulders "Oh, a restricted slot?"

Daniel nodded in affirmation, a smile spreading across his face "Yup, and that means... It's going straight into... Gon's restricted card slot..."

"Ehh, why...?" Gon asked, an expression of confusion crossing the boy's face.

"Well... because... you're the leader. You should have it..."

Gon pouted, cheeks puffed up "Then you should have let me win then. Book."

Daniel hands Gon the card, the boy slotting it into his book. Even though they had 99 more cards left, they were now on their way to achieving their goal. The boy's cheered, high fiving each other from the easy win.

"~"

The boys slowly walked, Gon humming out loud as he looked at the card in his book "The problem is how we protect the card."

Killua hums, still reading the description of the card. He seemed distant, maybe even thinking of how to achieve the goal "We don't have any defensive spell cards."

A random stranger stopped them, yelling out to the boys "Wait, kids! H- Hand over the Sword of Truth!"

Daniel blinked slowly, staring at the man "Why...?"

"W- Why?! Just do what I say, and I won't be rough with you."

Daniel looked at Killua, staring at the boy blankly "Is he being serious...?"

Killua chuckled at the boy's expression before switching o look at the man with a frown "No, way, stupid."

The boys continued on their way, ignoring the man.

The man yelled again, stopping the boys "W- Wait! Book!"

Daniel and Killua turned around quickly, holding out their hands as the summoned their own in turn.

"Humph, you're bluffing. I know you just started this game. You have no defensive spells, and all you would have in your restricted slots is the Sword of Truth. This is **Thief**!"

Daniel looked at the card, barely able to see the cards description.

**Thief**

**1007 C - 50**

**Steal one random card from a restricted slot of one target player.**

"This spell card lets you steal one random card from another player's restricted slots! Take this... **Thief on!** Attack Darkscryer!"

"Book." Gon suddenly jumped, swiping the card from the man's hand in a flash. The man didn't even see it coming, not that it even mattered; Gon was the one that had the card "Haven't you been training at all, mister?"

The boy threw back the card to the man, the sudden realisation hitting him. Gon had stolen the card right out of his hand "W- What?!"

Gon completely ignored the man's question, a blank expression hiding his own feelings "Next time, I won't return your card."

Killua smirked, widening like a Cheshire cat "you must be an amateur. I'm impressed you got into a game for Hunters. But, that was very educational. An attack spell won't kick in until you finish the chant."

"Th- That only works against weak players!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, stopping to turn to look at the man "So, you're admitting your weak..."

A man stepped out from behind the shadows of a building, a smile crossing his face "It doesn't matter anyway." A group of men and woman join the man's side, holding out their own books. The leader seemed to be the man in the yellow, brown hallowed-diamond patterned shirt, purple pants and hat; both the collar on his shirt and hat had a white ring of cotton "If you want a card, you take it from someone. Only fools would participate in tournaments. Understand, boys? **Thief on! Attack Darkscryer!** "

The card disappeared, words flashing up on his book screen "No cards..."

Daniel burst into a fit of laughter "I'm not the one that has the card..."

A scowl crossed the man's face, all of them picking out a card "If you don't have it, the other two will!"

"~"

Gon slammed his fist into a concrete staircase, anger crossing his expression. Twice in one day. Why couldn't anything go right for the boys' "I'm so, pissed!"

Killua sighed at the boy, pissed, but otherwise still in control of his own emotions "Just forget it. Those guys were obviously pros. At least we didn't waste too much effort."

"And we wasted one of their cards in the process..." Daniel leaning on the wall interjected with a smile, still otherwise surprised to know that the men fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Gon however wasn't going to relax at the moment, his fists held close to his chest "Damn it! Then I'm gonna start getting spell cards!"

Killua got up, a smile crossing his lips "That means our next destination will be **Masadora, City of Magic**."

Gon got up "No objections!"

"Agreed! It would good to see what spell card we can get... plus, there might be a card that removes the effects of other spells placed on _us_."

Killua feint excitement "Sure, but protecting our cards is more important."

"~"

Killua hummed a small tune, exiting the pawn shop as he flashed even more cards than when he first entered the shop. The boy stopped outside along the others, slotting each one individually into its own designated slot "Those six Galgaida cards netted 180,000 Jenny."

Gon's smile grew, widening in excitement "They were pretty valuable. We don't need to worry about money now."

Daniel looked towards Gon, contend with the idea that Exotic foods have a higher value than others "Well, it was unique in nature... So, one would assume they're worth more."

A smirk widened across Killua's face "Well, you would know. After all... you did eat _roe_."

"You're never going to let me live that down... are you?"

"Nope!" Killua's smile grew, resembling more of a comedic smile.

"I'm sure you've eaten things far more disgusting than I have..."

"I have..."

Gon fumed between both boys, letting loose a wail of boredom "Come on! Let's buy some food and water; I really wanna start the trip to Masadora!"

"First," Killua raised a finger to Gon's nose; a stern expression followed by a cheeky smile "we'll need a map."

"~"

Not too far from the pawn shop was another shop, like a general store which held many useful items. One of them was a map. But there were two versions of them.

The first was worth 650,000 Jenny.

**Map of Island**

**101 D - 70**

**A detailed map showing cities and important locations, as well as useful information such as hot spots!**

And the second was worth only 20,000 Jenny.

**Map of Island**

**100 G - 400**

**A blank map that automatically fills in locations as the owner visits and gathers information about them.**

The inner gamer side of Daniel wanted to so badly buy the cheaper version of the map, the incentive to find and located all secrets to the island. But the more expensive one would be valuable too; it had all the hot spots one could visit with his closest friends.

But the cost was ghastly. There was no way they'll be able to buy it, not without having to go back to that restaurant and eating another sixteen meals between them. Daniel rubbed his chin, wondering if he could score a discount against an NPC.

Killua hummed the options out loud "The one with the information costs 650,000, while the blank one is 20,000. Which one should we get?"

Daniel held out his hand, pointing to the cheaper one "Well, considering our budget, the cheaper one. Maybe later we can come back and get the more expensive one... unless you're up for another sixteen rounds with that chef."

Gon shook his head, slowly looking towards Daniel "The 20,000 one. It'll be more fun to fill it in ourselves. We don't really need to know where everything is..."

Daniel couldn't agree more, except for the last statement, sometimes; a walkthrough is the only way to find something that would otherwise have been hard to find on your own. But he liked the idea of finding everything on his own, even though he technically wasn't on his own. And if worse comes to worse, he'd be sure they'll need to grab the more expensive map.

Killua slowly turned his head to face Daniel, keeping his expressions out of Gon's view "You're so positive, it's painful."

"~"

Killua held the card in his hand, wondering if the map really did up date as they went along. It would be cool, but the thought of seeing a bland, empty vast of nothing was going to be hard to explore without any ideas on where to go next "Gain."

The card morphed; smoke clouding the area around his hand. The map was already rolled out, transparent and very high tech for a map. A single spot in the middle flashed red, most likely the spot where they were currently. But other than that, there wasn't much to go on.

Killua's eyes widened, shocked to see the card did exactly as it was told, exactly nothing to go on. They could explore the area to the north or the area to the south, but going on a whim wouldn't help them find Masadora, City of Magic.

"Then let's ask..." It came to Gon like a brilliant plan, but everyone in the group already knew what they needed to do next. Their next stop would have to be an information broker of some kind, most likely found in either a pawn shop, or a reception area containing people with tips.

"~"

They found an information broker, hiding in a shop easier to find than one would expect. Usually these guys would be hidden off from the world, stuck in an alleyway shop. But the man's store was off one of the man main streets, linking to the rest like a spider's web.

The man understood the question so well, as if programmed to understand it. He held up one hand, bored and expressionless eyes watching only the boys "Head north for eight kilometres. After you pass the mountain, you'll reach a lake. If you follow the lake north, you should reach Masadora."

Gon remained focus, never once blinking during the man's explanation. One would expect Gon to puff up in smoke, information overload.

Killua smiled at the explanation, looking over to Gon and Daniel with a smile "If we hurry, we can go eighty kilometres in a day."

"Yep." Gon returned the smile, followed by Daniel "Great, sounds like a plan!"

The man continued, words seeming as if programmed into his speech. He seemed like clockwork now, his words going on to explain an adventure that awaits them just outside the walls of Antokiba "Assuming you survive. The mountain is crawling with bandits. And once you pass the mountain, you'll encounter hordes of monsters."

"Bandits...?" Killua exclaimed in excitement, followed by Gon's sheer happiness "Monsters?"

This was now sound like a game, excitement waiting outside the walls. One could only imagine what kind of monsters awaited them in Greed Island. Killua and Daniel were the first to make the statement, but the words were different between both boys:

"Now it sounds more like an RPG!"

"Oh, the quest is about to begin!"

Gon couldn't keep in his excitement any longer; a smile was beaming bright between Gon's two friends "I wanna see these monsters! Let's hurry up!" Gon was already walking towards the door, not even waiting for the others to follow him.

Daniel shook his head at Gon, thinking the boy was greedy for adventure. But he couldn't help but agree with both Killua and Gon. Seeing these monsters, would be awesome. From game to game, a single enemy could have so many styles. And Greed Island would be no exception.

As soon as he made it out of the building, he was already declaring the start of the adventure "All right! Off we go!"

"Please wait!" A high pitch girly scream called out to them. The boys stopped to see who exactly was calling out to them. The girl in the pink dress amongst the other players dissing Greed Island was running towards them. For what reason, purpose, was the girl chasing them? Was she here to join them, or persuade them to join with the others?

Gon already declared he was going to complete this game on his own, though the apology towards Daniel and Killua said otherwise.

The girl stopped in front of all three, a sad, fearful expression showing through her eyes. Was she running from someone, and she was hoping the rope the boys into helping her out "I beg you!"

Killua's cheerful expression faded, his voice being altered to give off a dead, expressionless vibe "What?"

"Please let me join you!"

The boys were already a party of three, while four could come in handy at times; she was a stranger and her ulterior motives were still yet to be voiced. Although it seemed Killua was not one to trust her on the spot, Gon sure. But Killua was not going to trust her "Oh, sorry. Can't!"

Her expression changed to shock, her hands being held together as if she was praying, throwing the biggest puppy dog eyes she could give. She hoped the boy would change his answer "W- Why not?"

"You'd be a nuisance." Killua's comment cut through her like a knife through butter. He wasn't even holding back an ounce of shame, or his brutal decisive conclusion towards a random stranger.

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers, but for a quick second, Daniel could have sworn anger crossed her face. Then again, Killua was being brutally honest, whether he was right or wrong on the judgement.

The boys were already walking away, already on their way now that she had nothing more to say.

The girl got more vocal, yelling out with a tone of annoyance "Hey, hold it right there!" Her voice immediately changed, her tone shifting to something else, something calmer and shrilly "Please! I'll try really hard not to get in your way!" She was being suspicious, and it seemed right for Killua to judge her on the spot.

"~"

The three boys ran, trying to create distance between them and the girl. They had been trying for hours, hoping they could lose her in the forest, yet somehow, she managed to keep up. She'd been running like she was afraid to touch anything and her steps coming off as bouncy, a light jog almost.

Gon finally turned towards the others, hoping to address the shadowy stalker "Hey, what should we do about her?"

Killua side glanced towards her, his tone as cold as he could possible get during the situation "Just ignore her. Once the bandits show up, we'll have a chance to ditch her."

Daniel had to agree. It seemed rather strange, seeing her being able to follow them like it was just a simple stroll through the park. And apart from stalking them, her ulterior motives were yet to be digressed. But considering Tsezgerra let her in, she'd have to be strong.

Gon pressed Killua; a small frown showing on his features "Isn't that kind of mean?"

Daniel held out a hand, having to agree with Killua "No, she looks like she's strutting through the forest like it's nothing to her..."

"See, Daniel even admits it's strange. Though, considering Tsezgerra let her pass, she must have strong _Nen_. She should be able to escape if it gets hairy."

"~"

They continued to run for hours, Killua getting more agitated by the second. Not only hasn't there been a bandit attack, the girl seemed to keep on their tail "I didn't think she'd keep up this long."

"You and me bo-" Daniel came to an abrupt stop, the area being surrounded by ninja bandits. They practically came out of nowhere, no warning whatsoever. Though, Daniel had to admit the doctor's mask was the most unusual out of their green sleeveless vests, navy blue pants, swords and white ear covered helmets.

Daniel reached for Wolfbane without prompt. If worse comes to worse, he would have to defend himself. And it seemed like Killua had the same idea "Let's take them."

Gon agreed with Killua, his eyes looking more serious than when Killua suggested using the girl as a decoy, by leaving her amongst a group of enemies "Yeah."

The ninja thieves ran towards them, Daniel pulling out Wolfbane, sickle pointed towards them. However, the ninja thieves surprised the boys yet again, throwing themselves body first as all of them kneeled together, heads pointed down at the floor and arms splayed out in a similar act when begging for mercy. And beg they did "PLEASE HELP US! WE BEG YOU!"

The three boys asked in unison "Huh?"

The thieves coughed under their masks. It was as if they caught some kind of disease, and they were begging every tom, dick and harry to help them out.

Daniel blinked rapidly, unable to believe his eyes. Ninja thieves were begging for their help. It had to be a prank. There was no way this was programmed into the game, without reason. Maybe they were the bandits, that pretended to be sick, hoping to rack in prey that were gullible enough.

And Gon was indeed gullible "Sure."

"~"

While coughing the boys were taken to a village. There were no guards out, even in the dead of the night. This was wrong, there should have been guards out, whether thieves or not. But once they were lead into a room, their hearts dropped at the scene.

Men, woman, children; all laid in blankets, wrapped up nice and snugly. All of them were having the same coughing fits, and the children seemed the worst off.

One of the men that were leading the group of beggars earlier spoke, only concern in his voice "A disease is going around the island. It starts with a mild fever, grows to a high fever, and eventually leads to death."

An older man, most likely the elder of the group speaks more on the topic, more concerned than the ninja thieves "All we can do is use medicine to keep the fever in check. But the medicine will only work for a week."

"It's also incredibly expensive, and we've run out of money..."

Daniel looked at the boy, blinking slowly. _This, sounds like a cliché storyline quest... disease, out of money, and an incredible expensive antidote can only slow down the effects... I wonder if there's an in-game item that can cure this so called disease. And how can it affect the whole island, if all the NPC in Antokiba, showed no signs of coughing like crazy, just like these Green Forest Ninja Thieves do... suspicious..._

Gon's eyes were wide, drawn into the scenario, unlike Killua whose eyes were natural. Maybe Killua hasn't fallen victim to the obvious in-game quest.

"We've all fallen ill, so unable to do any bandit work."

A switch clicked in Daniel's mind, becoming more active than usual. _Did he say bandit work...? What kind of in-game bandits gets affected by an incurable disease? Suspiciousness intensifying..._

Confused, Gon asked "Is it contagious?"

Killua slowly turned to face Gon, wondering if he really was stupid enough to believe the story "That's just a scenario."

Daniel interjected, adding to Killua's comment "Well, considering no one in Antokiba was coughing a lung out... it's safe to assume the whole island isn't affected."

The bandit hovering over his son got close to Killua, face within an inch of the boy. Daniel's hairs flared up, like jealous dog whenever its owner would pay more attention to other dogs. But the NPC didn't seem to care or notice for that matter, begging Killua to reconsider "My son only has two or three days to live!"

The elder man got close to Gon's face, begging as well "Could you spare us any money?"

A third member of the bandits got close, throwing Daniel complete off guard from his angered state "Please, we are in dire need of help!"

The boys looked between each other, unsure on how they should be reacting. Should they help them or run away? Logically, they were bandits. But the bandits had children, children their age, possibly younger struggling to live.

Reluctantly, if the boys agreed, he would object.

Gon shifted his eyes to Killua and Daniel, imposing a question "This is an in-game event, right?"

Killua let his eyes shift towards Gon, lowering his voice so only Gon and Daniel could hear "Yeah, if we give them money, they should provide us with items or information."

Gon looked towards the bandits, smiling "Uh, how much do you need?"

"130,000 Jenny..."

As Gon turned to face Killua, the boy's eyes narrowed, annoyed at the answer. That was awfully specific, a little too specific.

"That's all we have left."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Gon's quick deduction "You don't say...Even though this may be an in-game quest... It's still a really _specific_ number..."

Killua groaned in agreement "Yeah... They know _way_ too much about us."

The girl that had been stalking the boys earlier, even going as far as to join them, even after Killua said he wanted to ditch her, spoke "Um, I have enough to cover 130,000 Jenny."

Killua looked towards her, holding a finger to his lips "Ah, could you shut up for a moment?" Killua gave her no mercy, hating her ever since she spoke to them. Killua liked the group as it is, Gon and Daniel. No one more, no one less...

Gon looked at Killua seriously before frowning. He then turned to face the elder "Got it! We can give you 130,000 Jenny."

"Really...?" The elder reacted in disbelief, unable to come to terms with the boy's generosity.

"Thank you so much! You've saved my son's life!" The man that had been in Killua's face was crying tears of joy. However, that soon changed when the boy under him started to complain "I'm c- cold. So cold..."

The boy had been shivering slightly, cheeks flustered from his burning temperature. Judging by the sudden change in the boy's physical state, he was deteriorating rapidly, a state most likely brought on by the gaming script.

The man held out his hand to the boy's forehead, freaking out from the sudden change of temperature "Oh, no! If his body gets any colder, he'll die before we can get him the medicine! If only we had some children's clothes! Some children's clothes!"

Daniel scooted back, moving all the way right next to the girl. He'd hope he could pretend to have never been a part of Gon's group. The jacket he wore was nice and comfortable, picked out for him by Killua during their stay at Heavens Arena. It was stylised, blue flames etched into the arm sleeves. Thank god he had the jacket zipped up. Who knows how the girl next to him would react, knowing that he was wearing a shirt with words 'Oppai', accompanied by two half circles and a dot in the middle of each half circle.

It was so ridiculous; the boy just had to have it. But now, picturing his father teasing him for it, he'll have to get rid of it later... somehow without anyone looking. If he took his jacket off now, everyone would see it... including the girl next to him.

Gon looked at Killua, and then Daniel, noticing the boy had slipped far behind them, hiding next to the girl, not that she seemed to notice; she'd been still boring holes in the back of Killua's head.

"Um," Gon turned to face the man "I can give him my clothes."

The man snuck in close, Daniel getting on the defensive once again when he got too close to Killua's face "Oh, that'd really be okay? All three of you?"

Daniel freaked out, unsure if he'd be able to get out of it now. Somehow, he still managed to be counted amongst Gon's group, even when he was hiding next to the girl. He dreaded the moment he'd have to strip the jacket off.

The elder smiled; tears of joy as he appeared next to Gon, like a ninja. For such an old man, the elder could move really fast "You're like angels! Words are not enough..."

"... to express our gratitude!"

Gon smiled, ignoring the fact that Daniel still was counted amongst the group. It didn't look like Daniel was willing to give up that jacket "Nah, we don't need thanks."

Killua held out his hand, an innocent smile accompanying his face "How about some information or items?"

The two skulked away, hiding like they were hiding a secret between them. As they were talking, Daniel felt a sense of dread overcome him.

"~"

The boys fumed, mostly Killua and Daniel, though both were for different reasons. Daniel liked the jacket; it was something Killua had handpicked during the shopping spree. It was something Killua gave to him...

But now, he was stuck wearing dark red shorts, his red and black sports shoes and a shirt that was pretty much rude to wear out in public. Yet, it didn't embarrass him one bit somehow.

"We got nothing?" Killua let out a groan of agony, his foot stomps being heard in the grass as Gon joined in; far less angry than Killua "We lost out clothes, and now we're totally broke."

"On the plus side..." Daniel dead-panned, hoping to bring out some light in all the losses "at least they didn't take my weapon..."

Killua shook his head, peeved "Not only are they mocking us, but you as well!"

Daniel rolled his eyes "At least you're not the one wearing the dumb shirt!"

"You're right... I'm not dumb enough to wear _that_..."

"But you are to get ripped off, left poor and without your shirt and jacket..."

Killua shot the boy an intense glare, groaning as Gon commented "But once we get past this mountain, we'll find lots of monsters, right?"

"We hope..." Daniel let out a sigh, feeling though as losing his jacket and money's upside was the chance to fight monsters.

Killua agreed, his anger subsiding at Gon's upside "Yeah. If we beat them and turn them into cards, we can sell them for lots of cash."

"We finally get to start fighting!"

"Time to see what you've got..."

"Ditto. I wanna see what you accomplished during your secret training, both of you."

Daniel smiled at his two friends, happy to know they are ignoring the girl behind them, and the fact they lost half their clothing as well. But he was also happy the girl didn't rip into him, maybe even surprised. Though, maybe it might be because she still wanted to tag along. After all... her agenda was still hidden.

Maybe he could find a way to unravel here secret, though the chances seemed to slim down once they reached a cliff.

Daniel addresses Gon's statement, hiding his ability where it existed "It's a secret. Besides, it needs a few tweaks here and there."

"Aww..." Gon pouted, his eyes drawing to the canyon below them. It was vast, hiding secrets amongst the endless mountains littered through the valley "This area is rocky..."

An idea hit them together, the best, and most fun way to get down into the canyon.

Killua and Gon jumped in first, Killua initiating the idea as Daniel followed after them "Let's go!"

They landed on the wall, sliding down a few feet before running the rest of the way down into the canyon. Hiding behind many of the blind spots of the canyon, purple Cyclopes came into view, intrigued by the boys' presence.

They stood there, watching the boys with their unblinking eye. However, some of them seemed ready to attack the moment they stepped into their boundaries.

Daniel unsheathed his weapon, arm held back so he could whip the blade on a moment's notice with enough force to knock one over. A smile graced the boy's lips, feeling as though the game, was about to become a game.

Not some race to see who can collect the cards...

Not a game of survival, involving a group of player killers...

A game, involving his friends as they take down an army of monsters together...

Gon's voice rose, a sense of giddiness filling his voice "There are tons of them!"

As the boys got close to one of the Cyclops, the monster attacked them in a fit of rage. The boys split up, Killua and Gon jumping off to the side to avoid the attack, while Daniel jumped back. As the monster raised his weapon, Daniel jumped up onto it, running towards the monster's face. The creature raised his other hand, hoping to swat the boy off. Instead, Daniel jumped forward, unshackling the blade as he aimed for the creature's neck.

Though, the moment the blade came into contact with the Cyclops' neck, it slid around it, leaving little to no physical damage "What?!"

The creature brought its weapon to its chest, before swinging it back towards Daniel. Daniel uses the creature's momentum to his advantage, swinging the blade out to wrap around the club. He used it as a swing, forcing his body to land on the ground, rolling in time to avoid a different Cyclops' attack.

He forced his body to run, avoiding all the creature's attacks.

Gon seemed to have the same idea, although, he managed to land a hard right hand punch on the creature's cheek. The creature reeled back in pain for a moment, before swinging his club at Gon.

Gon avoid its attack, landing safely on the floor. The boy attempted again, while Daniel ran around one of the Cyclops' legs, hoping to drag it down to his level.

As the boy was attempting the idea, Killua yelled out in a fit of achievement, happy to successfully take one down "Bingo! The eye is its weakness. Gon, Daniel, aim for the eye!"

Daniel smiled in glee, running between the creature's legs, and then proceeded to use his weapon like a grappling hook, catapulting himself behind the creatures back. In one fluid moment, he unshackled the weapon around the creatures arm, and then swung it around from behind the Cyclops' head, around to its eye.

It screamed in agony, dissipating into a card like every other creature or item generated by the game. Daniel caught the card before he could lose it, calling out his book as he placed it within the unrestricted pages, moving on to the next one before Gon and Killua ended up killing them all.

Now this, felt like a game; one, he could enjoy.

Fighting side-by-side with Gon and Killua, a silent challenge to see who could beat the most up; the cards being the only physical marking for who took down the most.


	62. Monsters X Biscuit X Enemies

Killua looked at one of the few remaining Cyclopes' bodies, lying down on the floor, tears running out of its eyes; it was likely the consequences from being punched in eye. Gon stared at the poor creature's body, the remainder of its once proud figure.

Arms crossed, Daniel stared at the remaining bodies, unable to tell who took down whom. At least he managed to capture all his cards before they could revert.

**Giant Cyclops**

**527 G - 333**

**These one-eyed giants are the largest of all Cyclops. They travel in small groups and attack anything within their territory.**

Killua smiled in glee, looking at Gon staring at one of the bodies "Weaker than they looked."

"The card reverted after we left it alone for a minute."

Daniel uncrossed his arms, holding out a hand to offer one of the pieces of advice the instructor at the start stated " **If you don't place the card into your book within one minute, it will automatically revert to an item**. That was said pretty much at the start of the game..."

Gon looked at Daniel, cheeks puffed up in a comedic manner.

Killua completely ignored Daniel's comment, choosing to continue on "We can do this. The monsters come with weaknesses. If we stay calm and think, we'll be fine. Okay. Let's head for Masadora, then." Killua held his fist close to his chest, a smile rivalling Gon's.

Gon agreed with Killua "Yeah!"

Daniel shook his head at the boys' smile, but deep in the inside, he agreed with the Killua's thought process. As long as they thought about it, they'll be able to overcome that.

Not even five steps in; something bigger, animalistic slid into view. It was a lizard, the size of at least eight or more Cyclopes lying down on the floor, and two standing up on top of each other. The creature stared down at the boys, tongue slithering out between its lips. It was huge... and one could only imagine what it felt like to have that slimy thing lick from the feet up. Then again, its saliva might have been made out of acid...

They continued to stare at each other for a minute, before Gon and Killua chose flight over fight. They ran, leaving Daniel to stare at it for a second longer. His brows furrowed, a single thought focusing on Killua's contradiction. **_If we stay calm and think, we'll be fine..._** _Huh?_

Daniel too ran after Killua and Gon, refusing to stay alone to beat that beast of a monster on his own.

The creature's footsteps could be heard and felt, the floor rumbling between each stomp.

They ducked behind a mountain, hiding from the Lizard's view.

The foot stomps stopped, the quiet sounds of a tongue slithering in and out, slowly, between a set of lips.

Each boy held their breath, hoping the creature wouldn't turn a corner and see them.

Soon the stomps started again, walking off into the distance as each boy released their breath in unison. They had survived an encounter with a huge beast, and Daniel could only argue with Killua for it "What happened to **staying calm**...?"

"That _thing_ was disgusting..."

Daniel closed his eyes slowly, taking in a deep breath before reopening them "You are _worse_ than a..." he stopped short, unable to finish his sentence.

Killua raised an eyebrow, pressing the boy to finish the statement. But before he could, the boy only held a finger up, pointing at something behind Gon "We got company..."

The boys turned, looking at the creature as well.

It was a weird round creature, smaller than the Cyclopes, but still just as big as the boys. Daniel deemed it to be fluffy and fuzzy, maybe even soft to the touch. He wanted to pat it so badly, but the creature suddenly leapt, slamming into Gon's face then his right after, like a pin ball machine.

It leapt up onto the mountain, lying down to rest... and all Daniel could think about was how it felt. It was like getting hit by a wet towel, but no _wet_ smell accompanied the bouncy fluff ball.

Killua was however still in shock, unable to believe such a small creature could move as fast as that "Daniel! Gon!"

Gon recoiled back, a smile as huge as his face while Killua came to terms with it "I'm okay! That didn't hurt. This one's weak."

"Yeah, no worse than getting hit by a wet towel... Minus the _wet_ feeling, after said towel..."

Soon the creature leapt into action again, bouncing around the boys like a pin ball machine.

"But it's fast! Let's catch it..." Killua stated the creatures speed, hands held out as he attempted to grab it.

Daniel slapped his hands together, feeling the creature's fluffy body slip through his fingers. It was fast, too fast for his body to react to catching it.

The creature left bored after awhile; it found it fun while it lasted, though it got bored at the boys' failed attempts to catch it.

The boys left, frowning at the failed attempts.

"~"

The boys ran, continuing on their journey to Masadora. The loss was still in the back of their mind, though Gon was the one that voiced it "It got away from us."

Killua's smile returned with a vengeance, Daniel only focusing on the smile and not the boy's words "Well, it won't take very long to reach Masadora if they're all this weak."

They stopped, staring at yet another creature on their path. This time it was a horse; a cannon for a mouth and a large bushy tail. It stopped short, staring at the boys. It looked ridiculous, looking more confused than actually alerted to the boy's presence.

Daniel attempted to hold in his laughter as the creature stared at them for a moment. Soon the creature's mouth blew up, holding in a deep breath before blowing out red and white bubbles.

Gon looked confused at the bubbles, staring at them as they floated in his direction. When the first white bubble hit one of them, the boy's covered their ears, a loud screech being emitted from the explosion.

Daniel continued to hold his hands to his ears, jumping back to avoid any more of the loud screech. It sounded worse than being woken up by an alarm clock after a pleasant dream. He then focused, looking around for the creature, only to notice the horse had fled the area. The bubbles being left behind, were the only reminder of the last attack.

Daniel looked around, checking to see if the horse would make a surprise attack, but all he noticed was the girl up on the cliffs, staring down at them. As much as he wanted to alert the other two of the girl's stalking habits, he didn't want to piss off Killua, and seeing the boy smiling, he didn't want to ruin that. It wasn't as if she was an immediate threat... hopefully...

"It's gone..." Killua questioned the Bubble Horse's plan of attack, unsure what the beast was aiming for. Seeing as the main threat was gone, Killua poked one of the white bubbles. It exploded like earlier, but the frequency of the sound was much lower "It's loud and generates a shockwave, but it doesn't do any damage."

Maybe because of the amount exploding at the same time, the sound was at a much higher frequency, or maybe it was from the sudden shock of sounds startled the boy.

Gon held out a finger, experimentally touching the red bubble this time. When the bubble touched Gon's finger, it merely bounced away, moving in the opposite direction of the boy "When you touch them, the red ones don't pop..." however as soon as Gon made the assumption, it hit the side of a mountain, popping and emitting the same frequency of the white bubbles.

Daniel humoured the thought, wondering if it was possible to avoid the bubbles. But as soon as he put his thoughts into gear, Killua called him from afar "You coming, or what?"

Daniel bolted after the boys, refusing to be left alone. He had forgotten about the thought, too busy chasing after Killua and Gon.

"~"

Time after time again, they ran into progressively harder enemies, ones which were impossible to harm or ones that looked weird.

Giant lamprey...

Floating Jellyfish, shaped like a box with one huge eye. It did nothing strange, unique; it only followed the boy's movements. Even when Gon poked it, it still did nothing. It only floated away for a bit before floating back towards the boys like a lost puppy...

Swarms of bees...

Giant slimes which seemed to reform on touch. Even after getting kicked, punched or sliced through it with Wolfbane...

Though, the series of unfortunate events ended when they ran into the metallic knight. Clanking could be heard, an almost lifeless knight walking towards them. The metal seemed to breathe life, though acted as if it was already dead.

Gon perked up at the thought of the enemy being a strong opponent "This one looks tougher."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, following the armour's movements "Hold on a second..."

"Hmm...?" Killua and Gon looked towards Daniel, confused by the boy's command.

Daniel shifted a finger across the air, pointing at the target "I've seen this type of movement before. Lifeless, Unenergetic; either this thing is undead or..." Daniel blinked, activating his _Gyo_ on reflex. A thin line of aura connected between an unknown assailant and the suit of armour.

 _I thought so..._ The boy had seen this movement before. When mastering his Shadow's movement techniques, in its earlier stages it would move in a similar fashion. At the start it would move as commanded, slowly decreasing in its reflex habits as the training got more tedious. He would eventually stop to refuel his body, then moving back onto training so he wouldn't be left behind. But even before then, right at the start, it would act in the same fashion.

He had to train hard to beat that bad habit into submission. And after dealing with that, he knew what to do "Gon, Killua... distract this suit of armour! I'm gonna go take down its _Manipulator_."

"That's right!" The girl that had been stalking them for hours spoke, voice booming over the canyon "You should have been using _Gyo_ this whole time!"

Daniel headed in the direction of the aura flow, the girl still dictating what the boys should be doing "See that? The armour's just a puppet, so attacks won't work against it."

Daniel rounded a corner, looking straight ahead, expecting to see a medium-sized creature but the aura still extended. The boy's eyes followed the trail, looking down; he was surprised to know he towered over the creature.

It was no bigger than a tennis ball and was strangely cuter than the boy had anticipated. The aura extended from the little creature's tail, acting like a remote control for the armour.

As he reached down for the creature, it yelped in surprise, blowing up into a puff of smoke to leave only a single card behind. The shock must have taken out the creature...

Picking up the card, Daniel frowned.

**Remote Control Rat**

**711 H - 800**

**These hard to catch creatures use aura to control a suit of armour. As a defensive measure, it uses this armour to mislead a target into thinking the armour is the enemy whilst the true creature can escape.**

_This is a rat...? It looks more like a fluffy... puff ball... with an Aura... antenna...?_ Daniel wasn't quite sure how to describe the card, but he still ran towards the other boys, a confused smile gracing his lips "I dealt with our tiny... Manipulator..."

As he was showing off the card to the others, he held out ring finger, summoning the book. The girl who was stalking them, and also happened to be the same one offering the tips of advice Daniel failed to point out jumped down from her somewhat hiding spot; a scowl spread across her face, a finger being pointed at the boys in a way one might accuse someone of their stupidity "So... not only can you use _Gyo_ , it wasn't until now one of you decided to use it. Why didn't you use _it_ the other times...?"

Daniel let out an awkward smile, followed by Killua and Gon when they looked at each other. Daniel only thought about it now, when the creature's movements reminded him of the early, clunky shadow movements during training. _Gyo_ was his first thought, considering he knew nothing else that he could use to trace to Manipulator's original spot.

He'd seen it so many times during his training, _Gyo_ being a fantastic way to control the flow of aura between his hands and shadows, limiting the aura flow to a constant level of both control and protection.

"Uh, well..." Killua asked himself, unsure on how to answer the question. Even when he looked towards Gon for an excuse, the boy also failed to come up with one as well "Yeah, umm..."

The girl let out a sigh, disappointed in at least two of the members, and somewhat with the third "So you forgot..." At least one boy thought to use it... but only in one instance, during so many chances. She thought in her head, maybe... just maybe the boy got lucky; an occurrence in which the boy had the same circumstances. She ran the idea across her head, posing the question on whether he was or wasn't a Manipulator as well.

Using _Gyo_ , she notices the thin line of aura between the boy with fluffy white hair, and the boy with long black hair. But that wasn't all she notices. Now that she was close enough to judge the boy's face, she noticed a sense of eerier familiarity. This boy with long hair reminded her of someone long ago, one she'd hadn't met with in a long time. Though, that guy was a teenager long ago, and now an adult.

Had he too, developed an ability to decrease the look of his age? No, it couldn't be that... at least he would have thought to use _Gyo_. And it also wouldn't explain the differences in moods, and why he was hovering around young kids. Still, the boy did have a striking resemblance to the teenager, now adult.

And the more she thought about it, that adult emitted an aura of isolation, one impossible to approach. She's noticed only two people approached him, one was another teenager around his age and Netero. But what that man was doing now, she didn't know. He was probably isolated, removed from society long ago.

She controlled her emotions, anger crossing her features as she raised a finger.

One of them looked up, wondering what she as pointing to as the others raised an eyebrow, confused to as why she would raise her finger.

"Why are you just standing there? _Gyo_!"

The boys flinched back at her anger, manipulating their aura to focus in their eyes to see what she was fussing about.

The number one hovered above her finger, shaped within the aura she extended above from her finger "What do you see?"

"The number 1..." Each boy offered the same shared answer, unsure if that's what she wanted to hear.

"Good..." The girl closed her eyes, happy with the answer. Opening her eyes, she looked at the boys, an expression when a mother was about to scold their children "Listen up. If I lift my finger, you use _Gyo_. And then you holler out what you see. If you ever sense anything suspicious, use _Gyo_. Got it?"

Each boy was dumb folded, unable to believe what they were hearing. The rule was simple, but she spoke as someone way older, more experienced than she appeared. She was no ordinary little girl...

Killua held up his fist, angered by the girl for ordering them around "Wait, why are you ordering us around?"

The girl lifted her finger, forcing both Gon and Daniel to use _Gyo_ :

"The number five!"

"Five!"

"Correct..." The girl smiled, holding out her hand to issue a command to Killua "Drop and give me two hundred push-ups."

Daniel smiled in achievement; though, he was worried for Killua's safety. She was getting to him, and Daniel wouldn't be surprised if he pushed her over the head. What mainly worried him was what she would do to him after he pushed her over the edge...

"HUH?" Killua's eyes widened, unable to believe the girl's audacity; they'd only have talked for so long, and she was already issuing commands left right and centre.

"It's your punishment! Get to it!"

Daniel held up his hands, hoping to calm the boy's nerves, and even bail him out. He had an idea why Killua was acting like this. After all, they hardly knew this girl, and Killua doesn't trust strangers... especially ones that order him around and wish to break up a group "Kil-"

"What the hell? Why should I?"

"Got a problem?"

"You bet!" Killua pointed an accusing finger at the girl, asking her a question, or better yet... offering a valid statement. She was nobody in his eyes; someone who didn't deserve to be issuing orders or commands "Who do you think you are?"

"Oh..." the girl smiled, unable to believe she left out valuable piece of information "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm the pro Hunter Biscuit Krueger. I first learned _Nen_ forty years ago. I'm going to use my wealth of knowledge and experience to coach you boys. You should be grateful."

"Forty?!" Gon and Daniel blurted out, trying to wrap their head around that little piece of information. Biscuit didn't even look like she aged past 16, maybe even seventeen. But Killua... he couldn't stop himself from insulting her, even if he wanted to "You're an old hag!"

Biscuit's fist came out of nowhere, flying towards Killua. It was impossible for Daniel to stop, no matter how much he wanted to. Not even Killua had time to react, getting punched into the air high and falling back onto the ground with a thud.

Daniel ran to where Killua fell from the sky, holding up the boy's head as he tried to snap said back boy to reality "Don't go into the light!"

"I- I'm fine!" Killua retorted, cheeks red while clutching the back of his head. He was pissed, but not enough to attempt fate once again.

Happy the boy calmed down enough not to insult her again; Biscuit continued "Like I said, I'm the Pro Hunter Biscuit Krueger. I'm not big on formalities, so call me Bisky. In return, you must obey every word of what I teach you."

"No way..." Killua continued to massage the back of his head, still peeved for being hit. Then again, he did insult her "and no, thanks. We're not desperate enough to beg a total stranger to train us! Say something, Daniel!"

"Ah... she did offer a point earlier, so..."

"Useless! Gon, say something..."

 _USELESS?!_ Daniel's shocked expression would've scared someone unexpected half to death, if they weren't expecting it.

"We have Wing-San..." Gon offered a valid excuse. He was someone they could lean on in dire circumstances, as long as they found a way to get out of the game prior to asking.

"Right, right... See, Daniel?"

Daniel fumed at Killua's words, peeved. One could never run out of masters to learn from. Even Jack knew that.

Killua turned to face Biscuit, agitated, and using logic to trump Biscuit's so called training knowledge "We already have a master, and we don't need anyone else to teach us."

"Wing...?" Biscuit question, offering something the boys never expected to hear out of a stranger's mouth "You mean that little boy with messy hair and glasses? The one who never tucks in his shirt...?"

They blinked, surprised she knew so much about him, and they knew so little about her.

"Ahh..." Daniel frowned, though still surprised by her words "He was an adult last time I checked..."

Gon questioned her, curious to know how she knew so much about the man "Do you know him?"

A smile graced Biscuit's lips "Do I know him? Wing's one of my students."

"That's awesome!"

 _What are the chances of that...?_ Daniel question himself, still coming to terms with Wing's past history. This had to be a one in a million chance, the master of their master running into them while in a game.

"So he's become a master now... Time really flies, huh?"

The boys looked at each other, taken back. It was hard to tell whether or not she was lying. If she was, she was really good at it. But she didn't allow them to question her intelligence, posing the boys a question "Does that mean you're pro Hunters?"

"Oh, me..." Gon spoke as Killua pointed to the boy, and then to Daniel, vouching for the boy "And him too..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Killua's words, though he could feel a smirk gracing his lips at the fact Killua didn't lie, to cover the fact he was the only one out of the whole group.

"You've passed the secret exam?"

"Only way to learn _Nen_... Unless through unconventional means..." _Also known as being forced..._ The boy argued in his mind, but he was sure the girl will get the reference.

"That really takes me back..."

 _How far back are we talking... the Ming dynasty? Cause at this point, I- We can't really guess your age... especially, seeing you look younger than eighteen._ Daniel looked at Killua, seeing a smirk. Killua was probably thinking the same thing at this point.

"Well..." Bisky looked back at the boys, smiling "I'm essentially your master's master, so you shouldn't have any problems with me teaching you."

"~"

Bisky had much to discuss, talking about brief scenarios of her history. Gon was invested, soaking up her story like a sponge "Wow! You've been an Examiner!" Gon chimed, excited to know more about Bisky; he was a little too trusting.

Killua still didn't trust her; even when she'd laid smack down proof about Wing. He'd yet still to figure out why the woman wanted to help them. She may keeping her age as a secret, but that doesn't mean her motives should too "Assuming that she's telling the truth." _What is she hiding...?_

Daniel was intrigued by her story; however, he still leaned mostly on Killua's side. A fraction of his trust towards her was earned, but he still wanted to know her motives. At least then, he could judge whether or not he could trust her to be his master.

Bisky had walked up to Killua, Daniel ignoring the fact she'd gotten so close to the boy. He'd been lost in his own thoughts, still judging her motives and story. But Bisky didn't seem to mind, prodding a finger into Killua's chest "You're a stubborn little boy. I like to see that in kids. You said that you weren't desperate, right? Book."

Without even looking at the book, Bisky pulled out the card to the monster they failed to catch earlier, the little fluffy fast ball.

"Look carefully. Its difficulty to obtain is ranked D. It's a normal card that doesn't go in a restricted slot." The boys were surprised, looking intrigued by the card Bisky held in her hand.

**Marimo-chi**

**673 D - 80**

**A super-fast ball-like creature about as hard as rubber. Deals little damage, but can be annoying if it smacks you in the face.**

Daniel frowned. If they couldn't obtain a rank D, how would they get a rank SS? That would be impossible at this point. Maybe he should trust the woman's knowledge, and allow her to help him, and his friends out...

Bisky continued, happy with the frowns and stern judgment she'd got from the boys' faces "The problem is that there are many people who could have effortlessly obtained this card, while you three could not. If you run into someone who's stronger and has evil intentions..."

Bisky suddenly stopped, expression never changing as she knelt down onto the floor "Sit down... pretend that we're chatting."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the statement. They are technically chatting, well, she is and they're listening. But he wasn't too sure what got her spooked. Or was she, considering her expression never changed...?

All three boys knelt down, not sitting like she'd requested. But she still spoke, her expression hardening to show her seriousness of the matter "There's an enemy behind me. Don't probe for him. He'll notice."

Daniel knitted his eyebrows together, wondering how exactly he would do such a thing. He was sure something involving _Nen_ would have been able to help him... but he didn't know what exactly. When he looked up, Bisky had been facing Killua.

"How did you sense him?" Killua posed the question, peeved for not being able to sense them at all.

"He let a tiny bit of bloodlust escape. The enemy saw a bunch of kids, and then he relaxed for a second."

"Doesn't that mean he's weak?"

Daniel slowly turned to face Killua, wondering what was going on in the boy's head. They had been captured by the Phantom Troupe in Yorknew, and one of the members had no qualms about killing them, even if it was for a legit reason. Hell, even Hisoka doesn't even care about killing children "I don't think age is an issue for this guy..."

Killua glanced at the boy, an obvious pout.

"It doesn't matter... He immediately concealed his presence again. It was only the slightest bloodlust, and he quickly concealed it, so he's pretty good."

_Great... It's Yorknew all over again... But then again, we have the really strong lady, who's possibly the last survivor of the Roman Empire with us now. So maybe we have a chance..._

Killua looked up from the ground after being in deep thought "What should we do?"

Bisky started to smile, happy from Killua's reaction "What do you think?"

Gon posed a reasonable choice "We three should move together."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm guessing he decided to use caution because there are four of us. If we stick together, he'll be less eager to attack."

"I agree..." Killua nodded at Gon's statement, the plan being sound in his head.

Daniel wondered if the plan would be good. How long had the man been watching them? Why was it for only a second his bloodlust leaked through? If they moved forward together, would he really give up? "I disagree..." Daniel stated, getting weird looks from both Gon and Killua "How long has he been watching us? He could have been here the whole time, watching us since Bisky yelled out at us to use _Gyo_..."

When Bisky started to fume, Daniel elaborated "Or even longer... If he's been here for hours, what makes you think his going to give up now?"

Bisky sighed, seeing three prodigies in the group.

One asked questions, running scenarios as he planned ahead...

One offered his own choices, plans already though in motion...

One questioned himself, wondering about all possibilities...

She liked how well the group already worked together, but the contradictions were there, hovering like clouds of deep thoughts "Well, you're all right. But, regardless of plans or thoughts... here is what we're going to do. If I go off on my own, the enemy is one hundred percent guaranteed to attack me. I'll go south. You boys, go north. Walk five hundred meters without concealing your presences." When Bisky looked right, the boys' did so also, focusing on where they needed to go "Aim for that pillar. Once you get there, use _Zetsu_ , and then rush back immediately!"

Killua smiled, liking the plan already. It was the moment where he could finally ditch her "Okay, stalk the stalker-"

Not even waiting for Killua to finish, Bisky slapped him across the face. At this point, Daniel was fuming; that time was unwarranted.

Killua stared in the direction, blinking slowly. It was taking the boy time to process the action against his cheek as Gon just stared at the woman, confused "Huh?"

Killua had done nothing to elicit an act of anger out of Bisky, and her words did nothing to soothe Daniel's anger "Fine, then! Be that way! I've had enough! Bye-bye."

The girl stormed off, huge cheeks puffed up in anger. And Killua had been the same way it seemed, staring back at Gon and Daniel with a red hand print streaked across his left cheek. Not even Daniel's anger could drown out Killua's, when the boy got up, yelling at the woman "Yeah, get lost! We didn't want you around!"

Gon could only stare off into the distance, brain still trying to process what Bisky had done. But Killua didn't even give time for Gon to process what happened, let alone Daniel's anger to subside "Come on, Gon! Daniel! Let's go..."

Daniel followed after his friends, refusing to let his anger go, even when Killua was still yelling "So long, stupid!"

"~"

After a few minutes of walking, Daniel's anger subsided, replaced by sadness. Twice in one day, and Daniel couldn't protect his friend both times. He'd have to get stronger somehow, pushing past his boundaries in order to protect the boy next time. How exactly? His ability wasn't designed to protect Killua, yet! He needed more time... and a few tweaks here and there.

Killua let out a sigh, drawing Daniel and Gon's attention "That woman is really something."

Daniel was drawn to Killua's statement, but Gon was a lot quicker on the up draw, asking a question before Daniel could "Huh?"

"I was on full alert, so I'd be ready to react at a moment's notice. But I didn't realize what she'd done until my cheek began to sting..."

Daniel paused, mulling Killua's words over. He hadn't been on high alert during the whole argument. Hell, he wasn't even expecting her to slap Killua across the face. Yes, it made the argument seem more real... but couldn't she have done it without slapping Killua...?

The boy's otherwise perfect...

Daniel shook the next few thoughts away before they could manifest, refusing to acknowledge Killua's perfect features. He instead focused on what was about to happen, a race back to help Biscuit Krueger.

Reaching the large Pillar, Gon and Killua turned around first, Daniel last from lagging so behind them. He'd been focusing too much on removing the thought, and not enough on keeping pace with the boys.

The next thing to come was something far harder to contain, than a few risqué thoughts. He had to use _Zetsu_ , and _Zetsu_ wasn't his strong suit.

Killua smirked at Daniel's back; issuing a challenge he knew the boy had no chance of winning "Ready, Daniel...? We have to use _Zetsu_ , the entire way."

"As ready as I'll ever be..." Daniel clenched his fist, focusing his aura to remain as dead as he could, no presence lingering.

"Then let's hurry back."

They ran, chasing after the woman and the hidden attack, ready to help on a moment's notice.


	63. Bisky X Black List Hunter X Training

The boys stopped short of helping Bisky, watching her from the cliff. Hopefully, Daniel's _Zetsu_ wouldn't give away his presence. Bisky and the man were trapped, surrounded by walls on all sides. The only way to get out was to go up the side of the cliff.

Bisky's attacker was a very skinny man, wearing a purple shirt and brown pants, with reddish hair. He sounded sinister, infatuated with the girl as he held a chunk of her hair above his mouth. Somehow, the man managed to cut Bisky's hair, holding it above his mouth.

He slowly let go, pieces of hair falling into his mouth "I can learn things about the owner's body that they don't even know about themselves. Muscle tone, potential for disease, genetic strengths! I will learn everything about your body before I begin to toy with it..."

There was a long pause; Daniel began to wonder what was going on in the man's head. What exactly did he learn about Bisky that gave him pause? A whole minute flew by before the man could even speak "AGE FIFTY-SEVEN?!"

_FIFTY-SEVEN...? At least... now we know she isn't from the dinosaur era..._

The red-haired man suddenly stops, eyes slowly looking around, inspecting the area. Something or someone has alerted him. as he takes off his side pouch, filled with something. Daniel couldn't make out what from that far away, but it looked to hold four tiny objects, no bigger than a hand.

Something got the man spooked, and it wasn't just something Bisky was hiding; he was inspecting the area, trying to figure out who else was watching him as he slide down to the floor, placing the pouch on the floor. Getting up, the man stands in a warrior's stance, speaking in a monotone voice, voided of all his sadistic nature from earlier "My fighter's spirit insists that I challenge you to a duel."

 _Huh...? What exactly did he learn from the woman's hair? Was she_ _ **that**_ _powerful? She looked nothing more than a regular, smart, intelligent, young little girl. She couldn't be hiding anything underneath that billowing skirt, a power of unfound strength... could she...?_ Then Daniel remembered something, the man suddenly looking around for something else. Could his weakened _Zetsu_ have alerted the man of his presence? No, he was already aware of Daniel, but his main concern seemed to be with Bisky.

Bisky held her neutral demeanour, speaking slowly and methodically "I guess you aren't a total deviant. Very well..." Bisky took off her gloves, standing in a similar stance.

A fight was about to ensue, showing the boys the secret being hidden under her young body. The man was fast, already in front of her with an open palm strike. She dodged, barely moving as she grappled his arm, using her weight to fling him over her body, and immediately spin him in the air like a dancing top. He spun him several times, enough to make him lose his bearing before slamming her palm connected with the man's back, knocking him out instantly... or killing him.

Bisky took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out as she turned towards the man that lay on the ground, dead or unconscious "You're lucky. If I'd used my _Nen_ , you would be dead. During that battle, what did you see first?"

Daniel was unsure who she was talking to now; the man that lay unconscious on the ground or them. But considering the man was knocked out, the question would've been posed for the boys watching from above the cliffs.

Killua dropped down first, followed by Gon then Daniel, Gon answering the question "The guy being flipped through the air."

"Same here..." Killua agreed with Gon.

Daniel had to disagree, voicing the scene from his own eyes "I saw a guy being spun like a record mid air, then being... knocked out... I have no words to describe being 'knocked out' mid air..." _Maybe bitched slapped..._

Bisky's smile grew at the boys' views "If he were an in-game character, he'd have a D rank in terms of difficulty. It would have been an instant game over for you boys."

Daniel looked at the floor, staring at the man unconscious, and then at the pouch the man laid down. To die at the hands of an unknown assailant, who wielded what looked to be scissors would be a harsh way to go. As much as Daniel didn't want to agree with her statement, they would have to enlist her help if they wanted to live.

She was strong, strong enough to take down a rank D monster and player. If they were to survive this harsh and terrible scenario created by the player killers, they would have to ask a stranger, who just happened to be Wing's mentor for help.

Bisky smiled from this terrible situation "That makes _this_ , the second time I've seen you barely escape death. How long will your fortune last?"

 _I don't know..._ Daniel's thoughts were lost to him, continuing to look at the man unconscious on the ground as he listened to Gon lead the conversation "Bisky-San..."

"Just call me Bisky. If you insist on an honorific, call me Bisky-Chama!"

"I'll just call you Hag." Killua dead panned, refusing to use such a term, let alone speak her name.

Bisky slammed her fist into Killua, this time planning to end the boy's life; she had enough of the boy's clever retorts.

Daniel looked up as he heard Killua screaming, jumping back to use his own body as a cushion. If he couldn't save the boy from the attack, he'd definitely save the boy from the landing.

The boy caught Killua, landing on the ground as he collected the dust, and used his time to hold the boy close. He liked the feeling of the boy's warmth being combined with his own. It gave a sense of nostalgia, a familiar setting like when Nathaniel would hold him close, protecting him from the bad or unwanted things in life.

But With Killua it was different...

He wanted to hold Killua close, protecting him from either his own stupidity or in general. He'd hoped that his body would act as a shield...

But Killua didn't stay for long in his arms, pushing the boy away in shock. He didn't speak much, just pushing the boy away with flushed cheeks as he rubbed his cheek from Bisky's damage. Maybe he hoped that the memory of what had happen would fade away into the past, just like his ex-career.

"Why are you here, Bisky?"

"Well..." Bisky turned to face Gon, giving the boy her undivided attention "I'm here to clear the game, but I'm mainly after a jewel."

"A Jewel...?" Gon asked the question, drawing both Killua and Daniel's attention towards the question.

What kind of jewel would draw this woman's attention? It had to be rare... really rare in order to make her join a game which has never been completed.

And Daniel was right, Bisky's smile widening "There's a jewel that can only be found here. It goes in restricted slot #81... Blue Planet."

_She sounds like my dad, Vastorie... Maybe she knows him. He does love collecting strange things after all._

"What about you boys?" Bisky posed the question, which Killua answered, cheeks still red from the punch "We're here to clear the game, obviously."

"Are you sure it wasn't for something else?" Bisky winked with a sinister smile, pointing out what Killua thought she didn't witness. He hated her for pointing that out, but he also didn't like what she was insinuating "Shut it! Old-"

"Aaahhh...!" Daniel wrapped his arms around Killua, turning the boy away while he used his back as a shield "Nothing as such was happing! It's bad enough my father would tease me... I don't need any more people..."

Bisky perked an eyebrow, wondering who this father the boy was speaking about. It couldn't be the same guy she remembers so little about... he was a social outcast, a loner. She wouldn't think, let alone humour the thought that the man raised a child. He wasn't father material... he was a man who wanted to be left alone.

"Who..."

"Actually, speaking of dads... My dad made this game." Gon chimed in, a huge smile spread across his face.

Killua shove Daniel way for the second time, which the boy could've sworn Killua's cheeks grew a darker shade of red.

"Oh...?" Bisky questioned Gon, her interest peaking.

"I'm looking for my dad, so I thought this game might contain a lead."

"Who's your dad?"

"Ging Freecss..."

"Ging?!"

 _Who is this Ging...? And how come everyone, besides Killua and myself know about him...?_ _Oh, and Pokkle too... maybe also the other guys who passed with us as well... Maybe I should have said_ _ **how does every Veteran Hunter know him?**_

"You know him?"

Bisky's eyes were widened in shock, coming to terms with the boy's heritage. Ging was famous, really famous. He was an enigma, yes, but one of the few most powerful _Nen_ users "You bet I do! He's famous. Chairman Netero once said he was one of the top five _Nen_ users..."

_Top five, damn, he must be really powerful. I wonder where Bisky and Netero are on that chart... I wonder where my parents are as well... I recon Nathaniel has to be in the top 5s as well. And Vastorie might be in the top 100s, if lucky._

"~"

Vastorie sneeze, a cloud of mist barely touching the book, he managed to remove in time from the danger zone.

"You ok...?"

"Yeah... pick a letter!"

Nathaniel quirked an eyebrow at his husband, pausing at the door for a moment to address the unusual question "What for?"

"Pick one..."

"D?"

"Hmm..." Vastorie paused, running several names through his mind "David? Nah, that guy barely even has time to think about himself... Hmm, perhaps... Dante...?"

"How about your son...? He also starts with D..."

Vastorie paused to consider the thought, running multiple situations where his name might come up "Don't think so..."

Rolling his eyes, Nathaniel continued on towards the kitchen, his time to cook for that night. He didn't complain, liking the idea of switching up the household chores. But he'd rather have Vastorie's cooking "I'm making... your third favourite."

"But... But... that means-"

"Which, is the exact reason, _why_ I making it! Just because the kids is out of the house, travelling, doing their own thing and having fun, doesn't mean you get to have _fun_ too. I'm not some machine you can turn 'on' whenever you so please."

Vastorie chuckled "Oh, but you are a _machine_... once the _mood_ gets rolling."

"I'm contemplating on tying you to a tree..."

"Kinky... but I don't know about the bark rubbing up against my backside."

"Arrgh..."

"Am I too _hard_ for you to handle? I can go _all_ night..."

"That's it! I'm gonna make it so you can't talk or walk by tomorrow!"

"Just the way I like it..." Vastorie smirked, holding the book back to his eye sight, recalling the last word he read before continuing to speak "Remember, extra cheese. I like it oozing out. Oh, and that wasn't a pun intended."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes again, refusing to continue that game. As much as he loved the man, he was too old to be playing the 'choose your words wisely' game.

"~"

Daniel sneezed, covering his mouth just in time.

"Cold...?"

"Maybe..." Daniel paused, considering Killua's idea. He could always ask the boy for extra warmth. After all, Killua was the _main_ reason why he lost his favourite jacket. But then again, he'd have to suffer through those warm, fuzzy feelings, which he sadly couldn't complain about.

As much as he would like to voice his ideas, he chose to listen to Gon and Bisky's talk, just in time to hear the part not involving Ging's high rank "Bisky, if you'd be willing to postpone your treasure hunt, please teach us _Nen_!"

"You've finally come around?"

Daniel vouched for Gon, though on his own terms "As much as I hate to admit it... we do need your help."

Killua's cheeks puffed up, angered he'd have to listen to the old hag for even longer than he'd like.

Bisky smiled, holding a hand close to her chest, words contradicting her smile "I'm a lot tougher than Wing. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Gon raised his hand, smiling wider than Bisky.

Killua frowned, watching Daniel joined in, holding his hand up to join in "No pain, no gain..."

Bisky's eyes fell on Killua last, eyes narrowing on the boy's frown "What about you?"

"I'll be fine..." _Pissed, but still fine..._

The man sudden jolted awake, coughing out a lung or two... maybe more considering the damage he suffered.

Bisky placed her hands on her hips, her frown drooping. She was waiting for the man to stop coughing; before speaking in an angered tone "Take out all your cards."

The man drew out his book, Bisky picking out the cards as she placed them into her own, making sure she didn't mix his with her own. A smile grew across her face, growing more sinister by the second. She had a plan, a plan to kill two birds with one stone. If this was to work, she needed the man for her first stage of training.

He was a rank D, and Gon, Killua and Daniel couldn't take down a rank D earlier. She needed to get them to his strength level, pushing them pass their boundaries efficiently, and quickly if the boys were to survive "I'm going to give you a chance you must evade their attacks for two weeks! If you're successful, I'll let you escape. If you're knocked unconscious or can't stand..." Bisky's mood darkened, her face showing a fraction of her dark nature "I will kill you."

The boys' eyes narrowed slightly, listening to her rules. Something was up, and the man seemed to think so too. Swallowing hard, he made sure he knew the rules "I just have to avoid their attacks, right?" He slowly turned to face the boys, his smile widening, sinister and disturbing to anyone who looked for long enough "It doesn't matter what I do to them?"

"Sure..." Bisky smiled at the idea, the challenge being able to push the boys to their limit "But there's one rule. You aren't allowed to leave this crater. If you break this rule, you lose, and I'll kill you."

_Wait, what? Our training is to only knock him out... YET, he can kill us...? Well that isn't fair..._

"What about us?" Killua posed the question while looking deep into Bisky's eyes.

"The same rules apply. If you leave, or fail to defeat him after two weeks, you'll be punished."

_Well... that's nice to know. If he betrays the rules, he dies... If we fail, we get punished..._

Bisky turned to face the man, finally revealing the attacker's name, and the person the boys will have to defeat in two weeks "You're the Bounty Hunter Binolt, right?"

"Yeah..." Binolt replied, picking up the scissors that he'll probably be using in the fight to come.

As Binolt was putting on his scissor belt, Bisky's eyes narrowed "There's a bounty on his head, as well. He's a brutal murderer."

Binolt grabbed a single pair, holding them up to the three boys' eye sight. His smile grew; showing more of his sinister side, a side which Bisky had only destroyed a few minutes ago.

"Begin!"

"~"

Even after Bisky initiated the fight, it took until the sunrise before any of the boys started to move. They were cautious, way too cautious with the man, even when he'd been severely injured a few hours ago by Bisky.

Daniel held out Wolfbane, dragging it across the floor. All he had to do was wait for Killua or Gon to attack. He'd act as support, keeping the man on his toes as he attempted to dodge from three different angles.

Killua waited from behind, while Gon watched from the front and Daniel was off to the side. Binolt glanced in the three boys' different directions before choosing to kneel on the floor, lying in wait.

Bisky yelled at the boys, upset that they hadn't even lifted a finger to attack Binolt "Why are you standing around? He's trying to heal up! Are you going to let him?"

Killua moved, the first to attack Binolt as Daniel hit the button, throwing Wolfbane towards Binolt. The sudden movement of Binolt threw Daniel off guard, slicing at Killua as he deflected the boy's attack.

Killua avoided the first attack, jumping back to avoid the second, and any further attacks. The shock left Daniel wide open, turning to look at Killua. That's when it noticed it, the faint red, bloody line just under his eye.

Daniel was enraged, whipping the blade mid air to slam it into the ground. Unfortunately for the man, he dodged the boy with a wide open guard. Maybe it was the sudden cough caused the break in his defence, allowing Daniel to thread the blade through the scissor's grip, sliding it out of the man's hold and onto the floor, far away.

He knew there was no way in hell he'll get lucky again, sliding another one of the weapons out of his grip. He had three more pairs of scissors, and no one would be fast enough to stop him from grabbing another pair of the disarmed scissors.

Binolt clutched his chest, coughing as Gon attacked the man while he was disarmed, and coughing. As Gon got close he stopped just in time, Binolt sliding another pair out of his pouch.

Daniel tempted fate once again, but the man removed his arm in time, avoiding another disarm. The boy let out a noise of complaint, angered for missing the second pair scissors.

How was he going to stop Binolt from hurting his friends, if he couldn't relieve said man from his weapons?

But Killua came to the save, drawing Daniel's attention out of his angered state as well as Gon to listen. The boy seemed to be picking up rocks as he spoke "Gon, Daniel, let's make this a battle of attrition."

"Attrition...?" Gon posed the question. He sounded as if he were more interested in the meaning, than the actual context of the word.

Daniel could only listen, hoping to gauge what type of plan the boy was about to put in motion. Rocks that small wasn't about to damage the man, and he was sure he wouldn't bash the man with them...

"You two get some rest. I'll keep an eye on him, and use these to attack. We'll switch every six hours." The boy spoke, throwing and constantly catching the rocks in his hand.

"Rocks...?"

Daniel argued with Killua, finding the plan of 'attrition' to be more of a joke "Killua, we should work on disarming him, rather than playing dodge ball with rocks."

"Like how you failed on the second attempt?"

Daniel fumed from the boy's words, but Killua was right. Binolt was now on his guard, ready to dodge anymore attempts of disarm. But he wasn't about to let Killua get all the dirty work done on his own. He wanted to help, so he re-shackled his weapon, placing back on his belt before leaning down to grab a few pebbles of rocks "I'll help then!"

"Huh?"

"You know... with throwing rocks..."

Gon decided to join into the conversation offering a different plan of action "That's a good idea!"

"With more people throwing rocks...?" Daniel paused, wondering how stupid the idea with be to exhaust all three members of the party at the same time. But it seemed Daniel was the one dense this time, Gon turning to walk up to the side of the crater.

Gon held his fist in his hand for a second, focusing the aura in his hand. Reeling it back his fist, Gon slammed it into the side of the cliff; the impact cracked the wall, leaving several large rocks behind in the wake of his attack. Gon couldn't be angry with the crater, so it had to do with the boy's incoming plan.

Picking up one of the large rocks, Gon turned around, his trademark smile returning. The boy took off with a running start, lunging towards the man with the rock as if he'd planned to use it like a club.

As Gon slammed the rock into the ground, Binolt jumped back, which also allowed Bisky to comment on how well Gon's plan would work "Correct! You boys can't beat him in a drawn-out fight."

"Makes sense..." Killua smiled, reaching into the ground to dig up a large rock. While Gon and Killua attacked Binolt with their rocks, Daniel ran around the field, snatching up one of the many rocks Gon created. Judging by the boy's display of strength, Gon could create multiple of them easily.

The boy was stronger when it came to an efficient plan. He would use Gon's strength to his advantage, throwing his strength into creating a miniature rocky field while Gon and Killua attack. Binolt wouldn't know what hit him...

"~"

As the plan of attack worked to Daniel's advantage, it dawned on him that using his manipulation ability, along with Gon's strength; he could've catapulted the rocks. But how long would he last? Daniel could have exerted himself long before the end of the battle, leaving himself wide open to attacks. He couldn't risk leaving Gon and Killua defend himself, and attack Binolt at the same time.

He wasn't about to put Killua and Gon through that...

They worked together; synchronising their attacks by slamming or throwing a rock near Binolt, forcing the man to dodge the rocks or any attacks Killua and Gon worked into a combination. As soon as one attack was finished, Binolt was forced to dodge another's.

Bisky watched the onslaught, her smile widening at the boys prowess, ability to keep Binolt on his feet. _Binolt may be injured, but making him uncomfortable in half a day is still impressive. They're conscious that their lives are on the line in this fight. Not bad at all... These boys are raw gems!_

Bisky's eyes fell on Gon first, narrowing the boy's raw ability to a single gem.  
_That rock-hard conviction in his eyes. That hidden, bottomless potential... If properly cut through training, he can be completely transformed... Like a diamond!_

Bisky's eyes drew next to Killua, performing the same sort of assessment.  
_This boy is a cool, calm blue. He may look fragile, but with the right amount of heat, he can achieve semi-permanent strength... Like a sapphire!_

When Bisky's eyes fell on Daniel, a question began to linger across her mind. Who did he remind her of? It was the strange man that hid behind Netero, lost in the past and lingering on in a depressive state. _He reminds me of that man... but different somehow. He hides in the shadows; his feelings out on display, even when he isn't aware of them... Like a onyx! But, deep down... he's a turquoise waiting to bloom!_

Bisky's eyes gleam in delight, her ideals coming into fruition. _Why does my heart skip whenever I see something waiting to be polished? I'll train them well!_

"What...?" The boys had Binolt trapped, hidden within a rocky field of their own creation. It was times like these Daniel wished he could master _Zetsu_ , hiding within the field as he waited to attack.

Daniel ducked around a corner, attempting to use his poor excuse of _Zetsu_ as a tool to distract Binolt.

Bisky watched Daniel intently, wondering why Wing in his right mind would allow the boy to pass _Zetsu_. He failed to contain his presence enough so that Binolt wouldn't have noticed it earlier, and if it weren't for Bisky standing in front of him, he would've led Binolt straight to their hiding spot.

But now with the combined forces of the boys, they have stopped Binolt from tracking Daniel down.

Daniel hid, watching Killua aim to attack. As Binolt swung at Killua, Daniel jumped out of hiding, slamming his weapon down into the ground in front of the man. He jumped back, avoiding the rubble as Gon used that to his advantage, sending a pile of rocks hurtling towards Binolt.

Daniel curled a smile around his lips, Killua finishing off the man with a smirk "Game over, pops!"

"Stop, Killua!" Gon's sudden scream startled Killua and Daniel, allowing Binolt to have time to take down Killua. The boy however avoided the older man's attack, jumping back to glare at Gon. If he was going to stop him, why didn't he do so earlier? Why tell him to stop when he was right on top of him, hand help up to either kill or knock out the man? "Why did you stop me, Gon?"

Daniel held out his hands in open arms, adding a suggestion to the boy's words "Couldn't you have done so before he was about to deliver the last blow?"

"We still have plenty of time. Let's continue until we're each able to take him alone."

"Huh?"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow; he wondered why Gon would offer such a choice? Yes, they needed to be able to take on a rank D on their own, but why now? Wouldn't it have been better to discuss such a thing straight off the bat... a decision in unison right before Bisky's original goal?

"Stopping now would be a waste." Gon smiled, rubbing a bit of the dirt and sweat off his face. His aura became agitated, more excited as the boy continued to explain the reasoning for why they shouldn't stop now "Because we're on a roll."

Daniel shook his head, smiling that Gon somehow seemed to find a loophole in anything. He turned a single challenge into an even greater one, one where the stakes were even higher than originally set.

Binolt burst into laughter as he rubbed the sweat from his forehead "Fool... It's my turn. I'll slice you up!"

"Sure, but let's wait until tomorrow."

Daniel felt himself become jaded, sucked of all emotion. Did Gon just tell the man who threaten to kill them to wait until tomorrow? Surely, the psychopath wouldn't wait that long to attack? But, judging by Gon next few choice of words, the man would have to "You should get some rest. You've been slowing down."

Once again, Gon had Daniel smirking, staring down at the ground. This boy just didn't know when to quit. Changing the rules constantly, and delivering lines which gave even psychopathic killers a reason to pause and consider the thought.

Gritting his teeth, the man shoved his scissors back into his pouch, back turned as he walked to the opposite wall of the boys. He leaned back against the wall, sliding down with his eyes closed. This gave him a great chance to rest, and an even better one to escape. If the boys seemed oblivious, and the others seemed to follow him like a leader; escape, seemed closer than he though... if the boy remained like this.

"~"

Binolt waited, pretending to be asleep. It was night, dark; a shadow looming over the arena. Using that to his advantage, the man cloaked himself in _Zetsu_ , taking a step away from his position.

The three boys' eyes shot open, staring at him intently. Seeing his plan go up in smoke, Binolt sat back down, closing his eyes to rest.

"~"

Day after day, practice was normal. Each boy had a certain amount of hours to practice. The days were divided into four sections. One dedicated for rest, while the other three were partitioned for the boys to train.

Daniel didn't care for who went first, often letting the other two boys fight for the first strike. He'd often smile at how Killua and Gon fought, the two leaving chance to a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Even if he was the last to fight Binolt, the enemy was strong. But more often than not, he wasn't fighting the man at his peak.

As the days passed by, the man's strength seemed to fade, getting beaten by every boy, even with a short time break. They seemed to have an excessive amount of energy, surpassing the man's own endurance. Yes, it was three against one, but these boys didn't know how to give up.

They pushed the man right to his limits, and on the tenth day, he cracked.

Gon swung his fist out, stopping right before his fist impacted with Binolt's chest. Air kicked up around him, the force of Gon's punch creating the small jet of air.

Binolt didn't want to do this anymore... He slumped to the ground, dropping the pair of scissors in his hand "That's enough... There's no way I can defeat you. Kill me..."

Gon tilted his head sideways, unsure of why the man would suggest such a thing. He wasn't about to kill him. He was the reason why he and his friends had come so far in training "Why? We won't kill you. You've helped us make a lot of process." Gon's smile grew, reflecting the light of the fading sunrise "Thank you, Binolt-San!"

"~"

Night came, Binolt dropping beneath Bisky's feet. He'd given up, and he was hoping, Bisky, would end his suffering. However, she only egged him on; wanting the man to explain what he really wanted.

Binolt's dream was nothing the boys expected, a dream to live a normal life. And hearing that, it allowed him to get a third option, an option he wasn't expecting.

Bisky held out her hand, allowing the man to option to take it "Go on..."

Looking at the hand offered, he unbuckled the belt around his waist, offering it to Bisky as a sign of peace "Once I leave, I'll turn myself in."

He walked off, away from this game...

Away from his past...

Binolt no longer wished to live the life he sought before, and aim for something different... redemption...

Gon waved at the man as he walked away, happy for the experience he gained.

Bisky smiled, holding up a finger to the sky as she spoke "Well, let's head for Masadora."

"NINE!" Daniel yelled before acknowledging the statement. He was surprised it took Gon and Killua a second to register Bisky's earlier command. When she raised a finger, they had to say what she was hiding, using _Gyo_ to reveal her secret.

It wasn't until after Daniel said it, Killua and Gon both used _Gyo_ "The number 8!"

"Too slow!" Bisky yelled back, a grin widening "Give me three thousand push-ups..."

"Damn..." The two boys were forced to do their task, Daniel smiling in glee. Though, his dreams were dashed when Bisky pointed at him "One thousand push-ups for ignoring me!"

"Wait, what...?"

"You completely ignored the second number. Therefore, you have to do push-ups as well!"

"Seriously...?"

The woman fumed, hands pressed up against her waist "Seriously!"

Daniel let out a groan of frustration. He dropped to the floor, performing his push-ups alongside his friends as they chuckled.

"You want to make it five thousand?"

All three were silenced; the only sound of the occasional grunting during their task.

Sufficiently happy, Bisky continued to speak "Masadora's about seventy kilometres away. That's a three-hour trip, at most."

The three boys let out another groan of frustration, words being echoed off the mountain side "Seriously?"

There was no way this woman could be human. She was a demon, hiding under the guise of human body. No one in their right mind would set a task so early, after a three thousand push-up marathon session. It was as if each task she set got progressively harder along the way. What was she going to ask next, run all the way back after reaching Masadora?

Time could only tell what this devious witch thought up next...


	64. Bisky X Masadora X Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I just had an epiphany after a review from **AngelFaux** from Fanfiction.net. Feel free to make any suggestions, I won't judge. Either through PMs or as a review :-)
> 
> I suck at creating characters... and names... mostly names!

Daniel traversed the rocky hills along with his friends. While they hadn't seen crazy monster designs, the views were fantastic; endless landscapes, stairs out of rocky formations, desolated towns, plains viewing the endless ocean; an adventure, a short one barely touching the finger tips.

Passing the last of their endless views, the plains viewing the beach side, they were met with a city Gon couldn't help but draw the boys' attention to "Oh, there it is!"

Daniel's eyes drew away from the fantastic view of the beach side to a large forest, a city hidden away, yet it stuck out like a sore thumb... Masadora, the City of Magic; nothing about the town looked magical however. It looked as though someone grabbed all the foods in the world, blended it, and used whatever outcome to build the city. Pineapple towers, watermelon buildings, and who knew what else littered the city at this point.

Nothing mattered to Bisky, just a single track of thought; what to do next. Turning to look at boys, Bisky issued her first plan of attack "Let's find a department store now!"

"~"

The department store was handy, yet unusual. Cards littered throughout the store, nothing being contained on shelves.

Bisky went her own way, leaving the boys on their own to view the items for sale. Daniel stopped in front of a single card, muttering the word out loud "Ming Jar... probably the most expensive card..." When he looked at the price, it didn't even compare to **Map of Island** , #101 "Huh... You would think a Ming Jar be more expensive than a map..."

Gon puff up his cheeks, knitting his eyebrow together as he viewed each card individually "They're only selling cards..."

"At least it makes everything easier to transport... Imagine how many couches one could hold in a single hand."

"They aren't that heavy..." Killua argued, shifting his eyes to look at Daniel.

"We aren't typical kids... You could renovate a house within your finger tips. Couch, poof... Mirror, poof... all done within a single day..."

"I guess..." Killua drew back his eyes to the wall of cards.

Bisky bounced pass, stopping to draw the boys' attention and give them their next order "Sorry for the wait. Let's return to that rocky area."

"What?!"

They only got there an hour ago, and now Bisky wants them to go back? She's the devil's daughter, reincarnated as a human being! Couldn't they relax for a moment...?

But no matter how much they fought, Bisky was stern. No, means no... And an order was absolute.

"~"

The boys took in a deep lungful of air, breathing out slowly before taking in another. They were used to running seventy kilometres within a couple of hours. But Bisky was persistent, and refused to allow any breaks. The daylight hadn't even begun to break, and they already had ran 140 kilometres plus.

Bisky eyed her four cards, holding them out with a huge smile. What was she planning next? The woman summoned the cards, three shovels and flashlights, and a wheelbarrow dropping to the floor.

Gon was confused, wondering why they tracked so far, for so little return "These are the cards you brought?"

Sure, it had a wonderful view, and excellent exercise regime. But what is she going to make them do now...? Dig up the **Blue Planet**?

Daniel highly doubted the gem would be here, in the field of rocks and monsters.

"Yep..." Bisky smiled, facing a rocky formation as she held out a finger point in the general direction of Masadora "We'll head back to Masadora now." Each boy was pissed, but her next choice of words didn't help "However, We'll go in a straight line!"

"Huh...? A straight line...?" Killua asked, followed by Daniel's estranged curiosity "You can't mean for us to dig our way..."

Bisky turned to the boys, an innocent smile. It betrayed her real thoughts... her sinister ideals "Yep! It's time to start now... daylights burning!"

Each boy grabbed a shovel, digging into the mountain-side as Bisky watched off to the side.

Surprisingly, it wasn't so hard to dig into. The wall cracked under the shovel's pressure, moulding out of the mountain-side like dirt.

"The rock isn't as hard as I was expecting." Killua was the most surprised out of the three, digging again into the wall as Gon spoke next "Yeah, this should go pretty smoothly..."

"Yeah, smooth... we're digging into a cliff-side with shovels instead of... I don't know... running over it. At least where not running back again..."

"Yeah..." Killua dug into the wall again, throwing the dirt off to the side "It's bad enough we've done it twice. Who does this old hag think she is?! She's forcing us to dig through a wall, instead of actually training us!"

"Don't let her catch you saying that; also, she is the master of our master... apparently!" Daniel dug into the wall again, shovelling it off to the side. He highly doubts this training would serve any other purpose than to delay the inevitable... running back to Masadora for the third time that day.

"~"

The last of the tunnel collapsed as the boys breached it, allowing them a momentary moment of happiness. They grappled the last of the collapsed wall, groaning together "This is rough..." Never have they been so glad in their life... for digging a tunnel to freedom.

Who knew digging straight towards Masadora would be so hard... so tedious. They continued to crawl out of the tunnel over the dirt pile, rolling onto the cold hard dirt as Gon wailed "No more..."

This was only one, out of the many holes they had to dig out. If the first one was causing this much drama, they were dreading the next few awaiting them.

"Hold on. If you're going to rest, sit properly..." Bisky couldn't let it go, destroying the boy's only ounce of freedom by setting yet another task. What else would she set? First, she made the rule about the raised finger, then the digging... and now she wanted another to the endless rules she keeps thinking up.

Daniel was expecting her to make a rule about sneezing from the way she was going. And here he complained about Vastorie setting harsh rules... Hell, even his sister had more relaxed laws than Bisky. The only rule he would consider harsh was her rule about death...

Bisky held out her hand, drawing the boy's attention to a wall with drawstrings. Each boy sat down, choosing their own drawstring, even though they were the same, no different from one another. Pulling the string raised the rope, a tiny pebble hovering over their head. Was this Bisky's death trap, a tiny rock which would crack their head on impact? Or was this just the beginning, to a hell only just starting...?

"Starting today, you must always sleep in this position. Don't let go of the rope."

_Oh, I thought this would be hell... or at least worse than..._

Bisky opened her mouth, changing the boy's thoughts immediately "There's a chance I might cut the rope, so keep a portion of your brain alert while you sleep."

 _Welp, this is going to take time getting used to..._ Daniel drew his eye closed, hoping a fraction of his brain stayed awake. A few minutes into falling asleep, Gon woke the boy with a loud scream "What's happened?!"

Bisky ignored Daniel, holding out a finger to Gon "Okay, when it falls, you have to put it back up."

Daniel's eyes widen, terror crossing his face. He was a light sleeper. If Gon woke, screaming in agony every time, he didn't know if he could get any actual sleep time. Sleeping with a portion of your brain awake is one thing... doing that with the chance of someone screaming every time they dropped it is another.

"~"

Killua and Daniel woke surprisingly refreshed, continuing on with their digging as Gon slept. Daniel was surprised he was able to sleep. Maybe Gon screamed on the inside, refusing to allow a single sound to escape.

Though, when breakfast came, they saw Gon sitting at the make shift table. He had multiple bumps on his head, and huge teabags under his eyes to give away the lack of sleep.

Daniel didn't want to bring it up, looking away as he popped the rice into his mouth. Bisky had a nice variety of food to choose from, maybe not as flavourful as his own dad's, but it was nice given the fact that Bisky was working with a single cauldron out in the open fields. She wasn't exactly running a restaurant here...

Killua however wasn't interested in what was on the table. He was concerned about Gon, opening his mouth to voice his concerns for the boy's dead, late morning expression "Gon, your head..."

"I'm good..."

 _Define 'Good'... you look dead..._ Daniel thought as he looked towards Gon, worried. But the boy got more worried as he thought about it. What if Bisky didn't attack him, because she was too busy cutting Gon's rope...? What if she planned to attack him tonight? Looking towards Bisky, he saw a wide grin, evil and sinister across her face. Either she was coming to get him tonight, or she was going to kill Gon in his sleep.

The boys left after breakfast, continuing on with their assigned work. Nothing eventful happened that day, a few conversations here and there. But when Night rolled around, and the boys saw the rocks had been changed, that was when the worry kicked in. they weren't a inch in diameter anymore... they were at least five or more now, hanging above their head.

Daniel was worried as he looked above his head, holding onto the drawstring tightly. If he let go, it was all over. He would have a large bump on his head, or worse... be dead after dropping that boulder on his head.

The boy's eyes drew to Gon, worried about the boy, then to Killua whom wasn't fazed by his being larger. Killua was more worried about Gon's, than his own.

Daniel felt a tinge of jealousy from the way Killua was looking at Gon, but the more he thought about... the more he began the realise he was doing the same thing. Why should Killua be worried about Daniel, when Daniel didn't feel the same way? They were both worried about Gon, seeing the boy did after all, have more bumps and bruises on his head.

But, he still hated that feeling. Why now was he suddenly becoming more hyperaware of his feelings? Sometimes he would glaze over them, while others were so strong; all he could do was focus on them. He'd never thought he'll ever meet someone who he has wanted to hold close... hug them... protect them... Hell, sometimes his brain would linger even too much darker thoughts like kissing.

All he ever wished for was to protect Killua... and now after spending so much time with him, now he wanted to kiss him.

Why didn't he feel the same way towards Gon? He'd been travelling with Gon just as long, if not longer... and he didn't have the same feelings. Something about Killua attracted Daniel too him, and he was scared. He was scared about those feelings consuming him, making him do things that Killua may not even want. He'd already been pushed away multiple times by Killua.

He was dead sure Killua didn't want the same things he did... and sometimes the same rules applied to Daniel's own thoughts... sometimes! He just wanted to protect Killua... nothing more... nothing less...

And his brain... wanted so much more than that...

Daniel closed his eyes, shutting down all thoughts about Killua. He didn't want this pain anymore... He just wanted to protect Killua... and Gon. Nothing more... nothing less...

Bisky drew her eyes to Daniel, seeing the sudden influx of aura. It was becoming erratic, as if arguing about itself. What was Daniel doing... thinking about exactly? How come the others hadn't seen it yet, or at least felt the sudden influx? This boy was strange, fighting with his own feelings. What exactly was he so scared about?

He was 'in-love' with someone, maybe Killua considering his aura was reaching out to the boy. Bisky let out a brief sigh, before looking towards Daniel again. She spoke, drawing the boys' attention "I'll be making them bigger."

"Gon..." Killua murmured, Daniel's eyes opening to look at the same boy.

Gon looked stern, determined to get through the new challenge. He wasn't going to lose... and he wasn't going to let this rock drop on his head "I'm good!"

Daniel wasn't so sure in the moment, his thoughts still lingering about his feelings for Killua "Don't drop it..."

"I won't!"

A small smile graced Daniel's lips, hiding what he was truly feeling on the inside. He wished he wasn't scared of those feelings anymore... he wished he could at least voice his concerns. But sleep overcame him, his last thought being about confessing to Killua.

Sometime during the night, Daniel woke to a sudden crash, followed by Gon screaming in agony. The shock made him let go of the rope, dropping his as well. He too screamed in agony, the rock somehow remaining intact. What was this stuff made from? Where was Bisky finding the material to make a rock that not only hurt when dropping on one's head, but also not break?

Bisky smiled in glee, pointing to both boys "You dropped it, now fix it..."

Both boys did as they were told, but Daniel made sure next time he wouldn't drop it...

"~"

Digging had become extraneous to the boys, an extra to their everyday lives. Nothing was out of the unordinary, the dirt wall crumbling under the shovel's touch. They conversed here and there, adding conversations to their mundane task.

"Hey, Gon..." Daniel asked, bored as he dug out some dirt.

"Hmm...?" Gon paused mid shovelling, removing the beads of sweat before they ran down his face.

"Nothing... it's just..." Daniel slammed the shovel into the wall, leaving it lodged in as he looked around. He had to make sure Killua wasn't around, fear of his feelings getting out in the open to make an awkward situation more awkward "Do you remember how you asked a while back..." Fear set into the boy's mind, his thoughts becoming more jumbled by the second. He no longer knew if he should ask, the fear of Killua being in an ear shot as the question was asked "Forget about it..."

Gon stopped for a moment, looking Daniel in concern. The boy had been distant lately, lost in thoughts. At first Gon thought Daniel was struggling to get through Bisky's training, but now the boy had a hint of struggle in his voice, thoughts weighing heavily in his voice "What's wrong?"

As Daniel reached for the shovel, Gon's hand stopped him. The boy looked up to see concern in his eyes. He'd had setup a trap to his own demise, and now Gon definitely wouldn't let it go now. He wanted to know, and either Daniel waited till Killua got back to interrogate them or he'd have to say it now and get it over and done with "I've been thinking about what you asked me in the cabin when we were... rescuing Killua..."

"Oh..." Gon mouthed a big 'o', letting go of the boy's hands so Daniel could get his shovel back.

"And I'm scared... you may be right..."

Daniel looked around, Killua nowhere in sight. Maybe it would take him longer to dump the dirt, the tunnel to outside being nothing more than a tiny white speck of light. It didn't look like Killua would be back soon after dumping the dirt, and the pile of dirt from the wall dug out behind them, already at knee height. Maybe they should stop for now before Killua got back.

Daniel took in a deep breath, expecting the boy to congratulate him in some way. But all he was met with was more confusion "What do you mean? Why are you afraid...?"

Daniel didn't know what his main fear was. Though, rejection was the first thought that came to mind "Rejection... followed by undying feelings, I guess... What if..." Daniel paused, getting all his thoughts organized in order to get his real fears on display "What if I like Killua... and he doesn't like me back...?"

Gon paused to consider the question. Daniel was right to think about that, but the question seemed a little unusual. Something else was lingering on the boy's mind besides that. But Gon soon smiled, speaking for his own heart "Umm... You stop and try again later!"

"Gon..."

"I mean..." Gon paused, rewording it for Daniel to better understand "Wait a little longer, before asking again. Feelings can change..."

"What if they don't...?"

Gon smiled softly, the thing that was hidden in Daniel's mind now on display "You _really_ like him."

Daniel looked at Gon, a dead serious expression gracing the boy's face "Gon?! I'm being serious! What if my feelings don't change? What if, I can _never_ be _friends_ with Killua?" The boy looked around, fear that Killua may come back any moment. What if the boy overhead in this very moment? Could they carry on, and still be friends without this lingering awkwardness surrounding them?

Gon paused to consider the thought. How would Killua react? He was sure Killua wouldn't kick Daniel away... removing himself from the boy's presence "Killua wouldn't do that... and if he does, I'll make him apologise! Once Killua sees it from your point of view, I'm sure he'll understand."

"If he doesn't kill me first..."

"Killua wouldn't do that!"

"If I embarrass him enough... I'm sure he will!"

Gon held out one hand to his bicep, smiling widely "Then I'll stop Killua before he does!"

"Stop me from doing what, exactly?"

Daniel's heart dropped, fear settling into his eyes as turned to look at Killua. Killua was standing there, arms crossed as he tapped one arm impatiently. Killua raised one eyebrow in concern at the boys' silence "Should I be worried?" Killua's eyes drew towards Gon, expecting an answer out of the boy.

"Daniel-"

Daniel wrapped a hand around Gon's mouth, silencing the boy as he feint an awkward smile in Killua's direction. He then leaned in close to Gon, whispering into the boy's ears in hopes of ending the discussion with Gon's help "Don't say anything! I still have to... sort things _out_..."

" **Say** and **sort** _what_ out exactly?"

Why did Killua's hearing suddenly get better, or was the boy not whispering low enough for only Gon to hear? "I have questions..."

"Well... ask?"

"For myself..."

Killua looked slightly away, not believing the boy completely. Daniel was hiding something, and Gon knew what it was too "What questions could you possibly ask yourself, about myself...? I'm standing right here..."

Daniel felt fear settling into his stomach, unsure how to end the questioning. He didn't want to talk about it... not while he was still scared of saying it, let alone showing it. Saying it is one thing... proving it was what he really wanted. He wanted to make sure that if he said it, he could prove it wasn't a hoax... something his mind wasn't making up. His dad's word did weigh a little on him, a question of **lust** verses **love**. Was this **love**... or telltale signs of **lust**? Vastorie didn't divulge the difference between the two, and a dictionary search didn't help either. Meanings... mean nothing without help of knowing the signs between the two. His never felt either 'feeling' with anyone else... Killua was, or more importantly is the first, that has ever made him feel like this.

 _Should I be saying I_ _ **love you**_ _... or I_ _ **lust you**_ _...?_ Daniel didn't know the difference at this moment, and even with Gon's help, he still didn't know which one to say. He brought the shovel to the wall, hoping that by throwing a massive dirt pile at Killua, he could get away with minor wounds, and maybe make the boy forget about the conversation in the process.

But it seemed like luck was on his side; godlike, seven times lottery winner in a row... lucky. He was met with a rock, the shovel almost ricocheting off the wall; it alerted the boys of a troubling issue. Maybe Daniel could get away without answering the boy, instead making Killua focus on the rock.

"Oh..." Daniel absent-mindedly spoke, lost in thought. How could he use this to his advantage?

"Don't 'oh' me..."

Gon seemed to be more obsessed with the hard rock, hitting it with his own shovel, the same happened to him, his own strength unable to dig through the rock as well "We've run into a really hard rock."

Killua rolled his eyes at both boys, pointing out the obvious to the two "Why don't you try digging it up then..."

Gon followed the groves, tapping it until he found a grove where he could dig it out. Unfortunately for him, the rock stretched deep into the ground, no way of telling where the rock starts and stops "I don't think a shovel will work."

Daniel hit the top of the rock, the same rule being applied to him "Looks like it goes as far above ground as it does underground..."

Gon drew his aura to his fist, the same as he did during the training with Binolt "I can probably break it with a _Nen_ punch."

This was the first time Daniel had seen it up and close, and curiosity had gotten the better of him. It seemed Gon's ability allowed to focus the aura into his fits, limiting, if not removing all other traces of his aura around his body. It left him venerable, weak against all attacks on his body; unless, one was to clash fists with the boy.

"I don't think that would be wise in such a tight space... especially, when we're supposed to be digging a tunnel."

Then it hit Gon like a ton of bricks, and idea that neither of them thought to use at the time. The sound Gon made forced Killua to question the boy first "What's wrong?"

"Killua," Gon looked at the boy first, then to Daniel "Daniel, what were you doing with your aura while digging?"

 _Besides focusing it in my shadow so I don't feel like I'm choking in this pitch black darkness... nothing?_ The boy didn't feel comfortable saying that out loud, expressing a weakness to his ability he was yet to reveal. It was one of the many consequences to his Vows and Limitations, including why his _Zetsu_ was worse than it was before.

"I wasn't doing anything unusual..." Killua spoke, glancing at Daniel with a slight glare. _You're lucky this happened..._

"Same here... nothing strange and unusual happening with me..." Daniel chuckled awkwardly, hoping none of the boys had looked at his feet.

"Think of the shovel as part of your body!"

Daniel held the shovel up, staring at it. Aura began to slowly flow into it, consuming the item whole. His aura surrounded the shovel like it was a part of his body, brimming with the same amount of strength his aura produced.

Gon went first, slamming his shovel into the rock, ripping into it like a knife through butter "Wow! The rock's as soft as pudding!"

"And incidentally..." Daniel smirked, flash backs of his past fight with Yanick following back into his mind "We've replicated **Kingslayer**..."

"Huh?" Killua paused, looking at Daniel in confusion.

"You know the idiot I fought at Heavens Arena? Well, that's the name of his ability... though Gon is probably the closest to his strength... them being Enhancers an all..."

"Right..." Killua looked towards his shovel, frowning upon knowing that. But considering these two were able to replicate it so easily, the ability must have been really weak, or easy to obtain "Let's keep on digging!"

The tunnel was dug out relatively easy, the breath of fresh air gracing their face in the early evening. Unlike yesterday, where it took forever to dig out a single tunnel, this one collapsed in a short amount of time.

The last of the burning daylight hours made each boy smile in achievement, lifting their shovels in triumph as Killua spoke "Yeah! That was way better than yesterday!"

Gon yelled in turn at the boy's words "Good work!"

"Now another who knows how many to go..." Daniel added, smiling at the minor achievement. With this new skill at hand, clearing the area would be done in days... and no longer weeks.

"~"

Each boy raised their hands in triumph, staring at the Masadora's city entrance. It was glorious to see that gate once again, hope filling their heart after knowing that this time; they had a chance of staying.

"Okay!" Though the boys' hope was dashed again, Bisky the demoness pointing the boys back towards the canyon "Let's return to the starting point now."

"Again?!" The boys yelled together, depressed from knowing they had to go back once again. Was she here to make life difficult, or just to force them back to that single area? Since being introduced to Bisky, their training had been forced to that single area. A change of scenery would be nice...

"~"

Bisky held a finger to her chin, smiling in glee from the boy's defeated eyes. But they weren't there for long when she started speaking; a new plan in motion "Now, we'll work on obtaining monster cards. You have the requisite physical strength to defeat every enemy here. What you lack... is the ability to come up with a plan of attack as you fight. In other words, the ability to strategize..."

"The ability to..." Gon opened up first, Killua finishing the statement with a blank look "...strategize." He didn't like what Bisky had to say... not a single word. Her words cut deep, and were bound to leave a mark.

Daniel didn't like that. _I'm a suburb strategist... just not when it comes to dealing with feelings..._ The boy crossed his arms, peeved at the single thought roaming his mind. It was as if his mind just wanted to argue the concept of love... even though it had no idea what it was arguing about.

"I'm not going to say a single word, so devise your own means to defeat the monsters."

Daniel ran a finger across his chin, wondering how he could defeat all the monsters. He knew he'd struggle with the strange Bubble horse, but the others would be relatively simple. Maybe he'd be lucky, the monsters being split between them... or maybe Bisky would force each boy to catch them once each; she was after all an evil witch.

Daniel was right to judge Bisky; her order was to take on every monster with their own skill set.

Catching **Marimo-chi** was a cinch. All he had to do was box in the creature, making sure it bounced back in his direction. But with Killua's attempt, watching the boy chase after the creature had him awestruck, sucked in by the boy's ability. Not only did he manage to catch it within a minute, Daniel's eyes had done nothing but focus on the boy.

The boy's speed was unparallel to the others, a constant from the boy's endless trials. Daniel couldn't help but admire that ability, and even try to match it. But he couldn't even come close, twenty-five seconds slower than the boy.

Even Gon couldn't get close out by forty seconds.

The next creature on the list was **Melanin Lizard**.

**Melanin Lizard**

**697 E - 100**

**Summons forth a Melanin Lizard. A very large creature big enough to eat a cow whole.**

Catching it was an issue, not because it was large and fast. It was because finding the single weakness on its back, covered by the same markings was the issue. _Gyo_ helped out in this instance, narrowing down the weakness to a single spot. All it took was some added pressure to the spot, sending the creature into a frenzy of screams.

Gon was the most creative when it came to taking down the creature, using not only the rocks as a catapult to startle the creature, but to get it wild enough to head butt a rock pillar, and give the boy enough time to find the weakness.

The last creature Daniel struggled the most to capture... was the **Bubble Horse**.

**Bubble Horse**

**585 C - 50**

**This hard-to-catch creature emits bubbles when threatened as a diversionary tactic. White bubbles will burst in contact with Aura. Red ones will burst with everything else except Aura.**

The creature was evasive, avoiding any chances of being attacked with its bubbles. Using _Zetsu_ didn't help Daniel in this instance either... He had to get creative. Daniel used his weapon to his advantage, using it on the white bubbles where he had to use _Zetsu_ , and then hiding the blade behind his back when dealing with red bubbles.

Sliding at the last possible second, Daniel bumped into a red bubble before sandwiching the monster between his arms. The creature turned into a puff of smoke before he could swipe at the card. Holding the card in his hand, Daniel let out a breath of relief at the last creature to be captured.

He felt relieved to know this was the last monster they'd have to capture in this area, and the last he'll hopefully be ever forced to take down. But considering this was a game... he was sure there was another creature waiting to be captured for one of those hundred slots.

Gon cheered loudly at the boy's achievement while Killua remained unimpressed. Killua would've been impressed if Daniel used _Zetsu_. Zetsu was a staple, to many of the endless requirements of a Hunter. And yet somehow, Daniel was able to last this long without it. He found it rather fascinating that even while the boy was using _Zetsu_ , a fraction of his aura still somehow leaked out, as if he was begging to be found.

He was lucky Binolt didn't attack Daniel, but considering the old hag was there... she was the man's main concern. However many thoughts plagued the boy's mind, a fraction of himself couldn't help but admire the boy's tenacity to still get the job down, improvising along the way. But that fraction was small...

Killua glanced towards Bisky, wondering why she wasn't lecturing the boy yet.

Bisky had been smiling at the last capture, impressed by Daniel's action, even when a part of her wanted to lecture the boy. But at the same time, each boy had their pros and cons; Daniel's being the more obvious than the other three.

Her smile formed more wickedly as she graded the three boys secretly.

_When it comes to analysis and physical strength, Killua's stronger... But Gon makes up for it with his concentration and recovery speed. And Daniel is pretty good when it comes to improvisation and tenacity... They make a perfect team! But I can't help but have two serious judgements on Daniel... Why does he fail at using Zetsu, and what's with his aura surrounding his feet... especially during the night. It could have something to do with his Hatsu... which he has yet to reveal. But, that still doesn't excuse the poor state of Zetsu he manifests._

The woman let out a deep sigh at her thoughts, not mulling it for a second longer. It's time to move onto the next stage of their training, one which she was sure would help Daniel "Okay, we'll now begin to work on your defence."

Bisky allowed her aura to flow around her, surrounding her body like a large cocoon, protecting her from all incoming attacks. Holding up her fist, she allowed the aura to instead focus into her hand, much like Gon does when his about to punch something.

"Is that..."

"That's right, Gon. This is the technique you've being using. _Ten_ , _Zetsu_ , _Ren_ , _Hatsu_ , _and_ _Gyo_ are combined in this technique. _Ko_! You focus all of your aura into one part of your body, then attack. This gives it far greater power than your regular attacks. I'm going to attack with my fist. You must block my attacks. You may not dodge."

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, thinking hard on what the woman was describing about their next task. They had to block an attack which could kill them... But at the same time, wouldn't that leave the rest of her body venerable to attacks? The strength contained in that fist was immense; there was no doubt about it. But the remaining aura surrounding her body was virtually nothing.

If this ability was the same one Gon uses... does that mean Gon had been putting himself in danger by using it?

Daniel drew his eyes towards Gon, more worried about the boy's safety every time he uses it.

Bisky's smile widened into a grin "You've figured it out? That's right... If you use your aura to block normally, you'll take considerable damage. So what should you do?"

"We should use _Ko_ , too." Gon interjected, which made Daniel reject the offer immediately "No! That would leave your body in the worst possible scenario, considering if she changes her momentum and hits you in a place you aren't using _Ko_..."

"Exactly!" Bisky smiled at Daniel before looking back at Gon " _Ko_ against _Ko_ would work as long as you and your opponent have a similar _Nen_ capacity; you'll escape unscratched. However, like Daniel pointed out... If your opponent hits you in a place where you were using _Ko_ , you'll be destroyed."

"Then we should use _Ko_ on our entire body."

"Isn't that kinda redundant, Killua? Focus your entire aura into a single spot... which happens to be your entire body. There's something that already does that... It's called _Ten_..."

"Huh?!" Killua held a finger to Daniel's nose "If you didn't butt in, I was already going to point that out! And I don't see you offering _anything_!"

"Why not _Gyo_...?"

"Huh...?" Killua blinked several times before thinking it over "I guess that could work..."

Gon looked confused between both boys. He didn't see how protecting one's eyes would help into protecting one's body.

Bisky smiled at the young prodigies; they were already thinking outside the box. But she wanted to stick to something easier to master, before moving onto the harder subjects "Ding! You would be correct. However, there is a simpler version. This technique combines _Ten_ and _Ren_. _Ken_. You defend yourself by shrouding your body in much more aura than usual. It isn't as strong as _Ko_ , but far more practical."

Killua fumed from Daniel guessing closer to the right answer. Though, why did Bisky consider Daniel correct, even though she suggested two different variations of _Nen_ to use? Was Daniel offering a solution which was harder to master?

Bisky looked towards Gon, speaking to him first "Gon, use _Ren_." Gon did what was required as Bisky dictated what to do next "To sustain that for a prolonged period is called _Ken_."

Bisky took one step back, aligning her body to Gon's height as she raised her fist "Now protect yourself from my punch!"

Gon took one step back, preparing himself to take one of Bisky's punches.

She seemed to move slower than one expected, as if she was out of time and everyone was catching up. Gon lowered his hands slightly, which in turn made Daniel speak up in concern "Guard up... she might speed up at the last second. You know... like how she randomly cut the string at night."

"Oh..." Gon raised his hand, blocking the attack just as slowly as she was attacking him. As Bisky's hand connected with Gon's palm; for a split second, Daniel thought he saw lightning connected between the two before Gon was sent flying across the floor.

Daniel stood there dumbstruck, trying to understand what exactly just happened. Did her snail crawl punch, knock Gon off his feet? Where exactly is she hiding that power? She doesn't look like someone built for that kind of strength. Then again, _Nen_ was supposedly limitless...

Bisky still held her fist out, aura still surrounding the fist that had impacted with Gon "You must have relaxed when you saw how slowly I was moving."

_I was too... Though, I still expected you to speed up at the last second. Not... make Gon get some mileage..._

Bisky stood up straight, shaking her finger side to side "If you'd stopped using _Ken_ , your face would have been smashed. That was the power of _Ko_ alone. When I add the speed and power packed by a normal punch, it becomes many times stronger." Bisky's eyes narrowed, glaring at the boy who was not only trying to come to terms with being sent flying with a single, slow punch but at the same time almost let his guard down at the worst possible second "Even dozens of times stronger..."

Bisky held her fist back up on guard, as she called the boy to come back over with her other "I'll start by going slowly, but you won't get any warning."

Gon smile grew; ready to take on the challenge as he closed the distance between them. It was a challenge he was ready for, now that he knew the consequences were even higher than before. He won't lose...

Daniel closed his eyes, wondering how he would have fared in the same situation. Would he two have been sent flying with only minor wounds?

Bisky smiled at Gon's determination "Keep using _Ken_ , and try to withstand my attacks."

Bisky and Gon stood there, staring at each other as if Bisky was the one waiting to block Gon's attack. Minutes seemed to pass by before Gon was struggling to hold his stance. He let go, dropping to the floor as he was breathing heavily.

"Gon!" Killua yelled as he looked worried at Gon. Daniel too was worried, but for different reasons. Bisky was indeed making the training harder as they went along. But how much harder was it going to continue getting from here on out?

Bisky stood up straight, a little impressed "Hmm... that was almost two minutes. You need to be able to sustain Ken for at least thirty minutes, or you won't stand a chance. And to do that..." Bisky smiled in glee, holding a finger out to one of the many mountain sides "You're going to need _Shu_..."


	65. Advanced X Technique X Training

A few days had passed. Several tunnels had been dug out with the help of _Shu_ , the ability they first encountered, when dealing with the rock blocking their way. Daniel felt joy as soon as he knew he'd surpassed a former family friend, one he now had the power to match swords with. Yanick had beaten him in the past... But now with his ability, and the new knowledge of _Shu_ , another fight with the teen would be a cakewalk.

Daniel smiled in glee at the knowledge, hoping one day he'd cross paths with Yanick, and beat the teen. But then he remembered about the deal Killua made with the boy, the chances becoming slimmer...

Another thought that crossed his mind was all the accusations Yanick made, assuming they had already been _boyfriends_. Back then, the idea seemed like a nice joke... one that made Killua blush madly from the thought; though, sometimes even back them he humoured the idea of being a reality. But now... a part of Daniel wanted it to be true...

Daniel side glanced Killua standing next to him, wondering if the boy thought about the same things. No so much about the differences between love and lust... more about mundane, trivial things. The 'what ifs' of life?

After a few seconds of staring, Daniel drew his eyes to Gon still standing, waiting for Bisky's supposed punch. Daniel didn't want to get the 'Guinness Book of World Records' for the longest, intense, deep staring session. He's already done that... so there was no reason to beat it again.

Finally after half an hour, Bisky punched Gon quite hard, sending the boy sliding across the floor for a fair few meters as if the boy had been standing on ice.

"Good, that was thirty minutes!" Bisky chimed; ignoring the fact that Gon's arm was probably numb. "Over the past month," Bisky slowly raised her finger to the sky "you've become a lot tougher."

"The number 3! Bingo! Killua was slightly faster and Daniel was fraction in-between. Gon, give me a thousand push-ups. And Daniel, hmmm... seven-hundred and fifty sounds about right..."

Daniel and Gon groan together, though Daniel wasn't as submissive as Gon "But I was a fraction slower... shouldn't that count for some..."

"One fraction too many..." Bisky giggled, Killua following soon after with a wide smirk. He was happy to hear he'd beaten both boys to the punch. Daniel grumbled as he looked up. He could've sworn Bisky's smile was huge, sinister at best. But rather than questioning his sanity, he went back to the task at hand.

Bisky continued, ignoring the two boys performing their push ups "Okay, we'll begin actual combat training today." When Gon stopped to look up, Bisky closed her eyes, looking innocently at Gon "After these two are finished..."

Gon let out a groan of exasperation, continuing on the count he last left off.

"~"

" _Ken!_ " Bisky called out, watching the boys perform the same task as required. It was as if watching a mirror image, though the subtleties were there if she looked hard enough. Daniel's changed constantly, wavering like an ocean tide. Killua's was sharp, ready to lash out at a moment's notice while Gon's was strong, unwavering for even the most subtle breeze.

Sufficiently impressed at each boy's form, she continued on with her lesson "In your current state, your attack power is 50, defence 50. So if you fight each other while suing _Ken_ , you won't be able to deal much damage. What should you do? I'll give you a hint... one of you already suggested it..."

"Use _Ko_!" Gon chimed in, loud and impressed with his own idea.

"You fool! What if he hits you where you aren't using _Ko_?"

"Game over..." Daniel snickered at Gon's faltering enthusiasm.

"Oh," Killua chimed in "use _Gyo_?"

"Correct!" Bisky chimed in, Killua impressed at his own actions. Though, they were dashed when Bisky continued to speak "Though, credits to Daniel for the earlier suggestion."

Killua fumed in Daniel's direction, the boy reeling in back in shock at Killua's not-so-subtle reaction. "Although, seeing as the boy didn't suggest it again, Killua gets full credit!" Bisky had shifted the credit again, this time making Daniel fume at Killua's smirk.

Bisky was starting to get on Daniel's nerves, the devious witch pitting one friendship against another. However, Bisky didn't give Daniel time to think less of her "From your current 50-50 state, at the moment of attack, you shift your fist to 70 POW, and the rest to 30 POW. You can use _Gyo_ to alter your POW depending on the situation. This is _Ryu_! Let's get start-"

Daniel cut in, holding out his fist to throw a fake punch "You mean like this?" Daniel adjusts his aura like Bisky was explaining.

Bisky looked the boy over, impressed "Exactly... like that..." Bisky ran finger across her chin, wondering how far the boy trained _Ryu_. "You know _Ryu_... but not _Zetsu_..."

"I know _Zetsu_... but I also suck at it..." Daniel admitted in embarrassment as he reset his aura back to 50-50. _Zetsu_ wasn't his forte, but at least he knew an advanced technique like Gon.

"In that case..." Bisky held out a finger to Gon and Killua "Keep up to the best of your ability..." Bisky turned to face Daniel, giving the boy a gleeful smile first before speaking "Right hand 70 POW, rest of your body to 30 POW!"

Daniel did as asked, holding out his right hand as he adjusted the aura. Bisky turned to face Killua and Gon to give them a leniency "It doesn't have to be precise, so try it out. Except..." The woman turned back to face Daniel "You! You have to be within a... I'll start you off with a 2% margin. Sound fair?"

Daniel mentally rolled his eyes, fearing how fast she'll go. He was good... just not as good as Bisky was probably expecting. As soon as Daniel finished, Bisky assigned Daniel the next task "Right foot 80 POW!"

Daniel swung his foot up, adjusting the aura like required. He wondered what would happen if he was out of the margin... even by a fraction. Though, he didn't want to test Bisky patience, and instead performed all tasks to the best of his ability.

He wasn't much faster than Killua and Bisky, but he was more precise that them. Each adjustment forced Daniel to move his body at weird angles, Bisky choosing positions that would not only test Daniel's posture, but his adjustment. She changed positions every time Daniel finished adjusting, while making sure Killua and Gon got the next movement, no matter how long they had been waiting.

"~"

Killua and Gon panted, Bisky continuing to order Daniel around, even when the boy was struggling to keep up; beads of sweat falling down his forehead. "Do this for thirty minutes -left elbow 60 POW- three times a day... And for you, -right knee 75 POW- Daniel, do double what the others have to. -Head 90 POW- add it to your current training menu."

Daniel final broke, dropping to the floor as he panted heavily. He'd never push his body this far, except when he fought Yanick during his stay at Heavens Arena. Not even when he was first discovering _Ryu_ , the basis to his Manipulation ability he'd pushed his body this far. He'd only discovered _Ryu_ along the way, control of his aura always requiring at least 10% of his aura.

"Hmm... is that the best you can do? Alright, that's not too bad..."

Daniel didn't bother responding, not wanting to make his struggles any harder.

"Also..." Daniel looked up at Bisky, hoping the woman wouldn't spontaneously add another task before they could rest up. Her devilish smile gave away her motives before her lips move "We'll begin sparring now. Use _Ryu_ the way I just taught you. You can start out slow. Gon... Killua... you two are together. Daniel, you're with me."

Daniel let out a groan as he tried to rest up faster, hoping she'd go easy on him after dishing out all those orders one after another. Gon and Killua stood, facing each other as Daniel held up his guard to Bisky.

She didn't turn to the boy immediately "When you're on the defensive, determine your opponent's attack power before defending with _Ryu_. With that said... begin!"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering if he'd had to do the same with Bisky. But she didn't leave him waiting for long before giving the boy his own orders "For you... I'll be on the defence. You have to match my own level, of course with a handicap. Remember to hit the part of my body with a similar level of POW... or you'll be walking away with broken bones."

"I'll go first, then..." Killua spoke, drawing Gon's attention to their training. He adjusted his aura, leading in with a kick first. Each boy alternated after every attack, Daniel tempting fate by matching Bisky's handicapped strength.

Sometimes Daniel messed up, missing off by a few percent. Though, the pain was very real when he messed up, a feeling of numbness spreading through the limbs whenever he connected with Bisky. Her strength was out of his league, like punching steel beams for no good reason. But that was his training, and he was sure it wouldn't be over so easily.

"~"

Bisky grabbed Daniel's foot as soon as it connected; her training was already over for the day. She was happy with the progress so far, and it was now time for their next order "Okay! Time for a break!"

Releasing Daniel's foot, the boy jumped back, bowing in respect to his mentor "Thank you very much! Osu!"

Daniel shook his hand after bowing, waving out the numbness from his wrist, when it connected with Bisky's left hand. Sometimes she purposely made it harder, the boy having to use 99% in certain instances.

Bisky smiled at the two boys standing before her "It appears you're ready for the final stage."

"The final stage...?" Each boy respectively asked, unsure what else she had hidden under her frilly dress.

"Yes, you will begin training in the individual categories." As soon as Bisky held up a finger, the boys yelled out the number.

"Three!"

She smiled at how quickly the boys had adjusted to the task, drawing each and every time. There was only a nano second difference between them at this point, and she wasn't about to judge them for that "Bingo! A draw. You're free to train solely in your own category. **In the case of an Enhancer...** You'd want to focus on your Enhancer skills, while training the nearby categories of Transmuter and Emitter in a balanced fashion. Then you'll master your own category faster."

Raising her finger for the second time, she was testing the boys once again, seeing how well they were watching and listening at the same time.

"Nine!"

"Bingo! A draw..."

"Good job, Killua, Daniel." Gon smiled at Killua, and then Daniel.

"Same to you..."

"Likewise..." Daniel quoted after Killua, eyes still drawn on Bisky's finger just in case she'd tried to change it at a moment's notice. She could be quite devious at times.

"Then, let's get started."

"Ah..." Daniel raised a hand, asking the woman a question "What if you're a Manipulator like me...?"

Bisky curled a hand around her chin, wondering what kind of training the boy would need. Right next to Manipulator's category was Emitter and Specialists. Specialist didn't exactly have their own form of training. It was one filled with endless possibilities. No two Specialists were the same, everyone's ability different from the next. So training the Specialist category was quite hard.

Ignoring the fact that Specialist was one of the two nearby categories for a Manipulator, and that Transmutation was the Manipulators' polar opposite... that left the boy with either Conjuration or Enhancement to choose to from. "Either Conjuration or Enhancement... Anymore questions?"

Each boy shook their head, no further questions to ask "Alright! Then, let's get started..."

"Osu!"

Bisky kneeled down, grabbing a few pebbles as she gathered them all into a single pile. She grabbed one rock, placing it in front of herself before grabbing another and holding it up. The rock was no different from the others, similar in size "Today, we'll be training in Enhancer category. Level one is smashing rocks." She used one rock to smash the other in front of herself; the one she used to smash the other remained intact, no damage whatsoever to the rock she still held in her hand.

This training would use _Shu_ and _Ko_ as the basis, smashing one rock against another. So far it was easy to understand, making sure one rock was shrouded while the other never gained any form of protection whatsoever.

"Crush them like this... Smash a thousand with a single stone in a day, and you clear the level."

Bisky had already come prepared, three station already set up for the boys. The boys sat down at their own station, rocks already gathered for them.

As soon as Bisky issued the command to start, each boy smashed the rock in front of them. The rock held in their hand, remained intact, unbroken.

After breaking a fair few rocks between them, Gon's crumbled on the eight one "Oops, it crumbled..."

The others continued as Bisky spoke to Gon "If the stone in your hand breaks, it's over..."

"Damn!"

"Oh..." Daniel's crumbled next, followed after Killua's own. The boy had fell backwards, groaning in defeat, even after getting through fourteen of them "OH? Damn, I failed!"

"What are you talking about? You did well."

"Okay!" Killua jumped up, happy with the praise "Let's do Transmuter training next."

"Now, now, don't rush. You're only allowed to train one category per day." Bisky held up a finger for the boys, testing them again.

"Six!"

"Bingo! A draw..."

Killua let out a sigh of frustration "Again?" It had been like this for a while, no boy being slow enough to take the punishment.

Gon agreed with Killua "These days, we keep getting draws."

Daniel let out a chuckle from the boy's problems, finding the situation quite hilarious. They were quite competitive, always fighting for some form of dominance. And Gon was doing it more than Killua, refusing to lose... even from the simplest of tasks. Though, it seemed like Bisky somewhat agreed with Daniel's thoughts "That just shows that you all have grown accustomed to using _Gyo_."

Killua let out a grunt of displeasure, crossing his arms at Bisky's words "But if there's no winner, it's no fun."

"Okay, then we'll decide with rock-paper-scissors."

Daniel crossed his arms at Gon's proposal. He didn't want to join in this competition, and if he didn't join... he would be technically the loser automatically "Are you two implying that playing the game is no fun unless someone is whooping someone's ass? You two would suck at co-op games... especially at the ones where you have to work as a team!"

"Hmm...?" Gon blinked, lost at the meaning "Co-op?"

"It's short for cooperative, doofus!"

"But..." Gon pressed his fingers together, smiling awkwardly "didn't we beat Binolt-San together?"

Daniel blinked slowly. Why didn't he think about that? That was technically cooperative; involving the skills of three boys to take down a common enemy "True... But did you have more fun beating him on your own or together?"

"Hmm..." Gon pressed his finger to his chin. Daniel would dare call Gon's reaction cute, but he was still awaiting the boy's answer.

"Together! But being competitive is more fun! We get to push each other past our own limit."

 _Well, shit! His got me there... I got nothing else to say_ "True... Fine, you may proceed to whoop each other!"

"Aww..." Gon whined. "Aren't you going to join in?"

Daniel shook his head "Nope! Maybe..." Daniel thought about it for a second longer before uncrossing his arms "Nah, maybe next time... But seeing as this is a competition... I'll do double of the consequences if Killua loses!"

Killua and Gon smiled at each other. It almost seemed as the two were going to make Killua purposely lose, just to make Daniel ultimately end up doing the push ups "The loser does a thousand push-ups!"

"Sure..." Killua's smile widened.

"Two two-thousand for me then... If, Killua loses...!"

The boys went through the motions, repeating the rhyme like a mantra. Bisky could only blankly stare at the boys, feeling as though the situation was forced more for her than the boys being competitive.

Ultimately Gon won, Killua dropping to the floor followed by Daniel who grunted in agony. He seriously thought Killua would win against Gon. But it seemed as though fate wasn't on his side... or Gon was cheating... or Killua purposely lost.

"Hey, Boys..." Bisky started to speak. She felt as though this would be a great segue into a great history lesson; one that involved the history of Rock-Paper-Scissors "Have you heard the theory that rock-paper-scissors began in martial arts?"

Killua and Daniel stopped almost in sync, Daniel stopping only after Killua. It took him a second longer to process the statement. To think a game such as Rock-Paper-Scissors started a whole form of martial arts discipline.

Bisky held her palm out, a stance ready to strike at the invisible person in front of her "Paper represents a palm attack that wrecks the opponent's organs." Bisky move her fingers; curling them in until there weren't quite a fist... more shaped like a claw "Scissors represent a finger jab, targeting the vital points." Moving her hand again, she completed the fist "And rock represents a punch with the fist to deal external damage."

If that was the case, it would explain why each technique trumps the other. Scissors destroys Paper because destroying one's vital points would be more disastrous than simply wrecking the organ. Paper beats Rock because internal damage is worse than external. But the question would be why Rock beats Scissors? Wouldn't losing a vital organ be worse off than dealing external damage...?

But when Daniel thought more about his own question, the more he began to realise why Rock trumps scissors. Scissors would be a precise attack, meaning a simple mistake is the difference between hitting a vital and missing it completely. It would be hard to hit a vital when one's hand was mangled...

Bisky let Daniel stew in his own thoughts as she spoke "Long ago, when arts were mistaken as a purely destructive and banned as an evil art, martial artists trained by playing this game."

_I would too if I heard you could hit someone's vital points with finesse..._

Bisky pulled back her hand, standing straight as she rested her hands on her hips "And that's how Rock-Paper-Scissors came to be."

"Wow..." Killua murmured sarcastically as he followed though with his statement "You really are o-"

Daniel jumped onto Killua's back, reaching around to cover the boy's mouth before he could finish his statement.

Bisky turned slightly, an innocent, with a hint of devious nature hidden behind her fake facade "I'm sorry... I couldn't quiet hear you. What were you about to say?"

"Uhhh..." Daniel opened up the conversation, wondering what he could've said to replace the 'o' word. "Ominous...?"

"Ominous?" Bisky dead panned, giving both Daniel and Killua her undivided attention "Are you sure...?"

"I'm... maybe observant..."

Bisky blinked slowly, staring intensely at the boy whose mouth had been covered on instinct "I rather hear it from Killua's mouth."

Daniel slowly looked at Killua, finding their eyes had connected. Daniel held concern within his own, whereas Killua's held a hint of mischievous nature. He didn't want to let go... but Bisky would probably end up taking them both out if Killua didn't say anything.

With reluctance, Daniel let go of the boy's mouth and slowly slid his hands away from the boy. It was another circumstance, where he enjoyed the boy's warmth.

"I was going to say observant..." Bisky smiled at the words, turning around to look at Gon. But the boy just couldn't let it go. He immediately opened it again to fire off another comment "A decrepit observant."

Bisky swung around, her fist colliding with the boy's face. For a split second, Daniel could have sworn he was able to count every individual bead of sweat coming off Killua's face from the impact. But force from Bisky's fist was more of a concern. She'd hit the boy so hard he was sent flying into a wall, left knocked out, maybe even dead.

Daniel ran after the boy, holding him close within his own hands. The boy saw stars, eyes rolled into the back of his head. But thankfully Killua wasn't quite dead... maybe knocked out, but otherwise still alive.

Killua groaned; clutching his head as he slowly brought himself back to life. He felt as though he got hit by a semi truck.

Gon had remained ignorant during the whole ordeal, mind drawn to only one thought. The boy had been mulling over Bisky's words, the history lesson being an insight to his own thoughts and dilemmas "That's it!"

Killua suddenly got up, grounding his teeth together. Daniel couldn't help but chuckle at Killua's ability to remain pissed at Bisky, even when it was his own mistake to begin with.

Bisky, however, ignored Killua's death glare to focus on Gon. What exactly had the boy discovered?

"Evil fist..." Gon casually admitted, which made Daniel quirk an eyebrow at the name. Why something 'evil'? Wouldn't Gon want something to do with protection, strength to stop those who would impede his goals? Daniel highly doubted Gon would want to associate anything with 'evil'... especially when the boy who saw no evil, only the desires of others to trample on the dreams of the weak. The Phantom Troupe was ones of them. In Gon's eyes... they weren't necessarily 'evil'; monsters, perhaps... they were a group that destroyed the dreams of others for merely fun and games...

Daniel may have associated them as being 'evil' and maybe even Killua too. But then by that definition, maybe Killua was 'evil' too... He'd taken so many lives in the past, and now making up for them in the present... Killua was **never** 'evil'... he was a puppet for Illumi to play with. Daniel wanted so badly to cut those strings... and he'd stop at nothing to do so...

But those strings were invisible, impossible to see with the naked eye and even _Gyo_. But the moment they come to life, Daniel would do his utmost to sever them as soon as he finds them... and make Killua smile again in the process...

It was Daniel's dream...

His current... and only dream...

"~"

Gon stood before a boulder, one that had been cut to his specifications. He wanted to show something, a power that was untapped or yet to be revealed. It had come to the boy during Bisky's explanation from how Rock-Paper-Scissors came to be.

Gon made a fist with one hand, and then proceeded to clasp the other over his fist. It was the same as how the boy would initiate Rock-Paper-Scissors, and even the chant was the same. Was he basing his new attack on the game Rock-Paper-Scissors? "First comes rock!" Aura extended around the boy like how it would when it came to using _Ren_ , and then sucked itself in, focusing all his power into the fist contained within his fingers. Yellow aura radiated around the boy's fist, growing like how it would when he used _Ko_... and yet somehow different.

Besides the change in the aura's colour, it was bigger... stronger... radiating more power when he used _Ko_. But Gon didn't stop there, continuing on with his chant "Rock... Paper... Rock!"

Gon pulled away his fingers before smashing his fist into the rock. Inch-by-inch, cracks began to form across the rock surface before it shattered, leaving nothing but pebbles and rubble in its wake.

Killua's eyes grew wide as saucers, impressed at the power being released from the boy's attack. It was beyond impressive, a testament to what happened when Gon puts his mind to it.

Bisky started to smile, seeing the outcome of her teachings from Gon's demonstrated new power "I see..."

Gon cracked his knuckles, smiling from the praise as he turned to face the wall "Here comes the next one!" Gon proceeded with the same patterns as earlier "First comes rock! Rock... Paper... Paper!" Gon this time held out his palm, everyone expecting something to happen.

Nothing happened for a long minute, before Gon turned to face Bisky with an awkward smile "Bisky, how do I make my _Nen_ fly?"

A huge smile formed across Daniel's face, not from the fact Gon just failed on epic proportions... it was because he was trying so damn hard not to laugh.

Killua quirked his head to the side, lost for words, followed by Bisky fuming as she placed her hands on her hips "Train more!"

Killua got the gist of Gon's idea of an attack, cutting in to give an explanation of what Gon was attempting to do "So paper is an Emitter technique?"

"Uh-huh..." Gon pulled back his hand, shifting his fingers to make a pair of scissors as he spoke "And scissors is a Transmuter technique." Gon sliced the air as if his fingers were a pair of scissors, maybe even a sword "I wanna be able to cut through rock."

"I understand..." Bisky spoke again, her smile never faulting, even when Gon failed to 'shoot' his aura earlier.

Daniel ran his fingers across his chin "So, Transmutation to make it sharp... and possible Enhancement to amplify its strength..."

Bisky nodded her head at Daniel's words "That's a reasonable fighting technique." _And yet so childish..._ Bisky thought, refusing to say it out loud as she may have destroyed the boy's eager cerebration.

"You know how it takes time to focus _Nen_ in my fist? I was trying to think of a good way to spend that time." Gon slowly walked over to the others, an eager smile spreading across his face as he laid all his thoughts out in the open "And when you were talking about Rock-Paper-Scissors, it hit me. Because I like Rock-Paper-Scissors..."

Daniel chuckled at Gon's explanation "That sounds about right... When you like an idea, it tends to stick to your ideals..."

Bisky nodded, smiling at both Gon's thoughts and Daniel's comment "Trusting your instincts is important. Your gut plays a big role in techniques that require multiple _Nen_ categories. The key is that it should feel right to you."

 _You can say that again..._ Daniel humoured the thought, thinking back on how his ability came to be; a helping hand. He's desire to be there by his friend's side to help them out, though failing at every attempt when the time came, much like his shadow. It's always there, but never helpful... but after training, it came to be an extension of himself, always giving him the reach if he needed it. But it wasn't perfect... he still needed some training and had some thoughts on how he could improve the ability.

Killua coughed in a subtle manner, drawing the attention of others to himself. Seeing as Gon was showing off his idea, Killua thought he would do that same. It was only fair after all "Ah... Ahem."

When Killua had everyone's undivided attention, he drew his fingers in close, almost touching them together. It was like a circuit board, electricity jumping between his finger tips. Killua slowly drew out his hands, more extensions of electricity extending between his finger tips, joining the original lone lightning bolt when he first started "Well, this is all I can manage right now, but if I charge it up, it's pretty strong."

Killua slowly drew away his hands, the electricity subsiding from the lack of connection. Daniel suddenly got a thought from Killua demonstration. It had nothing to do with the ability, more on the fact of his feelings around Killua. He has 'felt' a connection to Killua on numerous occasions, and now learning about Killua's ability; it was quite a shock to him.

It would explain Daniel's sudden attraction, like bolts of electricity connecting a circuit. But the more the boy thought about it, it couldn't be the case. This ability was trained after being denied the first time by Tsezgerra when they asked him if they could play Greed Island. Daniel 'felt' a connection to Killua long since then, ever since dealing with the Phantom Troupe, and maybe even longer...

"That's awesome, Killua!" Gon chimed in, eager to know more "You're like an electric eel!"

Killua smile faltered after Gon's comparison "That's a horrible comparison!"

Daniel didn't feel right about Gon's comparison as well, feeling as though it was something deeper, more meaningful. The boy drew his eyes closed to think about it, only to then open his eyes again as he looked at Killua, closing the distance between them "No, Gon... his more like a stun baton!"

Killua glared at the boy for another poor comparison, couldn't anyone think of a better example? "Oi, Oi! Can't you two think of something b-"

Daniel drew up his hand, silencing the boy mid sentence "Let me finish... You're strong, and hit hard. And when you connect the circuit, or 'enable' the stun feature as Gon would so adamantly put it... you come off as quite 'shocking', and could pretty much knock someone out..."

Daniel stopped, a few feet away from Killua "Am I right...?"

Killua made an 'o' face, unsure if he should be embarrassed or take the compliment with pride. It was better than he expect, well, at least better than being compared to a slimly fish who happens to shock people when they touch them, or as an attack when needed. But in the end, a compliment is a compliment, and Killua couldn't help but be embarrassed by the praise.

The boys continued to talk until it hit Daniel. He hadn't shown anyone his ability yet, and none of them seemed to bring it up. Did they think Daniel's power was linked to _Ryu_? Daniel suddenly jumped back, cracking his fingers "Oops, I'm the odd one out!"

Killua raised a curious eyebrow as Gon stared blankly, wondering what the boy was referring too? And Daniel didn't help Gon's curiosity when he continued to speak "Gon, stand still..."

"Hmm, why...?"

Daniel didn't want to answer the boy's question, and rather surprise him instead. The boy held out his hands, the shadow beneath him rippling in the light. Flicking out one of his hands, Daniel started to manipulate his ability to come to life. He held out his fingers, spaced, and pointing them at Gon like a pair of guns. Five shadow hands crawled out of ground, manipulated from beneath Daniel's feet.

They weren't exactly sinister looking, but they weren't human either. Wolfish-like-claws extended reaching out from the ground, and before they could grab Gon from the front, Daniel flicked up his wrist, pointing them to the sky.

Hands extended beneath Gon, holstering him up to the sky. Though, rather than leaving him restricted like one typically expect from a Manipulator, they held him up like a chair, one hand supporting the boy's butt and back while another four pushed up Gon's arms and legs.

The boy was surprised, taken back by his treatment. But when he moved his arms and legs, the hands felt weightless, as if they weren't bothering to restrict him, only helping the boy to hover above the ground a few feet. "This is cool!" Gon chimed in moving his arms as legs as they refused to allow his feet to touch the ground.

Daniel didn't stop there, pointing his other hand in the same fashion as his first. This time however, his fingers touched, replicating a gun. A sixth hand shot up from the ground, larger than the other five. It extended, a few feet away from Gon and the boy remained puzzled, unsure what Daniel was going to do with this one.

Daniel smiled from Gon's reaction "Shake? And I'll let you down..."

Gon took hold of the hand, grasping it to the best of his ability. The hand over shadowed his own, grasping a fraction of his arm as well in the process. Daniel lowered his hand and then raised it, repeating the steps as the hand followed the movement, replicating the same movements like one would do when shaking hands.

This hand's strength felt stronger than the other five to Gon, the grip stronger. Though, he wasn't scared of it. It felt like it had a pulse, beating softly, although when the boy thought about it, it could've also been its smoky presence rippling in the light.

As Gon shook the shadow hand, Daniel lowered his other, breaking his grip as the other hands followed suit. After releasing the shadows, and lower Gon to the ground, he extended the hand to face Killua instead, fingers drawn closed as the five hands merged into one.

Killua took hold of the hand, gripping it tightly as he shook hands with it like Gon did "It feels weird..."

Daniel's smile grew, releasing his hands pose, which also broke the shadows form in the process and allowed them to ripple beneath Daniel's feet. The boy closed the distance between them again, and the shadows beneath him rippled as one might expect from a candle flicking in darkness.

The shadows remained like that, rippling in the light. They didn't look like a shadow should look, a replicate of the object casting the shadow.

Gon bent down, poking the shadows to see how they react. They only reacted when Gon's shadow was cast over them, but otherwise still flicking like a flame "That's cool! You're like one of those shadow puppeteers... You could make giant birds and dogs!"

Daniel blinked slowly at Gon. And here Killua thought Gon's comparison with him was bad... Daniel got something far worse.

Daniel's ability was a little more complicated than making birds by casting shadows. He spoke, but this time, he didn't show examples of how his ability worked "I made it so my shadow reacts to my hand movements; **they are like extension of myself**. So, I can grab things from afar... pick up objects, move it, excreta... I can control either two or ten hands at a time, though as Gon could probably tell, two is better than ten... surprisingly... And my shadow doesn't move like one typically expects... like right now, because I'm not trying to contain it... And of course it comes with it weaknesses. Like why I suck at _Zetsu_..." Daniel quietly whispers the last part, hoping no one could over hear it.

But Bisky did, and she walked up to Daniel, picking up her foot to stomp it on the ground.

Daniel reacted in a comedic manner, bouncing with one foot in the air "What was that for...?"

"Just testing something..." Bisky smirked as she looked down on the ground, the shadows rippling like crazy "Interesting, but dangerous! Your shadows _are_ an extension of yourself..."

As Daniel felt his pain subside, he released his foot, dropping it to the floor as he stared at Bisky in a cold manner. How did she figure out the ability so quickly? Was it something he said...? "And how... did you guess, or figure out at _that_ weakness so quickly?"

"By paying attention..." Bisky crossed her arms, pissed, with a hint of delight gracing her lips "Your shadow held a bit of aura in pitch black darkness, and right now they don't..."

Killua and Gon cocked their head between Daniel and Bisky, listening to the two arguing.

"Because..."

"Because you feel like you're in pain!" Bisky fired back "That's a dangerous 'Vows and limitations' you have!"

"On the contrary, Bisky... Unless you know how to manipulate shadows, or..." Daniel allowed his aura to extend his aura back into the shadows, how they remained the same like before, still flickering in the light "in a _Zetsu_ -like-state, like earlier... then sure... I'm in danger. But how many people think 'oh, let's stomp on this guy's shadow with malicious intent?' all the time...? Not many I guarantee..."

"Or anyone who looks down with _Gyo_... or can see aura..."

"Sure..." Daniel commented dryly, hating how his weaknesses were now out on full display for Killua and Gon to play around with. The boy crossed his arms again, adding more to the conversation "Besides, I already fail with _Zetsu_ , so it was drastic loss..."

"Hmm..." Bisky rubbed a hand to her chin "No, it means you now have to work even harder to train... and possibly learn _In_ too..."

"I'm sorry... I have to learn _what_ , as well?"

"Later!" Bisky grinned widely "This gives me more to 'work' with..."

 _Work...? With...? What does she mean- O... Ooooo... she's going to step on my shadows when she feels like it... doesn't she?!_ Daniel adjusted his shadow, returning it to its prior form, replicating his movements on the ground like a shadow should typically do.

Bisky smiled, hands moving to rest on her hips. _You learn quicker than I would expect..._ "Well, let's take a break, then."

Killua made a noise of complaint, wondering why now Bisky would spring this on them.

"It's a little early, but we can have a party."

"A party...?"

"What do you boys do back how to celebrate?"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering what kind of party she was talking about "Are we talking about birthdays? Father's day...? Easter...?"

Bisky chuckled at Daniel's examples, but found it strange he said on father's day and not mother's day as well "In the outside world, it's almost New Year's. Time flows at the same speed inside the game as outside."

"OH?!" Gon and Daniel freaked out at the same time. They looked at Killua at the same time, both thinking about the same thing:

"The dead line to apply for hunter exam is coming up!"

"THE DEAD LINE TO APPLY FOR HUNTER EXAM IS COMING UP!" Killua back off a tiny bit, not expecting Daniel to yell the same thing Gon was saying "Tone it down..." Killua grumbled as he massaged his ears "And here I was thinking our training was just starting to get fun..."


	66. Exam X Genthru X Rare

Killua squirmed where he stood, wondering why the two of them just had to remember about the Hunter's Exam. Greed Island was way more fun than obtaining the License. Yes, it could come in handy later down the track but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How much would he miss out on if he left now?

Bisky held out her hand to the three boys "I believe you're required to apply before the end of the year."

"Yeah..." Daniel awkwardly rubbed the back of his head "I learnt that the hard way! It's a good thing I messed up anyways... I got to meet Gon and Killua in the process."

Gon beamed in delight, happy to hear that as Killua just raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I applied in February... When the hunter's exam was already finished... Regardless, of my... _mistakes_! Killua, we need to move now. There should be a way to get out of Greed Island! I made a promise... which this time I plan to keep! You're getting your Hunter's licence, and you're going to be proud of yourself! And you may, or may not stick your finger up to a certain someone and say **suck it!** "

Killua burst into laughter. Twice Daniel has made him laugh like this, unexpected comebacks and comments. This was the one thing Killua enjoyed about Daniel; his ability to fire off jokes and compliments as a well thought-out mixture of the two.

"But... how do we get outside?" Gon mumbled, unsure of how they could tackle this plan of attack. Killua couldn't go to the Hunter's exam while he was stuck here.

Killua calmed down from his laughter, slowly resting a hand on his hip "I'm guessing there are spell cards to leave the game."

"And I would imagine there's more than two..." Daniel grumbled, trying to think of where they could obtain such a card.

"In that case..." Bisky smiled in Killua's direction "let's head to Masadora."

All three boys agreed for once, and weren't annoyed at Bisky's offer. It was now time to put those words into a plan of action, narrowing down their options to gain passage off the island, and help Killua gain his Hunter Licence.

"~"

Bisky hummed in delight, while walking through Masadora. It had already slipped her mind to as why they had come to the City of Magic "Well, let's find a place to have a drink."

"Nope!" Daniel butted in, an upbeat chime in his own voice "We aren't playing by your rules this time! We've already ran here a few several times these past few months."

Bisky fumed at Daniel, the boy refusing to give Bisky any sort of glance. He'd had enough of her rules. They had one mission... and one mission only. None of it included humouring Bisky's thoughts.

Killua casually join the conversation "We can ask around the stores."

Store after store, they were met with hums and haws before landing on a little gold mine. The store looked like a little blushing cute rams horned shop, the windows being designed to replicate the blush.

The owner wasn't one they were inspecting. He was an information dealer, one they would've expected to be housed in a far less conspicuous building. Though, it was probably hard in Masadora, considering most of the stores look like fruit basket mismatches or cute animals.

The owner tapped his finger, leaning his head into his hand. He looked like every other NPC, voided of all emotions "How to leave the island? That'll be 3,000 Jenny."

The boys gave him the money, the man holding out a hand to the map behind him "If you go about fifty kilometres west, you'll reach the island's only port. You must defeat or bribe the chief of that port to receive a ticket that will transport you outside."

"How big of a bribe are we talking?" Gon asked which Daniel already had an answer for "Doesn't matter how big! A few buttered up strokes and I'm sure I could rip him off... NPC or not!" _That sounded more sexual than I had anticipated, but I won't say anything..._

The store owner still answered Gon's question, regardless of Daniel's immediate response "Depends on how the chief's feeling."

"Ah..." Killua worked into the conversation, a sly grin spread across his face.

The man held out his hand, offering another choice to choose from "Your other option is to use a Leave spell card, but that's a rare one."

Daniel hummed a small tune, thinking which one would be the better options. The 'Leave' spell card would be immediate, the effects sending you straight to wherever the card allows you. Gaining passage required bribery or beating up the chieftain. But the passage was a definite option, the spot always being the same, whereas the Leave spell card is most likely a rare drop or find, brought by mere luck.

"What do we do?" Gon questioned, eyes falling on Killua for an answer. It is Killua's choice after all.

"Let's head to the port. If it's a rare card, we could buy a bunch without finding one."

"True..." Gon spoke, running his fingers against his chin.

Daniel held out a hand to his friends "I think it's a wise choice. It could take us weeks to obtain a rare card... and that's weeks you don't have, Killua..." The boy glumly admitted, eyes drawn away from Killua.

If Killua obtains the Hunter's Licence, Illumi's point would no longer be valid. **You're not cut out to be a Hunter.** Killua's more than deserving of the title, offering his help at every step of the way for Gon to achieve his goal; to find his father.

While they had hit a ditch from Gon's illusive father, the game was still a legacy, one that was yet to be completed. If the three, four if Bisky was included could beat this game, they would be the first in ten years of launch to complete the game.

A worthy achievement proving to anyone that these young Hunters had what it takes, to beat the impossible.

"~"

Tracking the port was surprisingly easy. Considering it was only one port, in a wide town, it should've been harder to find. What was even more surprising about the area was the fact it was ghost town; no one was attempting to book passage back to the main land.

Killua had gone in alone, wanting to see how hard it was to take down the supposed chief. Apparently, he was hard to beat, mood shifting like a sudden gust of wind.

Daniel hummed, eyes drawn to the building. It had been ten minutes already, no signs of Killua coming out. Was Killua attempting the bribery first? There was no sounds being emanated from the building, no crashing of objects so it didn't sound like Killua was having a brawl.

Daniel couldn't have been more wrong when he saw the blue spark was set off in the middle of the doorway. It was followed by a more devastating, sudden blast of electricity. What exactly had Killua done? The last time the boy showed off his ability, it was nothing more than conduction of electricity, flowing between the boy's finger tips. Now all of a sudden he could emit a larger output, lighting up the building like a Christmas tree full of blue lights.

It gave Daniel a moment of pause, wondering how the boy's ability works. When he saw it, electricity jumped between his finger tips. Could Killua show off a larger output than he originally proved? If so, how did the ability work? It didn't look like the electricity was made of aura... And what would be needed in order for the boy to pull off said ability. Abilities are naturally manifested through experiences and what comes as first nature to the user; what they are comfortable with...

Was Killua comfortable having all that energy buzzing around his body, emitting it through his finger tips when needed? How did he replenish the electricity? And more importantly... did it hurt for the boy whenever he used it?

Daniel had so many questions buzzing through his mind, questions he so badly wanted to ask Killua. But the boy's thoughts were suddenly distracted, Killua running out to show his friends the card "Voilà!"

**Passage Ticket**

**266 B - 150**

**A ticket required for exiting G.I. Buy with gold from the Chief or beat up the Chief to obtain it. You will listen to how much for the ticket which is always an unreasonable demand.**

The picture was of an old chubby man, pink or purple hair with two horns holding a card, most likely the ticket needed. He had a pair of aviator goggles wrapped around his neck, a dark blue cap and light blue shirt.

Daniel looked more closely, noticing something about the man. He was smiling in glee, his arm with the watch on it being held up as if he was taunting Killua in his final moments.

Killua hummed with a wide smile, waving the card back and fought as it glinted in the sunlight "Well, I'll go pass the test real quick, and then hurry back."

As the card changed into a ticket, Daniel looked at Killua seeing him in a separate light. Between the boy's smile, with a hint of cheekiness behind it and what's about to happen, a sense of pain washed throughout him. The Hunter's exam wouldn't be for another month. That meant Killua could be gone for up to two months.

Daniel faked a smile, no one able to see his sorrows for the time being. He couldn't let Killua see this side of him, the side his trying so hard to bury away out of fear. And Gon talking to Killua seemed to help a little bit "There are monsters called Kiriko that live beneath a cedar tree on the mountain behind Dolle Harbor. If you tell them you're my friend, they'll take you to the exam area."

"Okay..." Killua smiled waving the ticket in the wind. The way Killua's smile grew; Daniel couldn't help but stare, it was possibly the last time he'll see it for another two months. The one smile that removed all pain, and could brighten any day like one of Gon's contagious smiles. Gon's could brighten any day... but in Daniel's eyes, the whole world lit up whenever he saw Killua's.

But within moments, Killua's smile soon closed into a frown. For what purpose was Killua frowning? Had he stop listening at some point, zoning into only Killua's smile or lips?

"What's with you...?"

"It's going to be lonely without you to... spice things up, I guess..."

"Hmm..." Killua turned up his smile, a smirk spreading. It looked as though he was hiding a secret, though from what kind Daniel couldn't tell. "You could always insult the old-"

Bisky took a swing at Killua, the fist colliding with his face. It took Daniel a second longer to realise what had happened. The ticket started to float towards the ground, Daniel snatching it in mid air "You know that's rude..."

"I'm RUDE?!"

"If I say 'yes', will you hit me?"

Bisky's glare told him otherwise, though he felt the ticket being snatched out of his hand, a grump Killua walking away "Bye..."

Daniel turned towards Killua, watching the boy leave. He should say something... anything to Killua before he goes, as long as it's something. But what could he say...? Words of guidance... a goodbye...? Daniel slowly opened his mouth, muttering the first words to pass his mind "Killua, come back soon..."

Killua stopped, glancing towards the boy's with a cheeky smile "I'll beat the shortest Hunter's exam record!" And on that note, Killua ran towards the boat, waving his hands goodbye.

The ship left, Gon and Daniel waving goodbye as it left the port. It headed towards a small island, a similar building to the same one when entering the game... at least that was what the boys could tell from that far way.

As the boat started to shift out of their view, Bisky spoke "Then let's get back to training."

Both boys agreed, Daniel staring at the boat for one final second longer. He'd wished Killua didn't have to go, but the Hunter's exam wouldn't come for another year. And Killua should at least have the Hunter's Licence, its use worth more than valuable paperweight.

"~"

Exactly how they ran to the port, they did the exact same thing on the way back with a twist. The boy's darted between the trees, fingers held up as they emitted a small amount of their aura. The objective of their training was to replicate each number from zero to ten in under a minute, while never once running into a tree.

Bisky repeated the goal, making sure Gon and Daniel listened "When you can form the numbers from 0 to 9 in one minute, you'll clear the stage."

Daniel hummed, letting the girl know he understood the game. He was already on his way to making one, Gon still replicating zero. He'd purposely held his finger close to his eyes, while his eyes in front still watched out for any trees.

Daniel dodged one of the trees, a loud thud behind him. He looked back, seeing Gon literary disappears behind one. The loud noise was the sound of Gon slamming into a tree, moans and groans of complaint being echoed around the forest.

Daniel let out a loud noise of laughter "Bahaha-" However, the boy hadn't stopped running at all, the side of his face clashing into the tree in front of him. Daniel too soon followed alongside Gon, wails of agony emitting from his throat.

Gon had head butted the tree head first while Daniel's whole body collided into his. While Daniel's bump was on the side of his cheek, Gon had a huge lump on his forehead, larger in comparison to Daniel's but probably just as painful as or if not, worse than the Daniel's.

Though, Daniel was more surprised from the fact Gon didn't uproot the tree from the sound of the collision.

Bisky frowned, arms on either side of her hips "What are you two doing?"

Daniel couldn't answer yet, still rubbing the side of his jaw. He's lucky he didn't crash face first into the tree. And it seemed as though he wouldn't be able to from the sound of the whistling through the air.

It was the same sound as when the first man attack, the noise letting the player know it's another player coming towards them. But this time the boy's were prepared, and Bisky was there if the enemy was too tough.

As the man landed, Daniel began to realise he'd seen the man. He'd been one of the players at the start, inquiring about 'SS' rate cards.

"Aren't you..." Bisky paused, roaming names around her head. What exactly was his name again?

The man looked around, as if looking for somebody else.

As the man in blue was looking around, Daniel noticed a timer on his shoulder, a countdown of sorts. What was it counting down for?

"Your other friend isn't here?"

"His... busy..." Daniel butted in, eyes focusing only on the timer. It seemed as though Bisky was concerned as well, eyes drawn to the clock as she closed the distance between them "What's that machine on your shoulder?"

Daniel massaged the last of his soreness away, eyes still drawn to the machinery. Then it clicked to Daniel. The boy used Gyo, noticing that it didn't have a physical body; it was made entirely out of aura. It had to have some kind of effect, a delayed one. And whatever the delay was for, it was going to have some kind of major output.

Did Bisky see this as well? Was she concern? Or was she remaining impassive, avoiding any telltale signs of concern "Did something happen?"

The man the aura machinery was attached to showed no signs of concern, and Gon had stepped forward, already forgetting about the large bump on his head and the concerns for the tool attached to the man's shoulder.

As Daniel took a step forward, the man spoke with a fraction of his concern showing in his eyes "We were fooled by the Bomber. Will you listen to my story?"

Daniel took one step back, eyes watching the counter. _Did he say Bomber? Is that piece of machinery a ticking time bomb? The explosion must be devastating if it's on a timer..._ What Daniel had learned from Kurapika was **'the bigger the risk, the stronger the ability'**.

An ability that has a countdown must have so for some reason. The delay must be there to give people time to disarm it. How it's disarmed though, Daniel wasn't sure exactly. It had no physical body so cutting the wires wasn't possible... maybe the man knew a way to disarm it, and he needed help doing so.

"~"

Bisky allowed the man to speak, hearing what he had to say about his dilemma. Crows flew off into the distance, cawing as the man had spoken. His name was Abengane, and the bombers secret identity was Genthru, the depressive man they first met at the start of the game.

Genthru had been hiding his secret identity, laying out an elaborate plan in order to steal all the cards, as well as force his temporary allies into a one-sided deal. All Genthru wanted was all the cards, and he was willing to sacrifice everything in order to get them.

Though Genthru had made one fatal mistake, believing there was no strong enemies. While it was true at the very moment, Daniel was sure they could come to be on equal grounds or at least grounds where the enemies were in just as much danger as the boys were.

But Genthru's power was menacing between his **Little Flower** and **Countdown**.

 **Little Flower** an explosive up close and personal, while **Countdown** was a more devastating explosion from a far. From what Abengane detailed, an explanation world be needed in order for **Countdown** to work.

From what Daniel heard from Abengane, the ability works on the affected enemies ticking pulse, counting down faster if the person was freaking out. Abengane was rather calm, so the countdown was ticking by slowly. And **Countdown** had only one way to be removed, by touching Genthru on the same spot and repeating the words, **I caught the Bomber**.

Bisky had listened, taking in every word "So he was the Bomber..."

Abengane continued, speaking more on the topic "The others are waiting at our base for the Bomber to disarm the bombs. They believe the terms he gave them, even though it was probably a bluff."

Gon drew his eyes of concern to Bisky "Can't anything be done?"

Daniel addressed Gon's concern through his own eyes "I can't see any way to remove the bomb... There are no switches or wires which could be cut to stop the timer, and possibly the bomb..."

Bisky shook her head, agreeing somewhat with Daniel "If they're prepared to accept casualties..."

"It's impossible. The first people to attack will be the ones who die. Who would volunteer for that role?"

Daniel stared down at his shadow, wondering if his ability could be of any help. From what he could tell, he could bind Genthru and give people enough time to remove the ability. But if Genthru had allies, Daniel couldn't help them. And at this time, Daniel's ability wouldn't be able to bind Genthru for long.

He needed to be stronger...

"True..." Gon's eyes drew down to the floor, saddened that there's nothing he can do.

"Jispa was our group's strongest fighter, and he was defeated in an instant. At that point, our loss was assured. And allowing him to leave the game was a fatal mistake. We indulged in a moment's victory cheer before we could verify each member's cards and assigned roles. That's when he caught us off guard. It's embarrassing to admit, but I was so distracted, I didn't notice him using Leave until it was already too late."

Bisky made a noise of understanding, Abengane's explanation easy to understand "You were probably focused on understanding his explanation."

"Yeah... We were thrust into that situation with no warning. Given our mental state, there was no action we could have taken." Abengane sighed in defeat, lost for words.

Daniel noticed something, from the way Abengane was speaking, there was more to this than he lets on and even Bisky seemed to have noticed this "But why are you telling us this?"

Abengane closed his eyes at the question, speaking slowly "Because, of everyone I've met on this island, you are the one I believe I can most rely on."

"Oh... if only Killua could hear this..." Daniel joked, the words seeming lost on Abengane.

"If you run into other players, please tell them about the Bomber. Once everyone knows how his ability works, they should protect themselves. And if possible, I would like you to avenge us! If not, could you at least promise that you won't let him clear the game?"

"Understood..." Bisky spoke as Gon and Daniel nodded in affirmation.

"Sorry..." Abengane apologised for the second time that day "I'll use what time I have remaining to tell as many as I can about the Bomber." Abengane summoned his book, opening it up as he grabbed a card, most likely one of the many teleport spells in-game "Return on. Bunzen!"

Abengane disappeared, leaving the group behind.

Daniel drew a hand to his chin, wondering what they could do with this information. Right now, they weren't strong enough to defeat Genthru and his team if he had one. But at least they had the edge when it came to dealing with that specific player.

Gon got up, already walking away after the serious conversation.

Daniel and Bisky followed after the boy.

"~"

Bisky had been walking ahead of the group, Daniel following close by to Gon.

Gon had been walking seemingly slow; it was as though Gon had many questions on his mind. The boy stopped, making Daniel stop to turn and look at him. The boy was ready to ask the questions on his mind, though his eyes were still drawn to the floor "Bisky... Daniel... I think we should drop by their base real fast."

"Hmm..." Bisky hummed, thinking a little before responding "They already ran out of time. Besides, he didn't even tell us exactly where it is. And even if we did know, we don't have a spell card that could take us there."

"I know... but..."

Daniel knew what the boy was about to say, but he highly doubted the circumstances "Gon, I don't think anyone would survive. Think about it from the information we know about _Nen_... It would be instant... or..."

Daniel didn't know exactly how to end it without gruesome details, but Gon piped up, a sadden expression still showing in the boy's eyes "They could be suffering... shouldn't we help those who may-"

"I doubt it!" Bisky's voice was firm, dismissing Gon's thoughts from continuing "If the Bomber's strong enough to place bombs on all his targets without anyone noticing, he wouldn't have made that kind of mistake."

Gon's expression faltered even more so after hearing that. Daniel couldn't say anything to rebut Bisky. She was right; no one would survive against a _Nen_ ability like that.

"However..." Gon eyes drew up, meeting Bisky's as Daniel looked in her general direction. She was about to say something to stop the boy from further enquiring "If we continue to play this game, we'll probably run into the Bomber. Given that, we may need to visit their base soon."

"Uh-huh..." Gon nodded in affirmation. Daniel knew the consequences. But if it was anything like the man in the red shirt's death, there wouldn't be any bodies left behind.

"We need spell cards." Bisky's smile grew as Gon's remained impassive, a permanent frown embedded on the boy's face. Bisky turned on her heels walking away again as she spoke "Let's go to Masadora and sell our monster cards to buy spell cards."

"Yeah!" Gon's smile grew from those words, running after Bisky with a huge smile. Daniel looked behind him, eyes drawn out towards the sky, thinking about their lost companion. _I hope you are having fun... Killua..._

Daniel turned, facing the others as he ran after them "Wait for me!"

"~"

The day was seemingly coming to an end, the daylight hours shifting to a bright yellow tone. Not many words were exchanged between them, but Daniel needed something to talk about soon. His thoughts kept drifting back to Killua, wondering what that boy was doing at the moment.

He'd wished he could've gone with Killua, but the exam could only be beaten by a person once, and no more times after. If the Hunter's License was lost, they had no chance of getting it back unless they stumbled across it by luck. _I wonder what Killua's first Phase would be...?_

Though, Gon didn't seem to be thinking about the same things as Daniel "Hey, Bisky... How long do you think it'll take me to master my special technique?"

"Huh?!" Bisky was caught off guard, wondering why the boy was stumbling across that topic "You're just starting to develop your _Nen_. It's hard to predict when your power and speed will peak."

"Oh..." Gon hummed as Daniel interrupted "Speaking of _Nen_... When am I going to learn about my special training for the Manipulator category?"

"Tomorrow...! Which, that reminds me... I need a special tool for _your_ training."

"Tool...?" Daniel hummed in confusion, wondering what she could possibly have in store for him. Bisky however continued on, uncaring whether Daniel wanted to hear more or not "But it shouldn't take too long before you get the form down, Gon."

"Really...? How long...?" Gon's smile beamed brighter.

"Let's see... Hopefully, you'll have it ready by the time Killua returns."

"All right! I'll finish my technique and surprise him!"

Daniel's eyes drooped a little, thinking about Killua once again. Gon had a chance to surprise Killua, while Daniel had nothing else he could offer. Maybe he could start learning hand gestures, and assign special movement tactics to those abilities. Controlling each hand individually had its ups... but a few extra hand gestures could make attacking easier.

The boy controlled the larger variant of his attacks with his fingers touching, while splitting the fingers made it possible to control multiple hands. Those were his ability's basic attack. When splitting his fingers, the hands were harder to control and the manipulation required Daniel to immediately remember which hand is linked to which finger.

Usually he did so by bending a finger to see which hand moved. Once that was all done and dusted, he focused on using his Long and Index fingers to point in the direction he wanted to attack from. Bending the fingers inwards allowed him to shift the hands to grab, punch or push.

But if Daniel wanted to change directions, he'd had to point his fingers straight and shift his hand movements to change directions. Controlling the movements of his hands from his mind would improve the ability greatly, allowing for faster movements and sudden shifts in movement attacks.

However, at this moment in time, that was impossible with all the thoughts about Killua roaming throughout his mind. He just needed a moment in time where he could focus on his ability, improving it in ways he could.

"~"

After shopping for the card Daniel would later need in his training, which Bisky was yet to reveal, they moved onto the main task at hand... buying spell cards.

The NPC smiled in glee, hand held out over her wares "You three are lucky! We just received a huge shipment of spell cards."

Gon's smile falters at the words, thoughts of the people who the spell cards used to belong to flowing back into his mind. He felt sorry for all the lives lost from Genthru's mass attack, and how much they benefitted from the act.

Bisky and the two boys walked out of the store, spells obtained at the random. They brought several packs between them, the usefulness being unable to be determined at the moment.

The cards Letter ranking starting from G and going up to even S. Daniel flipped the pages, seeing which cards were which. The boy's cards consisting of mostly **Steal** , **Accompany** , **Leave** and **Contact**.

Gon flipped over his cards, a surprised smile passing his lips "We brought ninety between us, so there are lots of different types."

"Can't vouch for usefulness from mine..." Daniel sighed in defeat, while flipping through his cards.

Bisky was surprised by one of her cards, holding out a finger to point one of them out to the two boys "Look."

Daniel and Gon huddled in together, noticing the card "An S-rank card..."

**Prison**

**1035 S - 10**

**All slotted cards on target page are immune to theft or destruction via spell card until removed. (Only targets page 1 - 11. Free slot pages cannot be targeted.)**

**[DEF][CONT]**

"There are only ten in the whole game!" Gon murmured in surprise, eyes drawn to only card.

Daniel held out a finger, tapping the card "This... could come in real handy!"

Bisky nodded at the boy's words, but didn't hide her attempt to slap the boy's hand away "What do you think, Gon? Should we save it? Or use it now?"

"I don't know what to do!" Gon's whine was loud and obnoxious.

Bisky slapped her hand against Gon's mouth, silencing the boy "Shh... You're too loud..." Bisky looked around, making sure no one was listening "People will get suspicious!"

Daniel rebutted Bisky's comment "On what cards...? We have none! That's like using a gun with no bullets... or trying to stab someone with a knife, which happens to have no blade!"

"What would you know?!" Bisky fumed, hands pressed into her side "We should be thinking about the future..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Bisky's words. She was right, but that wouldn't help them now "We would be wasting a card, on a page... that we might not even get cards for!"

"Your right, but what if we do get a card that we should be protecting..."

"Then we use the card then!"

"What if someone steals it before then?"

"Then we steal it back with the hundreds of steals we just got! I've got at least fifteen in my book... probably... most likely!"

Bisky fumed, lips pushed out into a pout.

"If Killua was here, I would be right!"

"~"

Killua sneezed, eyes drawn closed. The magical creatures Gon mentioned were sniffing him, inspecting him to see if what he said was true. Although it was for a reasonable cause, the act of four Magical Creatures known as Kiriko sniffing him, still embarrassed Killua to some extent.

If he thought when Gon sniffing him was weird... four Kiriko doing the same thing was just as weird. But them pointing out another unusual scent on him besides Gon was the weirdest moment of the night.

Sure, he'd hung around Gon and Daniel all the time... but he was surprised they hadn't mentioned anything about the old hag. Even with that little known fact, the boy didn't let it damper his night, and instead proceed to tell them stories of his travels alongside Gon and Daniel.

But several questions did linger on the boy's mind during the whole story... Why did Daniel's scent on him embarrassed him more than Gon's did?

Was it because it belongs to Daniel...?

Or as it because there it was another thing of Daniel's that seemingly lingered on him... A sense of clinginess that held on... that everyone seemed to point out, which to Daniel's immediate response would always be 'he didn't know why'...

**The boy's aura...**

It was the one thing that Killua always question in his mind, fear of embarrassment haunting him of the real answer as to as why Daniel really did it...

One day he was sure Daniel would give a real reason, other than 'he didn't know' to why the aura clung to him, seemingly in the same way aura flowed around him naturally...


	67. Training X Vastorie X License

Daniel can remember Bisky's training like the first day she introduced it. It wasn't considered hard in difficulty... but it was hard to go against Daniel's natural instincts. Bisky first introduced the training by placing out a finger, aura extending out to swallow the object whole, and in this case... it was single chest piece. The objective of the training was to move the chess piece to the opposite end of the board.

However, there was a catch; he couldn't use his _Hatsu_.

The first time he tried it, every time Daniel messed up. The boy's ability would activate, hand reaching out for the object, and every time it happened Bisky slapped his hand away.

It was a challenge in on its own level, controlling one without the other. Daniel saw the reason to as why she did it. It was a chance to force Daniel to control an object with major restrictions. If he could control something this way, he was sure it would improve his _Hatsu_ later down the track.

Whenever Gon trained his _Hatsu_ , this was Daniel's training. Piece by piece, block by block...

To achieve the goal, he needs both _Shu_ and _Ryu_. _Shu_ was needed in order the surround the chess piece, and _Ryu_ was the main piece of the show, the reason to as why the objected moved. Daniel had to channel his aura like a gentle gust of wind, pushing and pulling the object in a way so it bounced from block to block.

The first time Daniel moved the chess piece by a single block, he roared in achievement. Though, Bisky had her own reaction. She had pouted, resting her arms on her hips as she ordered him to do it again.

To master the first level of Manipulation Training, Daniel had to move the piece as if he were playing the game by the rules. Get the pawn to the other side, though at this stage he didn't have a player he was against. It was just a single pawn, moving from one block to the next. And he had to move it to the speed Bisky set. The moment the piece was placed down, Daniel had to repeat the step. He was given no more than a minute to complete the task.

He had to move the piece a total of seven times, and in under a minute. That was one movement every 8.5 seconds.

A week had gone by; Daniel's first level training of Manipulation already completed. He had improved vastly; Bisky's training helping him in the end to further control his hands movements. While he couldn't manipulate his aura with his mind, yet, whipping the shadows around was easier than he originally trained for. Though, in the end he still stuck to the conventional means of moving the hands' with his signature hand signals.

Daniel's eye drew up, Bisky praising Gon. Gon had improved like Daniel, his control of his aura being focused into his hand at a faster pace. Though, the glimpses Daniel could catch, he noticed Gon's aura would become a vibrant orange colour. While the orange focused more in, and on his fist, the extension of white aura gathers around the boy's fist, and ultimately around the orange aura.

The strength of the coloured aura was phenomenal, when compared to the aura extending around it. Though the moment Gon thrust out his fist was a testament to his training results. The time between switching from _Ken_ to _Ko_ was almost nonexistent.

Bisky smiled, Gon pulling his hand back as the aura calmed down, reverting to its prior form. As it remained calm and relaxed, Bisky spoke with high praise "You're making steady progress. You're on track to have your special technique ready."

Bisky then turned to Daniel, noticing the boy was no longer training. He was more focused on Gon's vibrant smile, a sense of sadness being expressed "And you..."

Daniel looked towards Bisky, his sadness dissipating at the start of her sentence. For the briefest moments of Daniel's life, Gon smile made him think of Killua for a moment, wondering what the boy was doing. The exam shouldn't have technically started yet, a few more days before the deadline.

Bisky pursed her lips, wondering what was going on in the boy's mind for a second. He would become absent-minded whenever Gon smiled after praise, or any other instances the boy smiled. It was common practice, sadness, then cloaked, hidden for no one to notice "You've done good. Your control of..." Bisky paused, wondering what the boy called his ability, but Gon didn't have one for his yet either "your _Hatsu_."

Daniel nodded, holding out his hand to extend his ability once again. A dark navy blue extended between the boy's finger tips. While it didn't emit the same amount of strength Gon's aura gave off, the control was just as powerful. Hands crawled out beneath his feet, wavering in the light like a reflecting.

He swiped at the air, the hands replicating the same movements. The boy this time made a bullhorn gesture with his hand, Index and Pinkie held out while his others' were drawn in. Again the hands replicated the movement as Daniel spoke "It's better than when I first started... though you're training did help out in the end."

Bisky smiled at the praise as Gon too joined in. Daniel had improved vastly, though Gon did catch the boy frowning from time to time. He knew it had to do with Killua, and he knew oh so well that Daniel missed Killua dearly, no matter how much the boy would deny himself.

Gon caught himself smiling as he looked around; liking the area the two boys had been training for the past few weeks in. It was open, no one able to get close without anyone in the team noticing first.

Though they still had the eyes on them, similar as to when they first entered the game "This is a safe place to practice. Since we'll be able to spot anyone before they're in attack spell range. I can sense people watching from Masadora, just like I sensed people watching us at the start point. But we have plenty of defence spells now."

"And Steals..." Daniel murmured after Gon, his eyes also drawn to the vast empty space.

Bisky sighed, crossing her arms at Gon's thoughts "Well, just to be safe, I used a **Blackout Curtain** card."

**Blackout Curtain**

**1025 F - 200**

**Blocks one instance of enemy Steal or Fluoroscopy. (Does not stack when use on target already under effect of Blackout Curtain.)**

**[DEF][CONT]**

"The one that blocks out one instance of enemy **Steal** or **Fluoroscopy**...?" Daniel asked, eyes drawn to Bisky. He'd come accustomed to learning each card, wondering which effects could help him and Gon in protecting their cards.

**Steal**

**1001 G - 200**

**Reveal all free slots of one target player. (Can only be used on a player who's been encountered within the game.)**

**[LR][NORM]**

**Fluroscopy**

**1002 F - 150**

**Allows you to see all restricted slot cards of the target. (Only if you've previously met)**

**[LR][RS]**

Bisky admired the way Daniel accessed the situation, though the boy's skills weren't the same when it came to Killua's. Daniel's was more memory based, learning skills and memorising certain effects. He had almost photographic memory, memorising certain things in small bursts. Mainly it came to skills he knew, card names and effects. Though if the boy could focus just as much energy in those categories, why couldn't he do the same for a certain _Nen_ ability?

Though like every other time, she pushed the thought back. Daniel just couldn't grasp _Zetsu_ , but when it came to _Shu_ , _Ryu_ and even _Ken_... the boy's skills were unparallel "But no point in worrying about spell cards. Just focus on training hard."

Daniel and Gon acknowledged their masters words, an agreement in unison. And when Bisky's smile widened, she pat down the rock she was keeping warm. It was Gon's and Daniel's next regime of training, mastering the Level One Emission Training.

"~"

Daniel and Gon sat side-by-side, each manipulating their own aura. Emission training consisting of aura throwing, which require both boys to funnel their aura out; they had to use both _Ten_ and _Ren_ in unison. While the boy's auras projected a different colour, the basis was the same. Focused _Ren_ aura surrounded by _Ten_ bubble.

Daniel's held a sound level of control while Gon's held strength behind it.

Bisky was happy with each boy's form, the skills being matched by their own level of skill "Okay, one minute's up. Next." Bisky looked ahead towards the rock, their next task now being tested.

The second part of this test was to throw the aura, making sure it hit the rock in the end. Each boy threw out their aura, travelling at its own speed.

Gon's travelled a quarter of the way before slowing down, only to dissipate in the wind. Daniel's however kept going, hitting the rock and only making a sound in the process. It showed no signs of hitting the rock, only the sound of impact.

"Does that count...?" Daniel hummed, unsure if he'd completed the task.

Bisky tilted her head, wondering the same. It did make a sound of impact, but showed no signs of the impact. "I guess it counts..." Bisky hummed, Gon fuming at being beaten so quickly.

Bisky then turned to Gon, smiling at the boy "You are doing just fine."

"But it didn't work. I couldn't reach it..."

"You're in far better shape than a Transmuter would be! Be patient, and start by focusing on maintaining your aura in a sphere for extended periods of time. The longer you can maintain the sphere, the stronger your _Ten_. Once you've trained long enough, you'll be able to maintain an aura sphere fir two to three days! You should be able to reach that stone before the day's out."

Gon nodded, returning back to the training at hand. As Gon continued focused on his hand, Daniel looked at Bisky for guidance "What do I do now...?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"Well... I did pass this training..."

"I could get you started-" Bisky stopped when Gon threw his aura, the tiny ball continuing to travel without breaking. When it hit the rock, the object rattled under Gon's aura pressure.

Everyone's jaw dropped, unsure if they did witness what just happened. Gon completed his task, not as fast as Daniel, but at a level that made his skills beyond Daniel's in comparison.

"You're right! I reached it!"

Daniel held out his finger, focusing his aura into his finger tip, repeating the steps again while Gon and Bisky were still stunned. Daniel released his aura again, hitting the rock exactly the same as last time. Not even a rattle.

Daniel continued, a challenge against himself to make the rock rattle as Bisky spoke "That was... fast!"

Bisky's smile widened before she turned to look at Daniel. She frowned as the boy continuously threw his aura at the rock, an endless barrage of wasted aura "You need to focus more on _Ren_ than _Ten_... If you want to do that..."

"OSU!"

"While Daniel does that..." Bisky's eyes glanced towards Gon "We'll go back to practicing the basics."

Gon stood up, hands placed out to his side "Osu!"

Not one time, did Daniel ever manage to rattle the rock like Gon had achieved. He had hit it several times over and over again without a rattle. In times like these, why couldn't he have Gon's ability to rattle the rock, making it shake in the soil it was placed...?

At least Killua wasn't here to see him fail over, and over again...

"~"

Killua looked around the waiting room, Dick Sakura shopping bag being slung around as extra weight. He'd brought a light, navy blue scarf, the only thing that didn't stand out from the rest.

The card that was supplied to him to use to purchase the object was the main reason he'd even purchased anything to begin with, and also was the same reason for his entry into the Hunter's Exam. The room was filled to the brim, candidates in the thousands, all towing the same bag full of purchases from the same shop. It wasn't anything like last year's number of entrees.

Killua was supplied with #1219 badges, and was sure he wouldn't be the last one to enter the race before times up. Killua's eyes looked around, checking for beacons that stood out. _There are more people this time..._ Surely he wasn't the only one here that was competing from last year. _I wonder if there's anyone I know..._

Killua was stopped by three men, different coloured shirts and hats, but they all had the same markings under their eyes. Killua remained impassive under their stare down, unsure who they were. Their names were lost on his mind, unable to reach the tip of his tongue.

Each one spoke in unison, an echo of words seemingly in sync "Yo."

The yellow shirt man began the conjoined conversation first, starting the conversation, while Killua's eyes were drawn to him "Last year, you had your way with us."

Blue shirt man spoke next as Killua glanced towards him "But that won't happen again."

Killua felt his eyes moving in the direction of the voices, unsure why each of them was finishing off each other's sentences "We've undergone some hellish training." Once the man in red finished, each one spoke in sync "Our teamwork is perfect..."

Killua blinked once slowly, turning around to walk away before they could finish their sentence. Those three guys were boring him, not even sparking an old memory. Who they were didn't matter in the slightest so the boy moved on, checking to see if there was anyone else he knew.

Killua however stopped, the sound of a door creaking open. The boy's eyes followed the rest, but there was something different about the air being emitted from behind the door. It was a sense of familiarity, followed by dread for some reason.

A hand curled out from behind the door, pushing it open slowly. A dark blue denim shirt, black jeans and dress shoes man walked in, a book hiding his face. Though from what the boy could tell he had black short hair being spiked back, though in a messy way like he'd forgotten to do his hair.

He hadn't spoken a work yet, but the book in his hand was the abnormal thing about him. Three barely dressed girls and an R-18 mark at the top corner showed signs he wasn't just reading any normal material. He was reading erotic material.

His free hand was held out speaking as his eyes never once looked away from the material in his hand "I welcome, and congratulate everyone for reaching this far. We are in... Quite a predicament this year..."

As the man dropped the book from his eye level, the boy was met with azure blue slitted eyes, staring intently at the entire group. The man looked like an older version of Daniel, with shorter hair and that had to be no coincidence "1,489 applicants in total have made it to this stage. That means it's up to me, in which ever way I choose to do so to clear the room of at least a thousand of you..."

The man proceeded to slip a bookmark from his shirt, slipping it between the pages as one of the candidates argued "Who are you, pervert?"

"Pervert...?" The man looked towards the candidate, and then towards the book he was still holding out for the group to see "Well, you shouldn't judge an examiner by the material he or she reads. But, of course I still must introduce myself... My name is Vastorie Darkscryer..." Vastorie slammed the book shut on his own name, a gleeful smile spreading across his face "and I'll be your first examiner!"

Killua's eyes widened at the name, the familiarity now no longer being a mere coincidence. Should he hide? Introduce himself...? Daniel had warned Killua about his father in the past, and if the book being held in his hand is an indicator, he should listen to the boy's words.

"I thought about trimming you down myself by at least half. But, the next examiner asked me, in her own best interest to trim it down to at least... Three-hundred remaining, maybe even less. I could do that in under a minute... but where's the fun in that, hmm?"

Vastorie's eyes gazed over the candidates, scanning for any potential candidates. There was at least one-hundred in the room, spread out and hiding amongst the others. Vastorie checked his watch, wondering how long it would take the group to achieve the goal; with a hundred potential candidatures, maybe a couple of hours "Let's make this a battle royal! Take down at least... five people, and bring me their badges... you have... until lunch, with an hour or two leeway... don't leave me hanging. I'll be behind this door, reading... until then. It starts as soon as I close this door."

Vastorie walked past the door, closing it. As soon as it closed shut, the sounds of battle ensued. A smug grin spread across his face as he removed the fake cover; opening it once again to the last page he left off on "Oh, Levi Ackerman... how I've missed you so much..."

Plonking his but down, he continued to read, the sounds of slaughter outside the room failing to disrupt him.

"~"

Killua's eyes grew as wide as saucers, a possible chance to clear the room of all candidates. The moment the door closed, Killua initiated the first attack, leaving no casualty behind. Hundreds of candidates screamed as they fell, a single chop to the neck stunning them immediately.

Killua stopped when he saw a familiar jacket, the same one Zephile wore in Yorknew. He wasn't disappointed when he saw Zephile's face, fear etched into the man's face. He stopped for a moment, addressing the man's fears with a smile "Oh, you're here!"

Before the man could finish off calling his name, Killua swiftly chopped the man's neck to knock him out immediately. Every minute the boy wasted, was another minute longer before he could meet with his friends.

Killua let out a sigh as Zephile fell to the floor, drool already seeping from the man's mouth "Sucks for you. I'm the only one passing this year."

Killua continued to make short work of the remaining candidates, leaving none awake to tell the tale... including Tonpa who thought he could hide amongst the piles of bodies.

"~"

Vastorie turned a page, his eyes never forgetting the last word read. It been hours since he started the Royal Rumble... hours which already should've waned long ago. Was he incorrect about assumption? Did everyone knock each other out? They were questions he didn't want to the answer to...

The moment the door opened, the man looked up to greet the candidate with a smile "Congratulations..."

When white-hair blue eyes peaked out from behind the doorway, Vastorie immediately freaked out "KILLUA?!"

Killua's eyes dangerously narrowed on the man "How do you know my name...?"

"Zai, and Daniel... though one talked more highly about you than the other..."

Killua mouthed a big 'oh' as Vastorie returned his eyes back to the book "I expected you to be... quicker, at completing this challenge. And I'm not ranking that from blood heritage Mr. Zoldyck... Now, let's give it another hour for the others to make it through if it took you this long, there must have been some strong enemies in there. This is going to be an oh-so-fun year!"

"They won't be coming..."

Vastorie made a noise, suggesting the boy to continue with his reasoning "Do tell..."

Rather than saying something, the man heard a loud thump, followed by the sounds of small objects falling out of a sack. Vastorie put down his book to look at the object making the sound. His eyes fell on the bag first, noticing all the tags in there. And judging by the size and the amount of disks on the floor... there had to be more than a thousand tags contained in the bag.

The man then looked at Killua, the boy smiling widely. Then back to the bag, and finally back to Killua "What did you do...?"

Killua pointed his finger towards the door, suggesting the man to look outside.

Vastorie peaked out behind the doorway, thousands of bodies laying there unconscious. Words couldn't relay what the man was feeling, but pride would've been there, if Killua was his son "They're... all dead?"

Killua let out a huff of complaint "They're only sleeping..."

"Correction..." Vastorie burst into a fit of laughter at the thought "Dead tired!" After finally calming down, the man held out a finger to the bag of tags behind him "I would have let you gotten away with bringing only five tags... You didn't have to pick them all up."

Killua fumed at the man's reaction, but Vastorie ignored it, thinking aloud "Now instead of 1,489 problems... I now have 1."

"So what's the next phase?" Killua perked up, ignoring the sly comment weaving out of Vastorie's lips.

"That's the problem... She asked for three-hundred candidates... not one..." The man reached into his pocket, and dialled the only number he could think to ring of at this major time of need "Ah, Netero... we have a problem... 1,488 problems to be exact..."

"~"

Killua flicked the Hunter's Licence between his fingers, remembering the words Vastorie departed with. After congratulating the boy for making this the shortest exam Vastorie had ever participated in, it was the words he said next surprised Killua.

He'd said that **'fate had brought them together'** , but strangely enough, it didn't sound like Vastorie was referring to himself. It sounded distant, as if the 'them' involved someone not present. But before Killua could interrogate what the man meant, Vastorie offered a smile, followed by some disturbing words **"I, Vastorie Darkscryer pronounce you, Killua... to be the only applicant to pass this year's exam. Go out, achieve your goals... and the next time I see you, I expect to hear more from you. Protect Daniel, Killua..."**

In what circumstances would Killua ever have to meet one of Daniel's fathers again? There wasn't a reason to... maybe the man assumed that since Killua was travelling alongside Gon and Daniel, they'd eventually meet. But the final words also did catch him off guard. **Protect him, Killua...** Why did he want _him_ to protect Daniel? Wouldn't he want someone else, someone whose background didn't consist of assassins? Or better yet, why a Zoldyck? Zoldyck's are on rocky ground with the Darkscryers...

Yes, Killua didn't know what kind of rocky ground they had with the Darkscryers. His father was always so vague, hiding the story behind his hatred for Vastorie. He hated him, and that's was that.

All that remained, besides the many questions Vastorie left him was the distance between him, and the consoles needed to log back into the game. Then he'll see Gon again... And Daniel... maybe Daniel could shed some light on his father's cryptic words.

"~"

Daniel had his book out, eyes drawing to the only name that mattered in his book. The moment Daniel's eyes locked onto Killua, he simply didn't care about who else he'd run into.

Every hour he'd look at the name, hoping the name would flash like Gon's, a green orb notifying the boy he was in game. It had come as an obsession over the last few days, a slimmer of hope that the boy would log on at any moment.

Daniel's eyes had drawn to the book again, his finger being held up as the hand he was controlling gave pause. Killua's name was dull, greyed out. Daniel let out a sigh of defeat, his eyes about to draw back to the hand he was controlling. The moment his eyes was about to leave the page, it was then the orb flashed green. Life returning to the boy's eyes, he ran.

He didn't care that Gon and Bisky was calling out to him. All that matter was him was embracing Killua, a hug to notify the boy he was sadly missed. His emotions were out of wack, so many things he so badly wanted to do and say.

Killua was surprised as soon as he got into the game, Daniel, Gon and Bisky running towards him before he knew what was happening. Daniel had already embraced him in a hug before he'd process the situation. And even after Daniel hugged him, Gon couldn't help but join in.

Killua was left there, stunned, and somehow unsure how he should be reacting to his friends' immediate embrace. Embarrassment was high up the list, but the need to hug his friends was just as high.

Each boy was smiling, uncaring of how Bisky was looking at them. And the moment there hug had finally finished; they erupted into a fit of laughter as Killua's cheeks brightened after what had transpired.

"~"

Gon was already asking about the exam before Daniel could, the boys listening to every word. Daniel listened closely as soon as Vastorie's name was mentioned, the surprise of the boy's face being evident.

Though it seemed like Bisky was more surprised after hearing the man's name "Wait, Vastorie Darkscryer?! The emotionalist boy whose friends consisted of Nathaniel... I don't know his surname, but, Nathaniel and Netero?"

Daniel gasped in surprised, more surprised from the way Bisky adamantly talked about his fathers, especially Vastorie. If he was like that as a child, what happened between then and when he was born, and even as far back as when Zaikaria was adopted.

He showed no signs of reclusiveness or being a loner. He was a social butterfly, weaving in and out of conversations and arguments like a snake.

Daniel couldn't contain his fits of laughter once the words had finally taken root, sinking into his skull.

Bisky was surprised about the boy's reaction, and was horrified once Killua mentioned Daniel's surname "You do know... that Daniel's last name is Darkscryer as well..."

Bisky's face contorted into surprise as Daniel further continued "And the Nathaniel you spoke of may be my other father..."

Bisky was stunned, unsure how she should've reacted. Had Vastorie changed so much behind closed doors, that even Bisky had caught no rumours of the man. He'd dropped off the radar, and even her radar as it seemed. But he didn't drop off for the reasons she thought of...

Killua had won that time, Bisky's reaction being priceless. But Gon seemed ignorant, wanting to know more "How was the exam? What happened? What did you see?"

Many questions buzzed past Killua's ears, but he addressed all of them one by one "Besides the many questions your father left me with... the Exam was a cinch! No challenge whatsoever. I passed it in no time at all."

Daniel was about to ask a question, but Bisky butt into the conversation, her recovery time being unparallel to her endurance and strength "Sorry to interrupt your celebration, but look at these spell cards."

Killua looked over everyone's cards; amazement showing as he got to the higher ranking cards "Whoa... There's even an S-Rank card! How much can we sell it for?"

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, contemplating on how wrong he was with Bisky. His original guess was so far from the truth. He thought Killua would be on his side when it came to saving the card for later... but instead Killua wanted to sell the card.

"Oh, let's go ask around!" Bisky offered the solution, thinking everyone would go along with Killua's idea.

Daniel rejected the thought, no matter how much he wanted to be on Killua's side "No! That card is too valuable to sell..."

"Agree!" Go joined in with a smile "we should use it wisely... So what should we do?"

Bisky pouted as Killua looked towards Gon, unsure about the boy's remark. And then there was Daniel's play in the equation. Why was he with Gon on this? Usually the boy doesn't disagree with his plans; just his thoughts from time to time "Well, I guess it's safe to hold on to it. With all these defensive spells, we don't need to worry about it getting stolen."

Killua looked through all the cards, posing a question about some of their uses "Have you tried any of these?"

"Apart from **Blackout Curtain**... Nope, no other occurrences where we've had to use cards..."

Killua looked up, peeved from the thought that none of them attempted to experiment with any of the cards "What? If you have all these cards, you should use them…"

"All of them?" Curiosity got the better of Daniel that time, but judging by Killua's immediate reaction, the boy didn't seem to mind "Of course not all of them… How about…" Killua ran a finger across at the cards stopping only to pick up a **Contact** card. Upon picking it up, he handed the card over to Gon "This one? You can choose a player you've met before, and talk to them."

Daniel knew which card Killua was speaking about. It was **Contact** , a card Daniel was least expecting.

**Contact**

**1040 F - 200**

**Communication with one target player (encountered within the game) via your book. (Connection maintained for a maximum of 3 minutes. May only be broken by player who used this card.)**

**[LR][NORM]**

Who were they going to call? They hardly knew anyone, besides the Bombers, and the ones they killed.

Gon looked up from the card handed to him by Killua, unsure why that card was picked specifically "Who should we talk to?"

Daniel held out a hand to Gon "Why not look through the name list?"

"Name list...?"

"Yeah, there's one in everyone's book… which is how the guy knew our name, and how I found out Killua just logged in. I only stumbled across it by luck, when I was flipping through the pages."

Gon used the card, the book flipping to the right page. Killua began scanning the names "Oh, I see a lot of names…" Eventually, the boy stopping at a specific one, his eyes widening in terror at the name supplied. **Chrollo Lucilfer** … when did Gon and Daniel cross paths with the man, and how come they never told him?

"Hey, when did you meet this guy…?"

"Guy…?" Daniel and Gon peaked over, wondering who Killua was referring too. Their eyes too joined Killua's own, terror filling their hearts. What was that man doing in this game, and how exactly did he get in? One needed _Nen_ to enter this game, and last time they checked, Chrollo Lucilfer no longer had his…

"Chrollo?!" Gon breathed out the name as Bisky quirked her head to the side, no clue to whom the man the boys spoke about "Who's Chrollo?"

Each boy ignored Bisky's question as Daniel opened his own book, checking to see if he'd run into the man as well. Like Gon's, Chrollo also appeared in his book. He didn't remember running into the man, let alone seeing him "I don't remember running into that guy… Do you Gon?"

"Nah, uh… I haven't seen him either."

"Maybe we just passed each other within detecting radius..." Daniel questioned the thought, wondering how neither of them noticed the Phantom Troupe Leader passing them. They would've have at least detected the man's presence after all that training, unless… the man didn't want to be found. Then why choose that name to begin with?

Killua ran a hand across his chin, thinking of scenarios where the two wouldn't have seen him "Maybe you did pass each other… You just didn't notice, or he was hiding his presence."

"HUH?! What are you boys on about?"

Again, they ignored the woman's question "It doesn't make sense..."

"Yeah, Gon…" Daniel joined in agreement "Why choose a name your enemies know, unless he didn't know we were also playing… and then there's also the whole thing involving the restriction around his _Nen_ …"

"What restriction…?"

"Yeah, Kurapika sealed his _Nen_!"

"Who's Kurapika?!"

Killua's eyes narrowed "Yeah, you have to use _Nen_ to enter the game… That could mean-"

Bisky was fed up, smacking each boy on top of their head in quick succession. She hated how they completely ignored all her questions, speaking about the topic as if she no longer existed to them "Let me in on this!"

Each boy groaned as Daniel muttered a question relating to the topic to Bisky. She might as well join in of the conversation now, seeing as she was more experience in the topic since they were "Alright…" the boy groaned as he rubbed the spot Bisky chopped "Chrollo is an evil guy… most likely. His _Nen_ was blocked, or removed awhile a back, and seeing as there is no way to get into this game without _Nen_ , that means either Chrollo is not Chrollo or… Chrollo found a way to remove or purge Kurapika's, our joint friend's ability…"

"Purging _Nen_ …?" Bisky muttered in confusion before finally joining in the conversation she'd had been ignored from for the last five minutes "It's very doable."

Each boy freaked out, the thought of Chrollo Lucilfer being in-game, and within vicinity was terrifying. He wasn't someone they could mess with, and the thought of Chrollo being the same man as the person, whom tormented Kurapika and the three boys during their stay at Yorknew just became a problem.

Now that Daniel thought about it, Phinks was very suspicious; talking openly about the way Kurapika's ability had repercussions if they killed him. Maybe that was a piece of information he withheld, refusing to tell the boys anymore than he wanted, or needed to.

Kurapika had to find out… and he needed to know now more than ever… That the leader of the Phantom Troupe... may be back in action...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anybody guess what Vastorie was pretending to read during the Hunter's Exam?


	68. Chrollo X Cards X Dance off!

Killua was stunned, unsure how they were going to deal with Chrollo if he was in this game "Seriously?"

"Of course!" Bisky chimed in, not a single doubt in her words. She was more experience, knew things the boys didn't. _Nen_ wasn't just about applying, or creating unique effects. It had people who could remove things as well, subjugate the negativity into nothing "If you can place _Nen_ on others, it's not unreasonable to think _Nen_ can be removed, as well."

Daniel looked at his friends in concern. What if Chrollo achieved this?

Killua seemed to look at his friends in concern as well, though his faced didn't show much of those feelings "Does that mean Chrollo has removed Kurapika's _Nen_ , and entered the game?"

"That still doesn't explain why he's here..." Daniel argued the idea, thoughts turning to the absolute reason why Chrollo was there, in Greed Island. Even Gon seemed to agree with the boy's thoughts, wondering the same on the topic.

But if Chrollo was really in the game, why didn't he attack. He had the best moment to take revenge, and he didn't do so. Each boy was unaware of his presence. So why not attack then, when the boy's couldn't prepare for the attack?

"I'm not sure, but we should probably let Kurapika know." Killua was more prepared on the topic, offering solutions which his friends had obviously forgotten to think about during the reason to why, the man was being held up in Greed Island. Killua turned slightly, already prepared to run back to the port "I'll leave the game real quick."

As Killua was about ready to run, Daniel stopped the boy. He didn't want Killua to go now, not after coming back so soon "Wait, take a **Leave** spell card." Daniel would sadly admit neither Gon nor himself could leave with the cards they couldn't afford to lose. So, their best choice of action was for Killua to at least notify Kurapika.

But Daniel would be damned if he didn't offer Killua a Leave card to come back sooner rather than later. He'd already waited nearly two months, and an extra hour would kill him. Daniel clicked his fingers at Gon, knowing the boy had a Leave card or two in his book "Gon, the Leave card!"

"Nah... Save it!" Killua ran away with a smile "I can be out and back in four hours."

_FOUR HOURS?! I was suffering while waiting for you to come back from the Hunter's exam, and now I have to wait another four hours?!_

Daniel watched Killua become a distant image, lost in the long distance. He'd wished Killua listen, taking a shortcut back. They had no reason to keep Leave spells, for the reason to leaving the game is non-existent. They wanted to achieve Gon's goal, and the time between now and then, there would be no reason to leave the game.

But atlas, Killua refused to give that a second thought, choosing the longer route, and in doing so, make Daniel's heart wretch even longer. But, at the same time it also gave the boy some hope... at least he didn't have to wait another month to see Killua, or the smile the boy gave as he ran to tell Kurapika the dilemma.

"~"

Killua did eventually come back, true to his word and in less than four hours like the boy first said. Now he was back, he could relay what Kurapika had said. It hadn't seemed like Kurapika was worried like they initially thought.

Kurapika had already known about _Nen_ removal tactics, and was already planning for them in advanced "Looks like it's not the real Chrollo..." Killua murmured finally with a sigh, thoughts on whom, the man with the fake name could be.

It had to be someone close, connected with the original Phantom Troupe Leader... maybe another spider was in the game, trying to replicate the loss of his original leader, a pair of shoes the spider wanted to fill...

Gon let out a sigh of relief at the thought the man they originally crossed wasn't actually in-game, tormenting others.

Killua piped up, thinking more seriously about Kurapika's words "Kurapika was pretty calm about it." Killua held out his hand shrugging a feint of emotion he was trying to hide. Maybe the way Kurapika denied Killua's request made the boy's concern seemed fruitless, a piece of information Kurapika was already well aware of "Like he wasn't concerned or just didn't care."

Bisky held up a finger, Daniel instinctually looking at the finger with _Gyo_ , though his action was futile. She only raised the finger to make a point "Well, it sounds like you got worried for nothing. Now it's time to focus on yourselves."

Bisky was right, this Chrollo figure didn't need to be a concern at the moment. If he didn't attack them before, they either didn't see them, or... they did and he, or she simply didn't care they were playing the same game.

Gon agreed with the thought loudly, giving Killua and Daniel no time to react to the statement "Osu! Start with the basics..."

Bisky smiled at the thought, but that wasn't what she was originally intending "We're not going to train. It's time to start beating this game!"

Again, she was right for the second time. They'd yet to tell Killua about what had transpired, since coming back from the Hunter's exam.

Daniel decided to catch Killua up to speed, seeing as the only thing they were about to do is collect one-hundred cards.

"~"

Card after card, the boys managed to beat every event, obtaining cards left right and centre. This time it was a rare bug, found in a rather large tree. Climbing it would take even longer, but it seems there was already a script set in place to shorten the farming period.

The so called guardian of the tree explained as he leaned on a hammer pressed into the ground. He explained with a vigour which could only be described as being ecstatic "It's said the legendary **King Great White Beetle** lives only on this tree! There's only one way to capture it! Hit the tree hard enough to shake it out."

The tree had a great wound etched into the side of the tree, a single spot where multiple people had already caved in. Many people had already obtained this card, and to do the same, all they had to do was shake the tree to its roots.

And that's what Gon did. He prepared his ability, the mantra being repeated before the attack. It became a representation and symbol of his strength. It was the main reason why the long space between his attacks wasn't a void of endless silence.

The impact was loud, ear splitting as well as the boy's voice echoing off the foundation of the tree. A rumble ensued, before it started to rain bugs. The poor critters falling from its branches had no clue what was happening.

As they rained from the sky, Killua gleamed in delight as Bisky covered her head. She didn't like the thought of creepy crawlies falling in her hair, let alone on her dress "It's raining bugs!"

Gon got to work after that, most of the poor insects dying from the free fall. It was a long way down, and for some reason the insects that could fly also seemed to die on its way down. Couldn't they have... flown away, or even flied on their way down?

But none of that seemed to matter anymore when Gon found his first **King Great White Beetle**. The boy held out the card as an achievement to the others, scurrying away again to look for any others.

Daniel took a long hard look at the white, typical looking beetle. It didn't look any different from a Hercules beetle, or at least that's what he would originally thought after taking a second glance. It had two large pinchers on the side of its face instead of being in the middle.

**King Great White Beetle**

**53 A - 30**

**A legendary insect that releases pheromones which attract other insects to start a massive colony. Can only leave the colony for a brief evening walks.**

Gon returned with another two, making that three **King Great White Beetles** being caught in total "Difficulty rank A! That's three **King Great White Beetle** cards!"

Killua smirked widely as Gon held up all three cards to the sky "You could've gotten more if you'd thrown a real punch."

Gon turned to the boy, a huge smile following "Well, I didn't want to damage the tree."

"Or drive the poor bugs into extinction..." Daniel rebutted, looking at the poor insects caught in the collateral damage. There had to be at least hundreds of thousands of insects rattled from their nest, dropping like flies.

Daniel's eyes then glanced up to meet Gon's and Killua's "What's next?"

"~"

There were many other cards collected on the way, but many of them didn't stand out, except for the one Killua achieved, and the one Daniel followed with next.

There was a remote village known as **Erith** , hidden deep within a forest; it held a ritualistic event every night of non-descript nature. Finding out about **Erith** was easy; the event it held however had lost its allusion.

Maybe it was the design of the event, a mysterious nature surrounding it to call fellow Hunters into pursuing the secretive task. Killua didn't like the sounds of the event, its hidden description being a trap of its own design.

Gon however wanted to seek it out, finding out why this event was designed to be so secretive. It wasn't so much as being a trap, more designed to rope unsuspecting Hunters into a weird event. It held a sort of Carnival feel, minus the fun rides.

Lights littered throughout the town, people dancing away without a single care in the world. Upon questioning, they were a nomadic tribe of dancers. As the night rolled around they would 'dance' the stress away, a unique perspective considering if one were to do that every night, they'll run themselves dry into the ground.

But this event had one problem... dancing, wasn't a part of any of the boys' repertoire of skills... except for one boy, Daniel... whom kept it as a secret.

Gon looked defeated at the thought of this route being a dead end. Seeing the look of defeat in Gon's eyes made Daniel only squirm at the thought of giving up and caving in...

The event could only be continued in one way, enticing the 'best' dancer in this event. Anyone could be that person, and who knows how long, or in what form of 'dancing' they had to participate in, in order to draw out the 'best'.

Daniel couldn't exactly remember if he gave away his secret, but now's as good a time as any. With a sigh, Daniel clapped his hands together to draw his friends, and Bisky's attention "I could try..."

"Really?!" Gon beamed in delight, the thought of snagging another card for such an easy event. Killua's reaction however, was the polar opposite of Gon's. The boy snickered at the thought of Daniel clumsily dancing to start the event "This is going to be good..."

The boy's eyes narrowed on Killua before speaking in a cold, hard, dry tone "Good... is an understatement." Daniel began to look around, seeing where would be the best spot to draw in such a character. And what the process was in order to draw such a character.

The boy finally chose a spot where he could not only draw said person's attention, but the attention of those barely surrounding him. It was his best bet to draw in not only the little fish, but the big one he so desperately needed.

The boy got a feel of the music, listening to the rhythm. Closing his eyes, Daniel felt the rhythm before dancing to it. 'Clunky' dancing would not be the best way to draw in the _dancer's_ , let alone anyone else attention for that matter.

It's times like these he wished he could replicate his father's, Vastorie's skills in dancing. He could not only move to the rhythm, but move his body to the beat. It would have taken him years of practice to learn that skill, but Daniel settled for something more to his skill level. And in doing so, the plan worked...

Killua and Bisky's jaw dropped; the skill wasn't expected from such a boy. Yes, his hand and body fluid movements sometimes showed off this _skill_ , but not to this level... this wasn't shown in any of his forms.

Then it hit Killua, a memory from the past. When Daniel fought Yanick, this skill was present. Sure, back then he had Wolfbane at the time, the blade swinging alongside his movements. But now, Daniel no longer had his weapon, well, using it at the moment.

Gon made a noise of awe, which only drew Killua's attention "Daniel can dance...?"

"Another thing he was hiding... apparently." Killua licked his lips, mouth going dry from having it opened for so long. It was as much as a surprise to him as it was for Gon. Though, Gon was more invested in the show as drew in the boy's attention more than Killua's.

Gon's attention was drawn to anything that intrigued him, and it seemed Daniel's dancing _skills_ were one of them.

Daniel was using his body, and his body alone to draw the attention. He moved his hands like a light flicker in the darkness, hands moving and wavering. He got so lost in the music his own ears managed to sync out the supposed 'ooh' and 'ahh'.

It's been a while since Daniel let himself this loose, dancing... the last time he could remember dancing was at a ball when he was ten, Vastorie being his partner. But back then that was a slow dance, here and now, this was a solo piece.

He had no one else he could revel in the moment with. A thought did linger at the possibility of sharing this very moment with Killua, but the boy was probably off to the side snickering at Daniel's dancing.

He was so lost in the dance it took double the taps to break out of his trance. The boy opened his eyes, lingering on the possibility of it being Bisky, Killua or Gon telling him he failed. But there standing before him was a reasonably tall lady, a graceful smile and a rather large, thick afro. Though, not big enough to be considered the size of a beach volley ball.

Maybe this lady was the supposed dancer he need to meet, the one that challenged him to the so called dance off to win a prize. Her eyes seemed dull, as if she was being controlled. This had to be the possible NPC he needed to seek out.

She offered out her hand, challenge followed by a smirk "I couldn't help but admire your skill... but are you better than that?"

Daniel's smile widened at the thought. He was... those skills were just a way for him to let loose, being comfortable with the thought of dancing. The boy felt his manipulator side come fourth; challenging this supposed dancer to reveal what would happen if he won "Hmm... what's in it for me?"

She didn't say anything, only show off the bracelet, or thing hanging from it. It was a diamond, flashing multiple colours under the light. It had to be a rare gem, hopefully an S rank or above. This could possibly be the gem Bisky's looking for but he highly doubted it considering it wasn't completely blue... just colours of the rainbow.

"You're on!"

The dance off had begun, her moving just like Daniel earlier. And there was one problem... she was better at his earlier dancing movement than he was. Her dancing was not only graceful... it followed the rhythm and the beat as well.

The moment she stopped, she pointed to the boy with a smug expression. She knew she won, but Daniel had other skills... skills that his father also taught him. Dancing wasn't just a single art form, it was multiple talents battling it out, and Daniel was about to show off some of those rare talents...

With a graceful smile, the boy began dancing differently. His hand was held out over his chest, moving the body part as if his hand were a magnet, both repelling and pulling at a certain distant. Daniel kept the movement as fluid as possible, shifting the body only slightly. But unlike the girl's earlier method, the boy wasn't going to stop to cue her in; it was up to her to catch up to his endurance level.

The more Daniel got into it, the more his body began to show off a seductive side, fluid motions even the girl could replicate. He flipped his body, balancing on his hand as he split his legs. He then moved on from that, forcing his body into a break dancing situation, spinning his body like a windmill.

He knew so many techniques, learning so many of them from his father. It one of the very few talents, besides gambling tips passed onto him by Vastorie. He just hoped it wouldn't have to come to 'the worm' as being his fallback move.

Daniel finally threw his arm out, curling back up into a handstand before back flipping backwards onto his feet. As he landed, a sly grin spread across his face as slid backwards on the spot. There was no way she could beat him after that... she'd sooner light her hair on fire like a match stick before she could replicate that move set.

The woman frowned, trying to replicate Daniel's last moves. But like he predicted, she couldn't do it. Her hands slid out from under her, her landing back first onto the ground.

Daniel dusted his hair out from any dirt he accidently picked up as the poor NPC got up, handing the gem over. Even with her dulled-eyed expression, she frowned at the lost. The gem turned into a card, one that was needed to complete the game.

**Rainbow Diamond**

**79 A - 20**

**A diamond that glitters like a rainbow. If this diamond is presented when proposing, you will never be turned down.**

This had to be a premonition of some kind as the boy showed the card to his friends. With this card, he could technically confess his feelings to Killua, and the boy would accept them regardless of Killua's real answer...

But that wouldn't be right... and it would also be a waste of a valuable card. His thoughts lingered on the thought longer as he placed the card in his book. Would it _really_ be wrong of him to use this card?

It was a way he could really show off his feelings to Killua, but the judgement to ensue soon after would be devastating. After not seeing Killua for so long, and then meeting him... he was filled with a desire to hug Killua, and after thinking about it... deep within his mind he wanted to kiss the boy.

Killua was filling a void deep within his chest he never knew he had. And the longer Daniel chooses to ignore it, the more it hurts. He'd find a time where he was sure would be the best time to confess. And he had to make sure it was before this game was finished. That way if the confession goes wrong, he could distance himself from the boy, running away until he was comfortable to be by his friends' side again.

He still had his sister, doing whatever she was doing. Maybe he could join her, or head back home for further training... His options were endless, but each option hurt when he thought of the possibility of jumping to that conclusion. Maybe he should trust Gon's instinct...

Daniel looked towards Gon, a huge smile gracing his lips "Next card...?"

Gon nodded with a huge grin. No matter what happens next, he was sure he could always rely on Gon's help to rectify the problem. He wanted to stay no matter what happens next... He wanted to stay by Killua and Gon's side as long as he could... an endless journey of adventure no matter if Killua said yes... or no...

"~"

The group had been running, their next goal already been decided. After obtaining so many cards, the next town waiting to be ransacked of cards was Dorias, notoriously known for its gambling.

It was a place Daniel suspected he could excel at obtaining cards. But, judging by Killua's placid features, the boy looked like he was about to try beat Daniel after his series of losses in Yorknew.

"Next, let's head to the **Dorias, City of Gambling!** " Bisky exclaimed loudly as they ran.

Gon began to speak up, remembering about something earlier they had encountered in the game "Wait, wasn't today supposed to be the monthly contest in Antokiba?"

"Hmm..." Daniel murmured loudly, he was surprised he'd forgotten about that. He was usually on track when it came to memorising details and events. Then again... he'd been trapped within his own mind, thinking about other _things_... "You're right! That slipped my mind. Good job on remembering that!"

Killua smirked from Daniel's lost track of mind. That boy is usually on top of these things, but this time... Gon remembered, not Daniel "We'll be passing through, so let's give it a go."

Daniel looked towards Killua, noticing a smirk slowly converting into a smug smile. It was endearing to watch, the conversion, but not undeserving in the slightest.

He'd been so spaced out from his thoughts; it was a surprise he hadn't run into a tree yet. Then again, Killua won't be getting the last laugh... Daniel will once they reach Dorias.

"~"

Antokiba's event wasn't really hard. There were multiple teams of two, and each of them versed each other in a game of capture the flag. The objective of the game was to remove the bandana from your opponents, without your team losing theirs. As long as one member remains in the game, your team has a chance of winning.

Killua was a must have on the team, so that left Daniel and Gon to take the second slot. Like always, it was a game of rock-paper-scissors that decided their fate.

Ultimately, Gon lost to Daniel. But somehow Daniel suspected Gon lost on purpose, his ulterior motives yet to be known. Gon wasn't good a lying, he never was. The smile Gon gave showed a sense of slyness behind it, hiding the very purpose to why he lost.

If Daniel had to guess, he suspected it had something to do with Killua participating in the match.

Side-by-side, Killua and Daniel stood at the edge of the ring, their spot spread out from the other teams. While some were closer than others, it wouldn't be too hard to steal them all.

Daniel felt his heart race from being so close to Killua, the boy breathing out ever so slowly. If Daniel focused, he could count each individual breath. And if he really focused, he could feel Killua's tranquil state, nothing breaking the boy's undivided attention.

Daniel wanted to relish in the fact it was just the two of them against six other teams. But by the look of Killua's face, winning was the only thing on the boy's mind. Whether it was from beating the other teams or grabbing the most tags, Daniel wasn't so sure.

Then again, Killua would definitely win if it was latter choice. Daniel was so fascinated by Killua; he wouldn't be surprised if he missed half of the game.

Killua finally drew his attention to Daniel, a frown being expressed "What...?"

"Nothing..." Daniel finally looked away, his chest beating harder "You were just... so calm..."

"Of course!" Killua dead-panned, his voice voided from any emotion other than boredom "They all look weak..."

Daniel let out a brief sigh "Yeah... I guess you're too _strong_..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing..." Daniel motioned with his hand, a smug expression soon following when he looked up "How long you think this game will take?"

"If it's anything like the Hunter's exam... ten seconds..."

"Speaking of which... What did you think of... my father? Besides him-"

"Looking like you...?"

Daniel sighed for the second time, giving in to noticeable fact. No matter how much he tried to deny it, the two did look alike.

"Well, cocky... perverted... smug... nothing like you..."

Daniel let out a chuckle, the words meaning more to him that he liked.

"You didn't even care to watch the porno with me..."

"And neither did Gon, if I remember correctly... and also that it was... _sensual_ to you as well..."

"You can remember _that_ but not that the Antokiba event was today..."

Daniel shrugged at the thought "I'm a one track mind..."

Killua flashed a smirk, Daniel falling easily into his own trap "So what was your mind so focused about...?"

"You..." Daniel proclaimed without a second thought, the word hitting him hard soon after. It was like a tidal wave of after thoughts "I mean... what you said about running into my dad at the exam... finding out he was a proctor and what not... And..." Then it clicked to Daniel, the question he wanted so badly to ask "What did you mean by **the many questions my father left you with**...?"

Killua coughed, regaining his lost disposition at the question "He thought I'll run into him again..."

"Huh... I wouldn't consider that non-possibility... Seeing as you already ran into him at the exam."

"No, I mean he thinks I'll _really_ run into him..."

Daniel blinked slowly at the statement, considering Killua's words carefully. Was Daniel's father about to stalk him? Was that a statement meant for Daniel in some way? He wasn't finding the connection, so instead, the boy focused back on the field, the task at hand being more of a priority.

He couldn't help the endless questions parading the boy's mind during the whole match... But one thing was for certain...

Either Killua was hiding something...

Or his father was keeping tabs on him without them noticing...

"~"

Killua was true to his word, the battle was swift, and over before anyone knew what happened. While Killua did manage to rack up the most points, Daniel at least stopped him from getting a perfect score. Not that it meant much to him in the end...

They obtained a card; their efforts wasted on a single card between them, which left one boy, specifically Gon stumped... **Paladin's Necklace**

**Paladin's Necklace**

**84 D - 60**

**When a player wears this, all spells targeting the player will be reflected. Can also dispel curses placed on any card touched by player.**

For Daniel it was easy to understand. In terms of valuableness, it was better than the rank S, **Prison** card. **Prison** protects one page, whereas **Paladin's Necklace** protects wearer from all cards being cast on him. While having four **Paladins' Necklaces** came in handy, one was enough to get the job done.

But Gon was still confused, holding the card in his hand as his eyebrows knitted together "I don't understand this description."

Daniel held his hand out, taking the card to place it in his book. There was the risk of the card transforming back into a necklace. He wasn't exactly sure if they should transform the card or not, considering Gon didn't understand the positive effects "It's easy to understand. It removes all negative effects... and possibly positive effects from the person who's wearing it..."

"Hmm, I don't know..." Gon looked at the card, focusing on it before Daniel removed his book from play.

Killua joined into the conversation "Well, then lets double check with a shopkeeper."

"If I'm right, you owe me something... and I've yet to figure out what that _something_ is..."

Killua looked at Daniel with a smug expression. If Daniel was exactly the same as he has been for the last few hours, forgetful, easily lost in nature... this would be an easy win "You're on!"

"~"

The emotionless shop keeper looked at the card, then back to the boys, voided from all the enthusiasm other NPCs had. This NPC did not like his job "When you wear this necklace, you can reflect all attack spells. And if you touch cards under the effects of Transform or Fake, you can restore them to their original state."

Daniel remembered seeing **Transform** in Gon's book and **Fake** in Bisky's.

**Transform**

**1010 A-20**

**Change one card in your possession into any other card in your possession. (Card will now count against the limit of new card type. If limit has already been reached, nothing will happen, and the Transform card will be destroyed.)**

**[SR][NORM]**

**Fake**

**1020 C - 40**

**Change Fake into any card type from 001 to 099. The new card can be placed in a restricted pocket. But it will not count toward Book completion, and cannot be transformed into an item. It also will not count toward card limit.**

**[SR][NORM]**

They were both useful to a certain degree, **Transform** being better out of the two. But **Fake** did have its uses... it could be used to scam people out of their cards for a lesser, more useless card... like **Contact**.

In the end, the problem with this card was... who should take the card out of the three boys? Gon was the best choice, given the reasons to why they were playing this game... but Daniel did have the card in his book. Then again, Killua could protect the necklace if anyone attempted to remove it through physical means...

Ultimately the decision fell on Gon, and the same boy whom ended up wrapping it around his neck. The large gem with the sword incrusted into it hung from the boy's neck, a painful reminder to anyone whom attempted to steal or scam the boy out of his cards would fail miserably.

Killua's eyes gleamed in delight at the possibilities, the necklace being very useful "Wow... If we wear this, we won't have to worry about losing any cards."

"The wearer won't... but the others will... Which also reminds me... we should have cloned the card another three to four times! Maybe three... let's leave Bisky out of the plan."

Killua smirked at the idea while Gon fumed; they shouldn't leave Bisky out of the useful possibility. However puffed up Gon's cheeks got, as long as Killua was happy at the idea, Daniel simply didn't care an ounce... unless someone told her the plan...

Then he would be scared shitless...

But there was no use focusing on that plan anymore... they only had one card, and they just used it. Each boy let out a sigh in unison, but still... one necklace was better than none. And now would be the best time to switch the cards, handing Gon all the rare and hundred slot cards while the others take the more... useless cards like **Steal** , **Contact** , **Fluroscopy** , **Adhesion** , **Trace** , **Thief** and **List**.

"~"

The four of them continued to walk towards Dorias, them somehow catching up to Bisky without alerting her of their earlier plan. They had completely forgotten to tell her they were going to decipher the card they obtained in the monthly Antokiba event.

But after a stern yelling, and switching of cards, Gon looked over every slotted card they've collected so far " **Memory Helmet**..."

**Memory Helmet**

**90 A - 20**

**A player will always remember everything seen or heard while wearing this item. Unfortunately, the helmet is very large and heavy.**

Daniel hummed out the card effect, remembering the words and effects "Remember everything seen and heard, but super heavy..."

Gon nodded before picking out another card " **Witch's Love Potion**..."

**Witch's Love Potion**

**64 B - 30**

**If player kisses a pill before feeding it to a target, target will become beholden to player. Each pill will remain effective for one week. Each bottle contains 500 pills.**

Daniel fluttered his eyebrows in a comedic manner "Kiss the pill, and then feed the target. They will become super invested with his or her prince or princess charming..." _Although my brain is telling me to use it on Killua, I SHALL NOT!_

Gon got a chuckle out of that as Killua raised an eyebrow in concern. There was a mild sense of truth in the boy's words... as he secretly wanted to use it on an unsuspecting victim "Next..."

" **Risky Dice**..."

**Risky Dice**

**25 B - 30**

**A 20-sided die. One side says Bad Luck, while the other nineteen say Good Luck. If player rolls Good Luck, something good will happen. But if player rolls Bad Luck, something bad will happen to cancel out everything Good.**

"Risky, yet highly valuable at the same time... It's great for gambling stations."

Killua let out a huff at Daniel's words as Gon announced the next card " **King Great White Beetle**..."

"You got that card, Gon... while dragging a poor, unsuspecting, large colony into their doom... as well as the other players before us..."

" **Gold Dust Girl**..."

**Gold Dust Girl**

**46 A - 13**

**A girl who releases golden dust. One bath a day will net approx. 500 G. Very shy and quiet.**

"The card obtained by Killua... the girl who sheds gold dust for some reason..." Daniel responded in a questioning manner, followed by Killua's retort "Five-hundred grams worth, I might add..."

"Right, it's still weird though..."

Gon chuckled at Killua and Daniel's small argument "Yeah... **Rainbow Diamond**..."

"The one I grabbed..."

"From dancing..." Killua questioned why Daniel avoided explaining that card's effect, while saying or explaining all the others.

" **Paladin's Necklace**..."

"Which we just used... and are now protected from all attack spell cards and negative effects..."

Gon smiled, nodding at the various card effects "A total of six different restricted slot cards!"

"Five, if we don't count the one we used..."

Gon and Killua smiled as they high fived each other, regardless of having six or five cards collected "Piece of cake!"

"Actually..." Killua started to question an old topic, one that Daniel wasn't expecting "you could dance...?"

Daniel stared at Killua, his eyebrows knitted together in a questioning manner "Why are you bringing that up now?"

"Because you didn't give us time to ask straight after..." Gon frowned, the boy almost avoiding the question for the second time. Though, last time Daniel didn't give the boys' time to ask "Now that we are heading towards Dorias, now is a good time to ask..."

"Right... Dad taught me..."

"Which one...?" Killua's eyebrow twitched, Daniel already forgetting he had two. Maybe he was avoiding telling the others which one, or that he assumed they knew which one already.

"Vastorie... It was dark times..."

Killua chuckled, wanting to find out more what the boy meant by that statement "What do you mean by _dark_ times...?"

Killua smirked when Daniel side-glanced the boy, eyes wavering from the thought on whether to say anything or not. Reluctantly, Daniel sighed, believing it was better to say something, seeing as he already knew so much about Killua and he had yet to say anything more than he needed to "When I was... six... my father first taught me..."

Daniel held his breath, unable to say which type of dancing his father started him off with. It was embarrassing... so embarrassing, he believed Killua would be laughing for days upon hearing it.

Gon sensed Daniel's reluctance, pushing the boy to open up... even if it was a little bit "What did he start you off with?"

"Ballerina dancing... tutu and all..."

Killua burst into laughter, unable to stop as the boy glared at him.

Gon however completely ignored Killua's laughter, probing him for more information "And then what?"

Daniel stopped, turning to look at Gon with a curiously raised eyebrow "What you mean and then what?"

"Well..." Gon stopped, a finger pressed to his side "Mito-San said ballerina dancing is beautiful and hard to accomplish... Your father didn't stop there... and it didn't look like you gave up!"

Daniel chuckled in silence; Gon was right, able to see right through his embarrassment. It was a relief that Gon wasn't laughing, where as Killua was... and Bisky...

The boy looked towards the woman, noticing a huge smile. But he couldn't quite, explain her smile. She was hiding _something_ ; there was no doubt about it... but what that _something_ was... Daniel couldn't quite question what.

The boy turned to face Gon, giving him his undivided attention, seeing as Killua was only laughing "You're right, hardest year of my life... Especially seeing as I wasn't quite... flexible at the start. So many underwear and pants were lost due to... being unprepared..."

Killua roared in laugher even harder, dropping to floor as he slammed his fist on the ground. He wasn't doing any damage... but it was still humiliating to watch "Laugh all you want... I bet you couldn't pull off half of my moves..."

Killua shook his head, unable to stop laughing.

"Anyways, Gon... from there, it helped out when learning **Break Dancing**... **The Tango**... **Slow dancing**... and so many other art forms... which Killua wouldn't appreciate!"

"Really, Mito-San taught me **Slow Dancing** as well! It was really fun! Sometimes I would even dance with other people on Whale Island... but there weren't many people I could dance with my age..."

"Well, if you're in a ballroom dancing, just give me a call. I'll be your partner in crime if you need..."

"Wait, what?!" Killua stopped laughing for a second; looking at Gon for confirmation "You learned to dance too?"

"Yeah, but not as much as Daniel..." Gon rubbed a finger in embarrassment on the side of his cheek. But soon he stuck a tongue out at Killua for laughing so much at Daniel.

"Oh, so it's ok for Gon to dance, but not me..."

"Gon wasn't the one splitting his underwear into a mini skirt!" Killua soon chuckled at the thought as Daniel argued "It wasn't into a miniskirt... just in half... to get a back draft..."

Killua roared once again in laughter, only stopping when Gon's Book made a beeping noise. It wasn't one they heard yet, and soon, the book started to speak, alerting the boys on what that sound meant.

**Another player has used Contact to reach you.**


	69. Deals X games X Fourteen Devils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Sorry for the delay, I wanted this to be an extra long chapter in-order to not delay... **The confession...** And also I wanted to condense the whole section involving the fight between the Devils to the next chapter... so that might be extra long too...

It was a surprise neither of the boys were expecting at the moment. Another player from within the game was attempting to contact them, for better or for worse...

They hadn't the inkling of an idea of who they were. And when they spoke, neither of the boys still had a clue who it was "Yo! It's been a while, Gon."

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, trying to picture a face to the voice. Nothing was coming to mind, and it seemed Gon's curiosity got the better of him "Who are you?"

The man speaking through the book broke out in laughter, the situation being humorous to the new player "You don't remember me? Do you remember the player who took the **Sword of Truth** from you in Antokiba?"

Each boy freaked out before their features hardened. Why was this man contacting them? To what purpose would he even attempt to initiate a conversation with them?

Daniel's eyebrows twitched in anger, his words coming out more vulgar than he originally intended "What do you want Chin-balls?"

"HUH?! Chin... what?"

 _My thoughts exactly... that's the only thing I remember about you, besides stealing our **Sword of Truth** card _ "Nothing... What do you want?"

Daniel looked to the others for guidance. He hoped one of them would take over negotiation. However, Killua's face was hardened to the point his features were laughing, Gon was surprised and Bisky was smirking with a hint of curiosity. She didn't know who Mr. Chin-balls was, but judging by the boys' original reaction... that man did something to them earlier in the game, prior to meeting Bisky.

"Hmm... up for a trade? I have #66, **Witch's Love Pill** , and #27, **VIP Multi-Pass**. You can talk it over with your friends."

 _What exactly does_ **VIP Multi-Pass** _do, and does the card benefit them more?_ Daniel mulled over the thought in his mind as Gon asked both Killua and Daniel "What do you think?"

Killua raised an eyebrow, thinking the offering over as well. There was the risk of the player twisting the deal in order to take more cards than to give... but with Gon's necklace, the worry was limited. And there was also Bisky's presence limiting the men from stealing extra cards without a fight of some sort... _What to do..._ "Daniel...?"

Daniel thought it over for a second longer before responding "Let's make the deal..."

Once the call ended, Daniel held out a hand "Give me a **Transform** and **Contact**. We aren't losing a card towards our end goal. You'll make the trade with the real card and I'll keep the transformed card... When the switch is made and they are gone, I'll put the transformed card into your book so that it doesn't transform back when you touch it."

Killua smiled at the idea "Sounds like a plan, Gon?"

Gon hummed the thought in his head, not liking the plan. But then again... at least Daniel didn't ask for a **Fake** , and then attempt to fool them by handing the fake over. Now that would have been mean "Ok..."

"~"

The deal was made, Gon taking **VIP Multi-Pass** as he offered the **Witch's Love Potion** in return. Although Daniel secretly didn't want Gon to give up the real card, the card being offered in return had more to gain in the long run. And secretly, they still had the copy in Daniel's book.

Gon handed the card to the man in front of them as he slotted it in his own book, happy with his trade.

**VIP Multi-Pass**

**27 B-25**

**Present this pass to gain entry into any location. Contains 1000 passes.**

"See ya." The man turned, walking away without as much as a hassle.

Daniel summoned his book, placing the transformed card in Gon's book as the same boy and Bisky sighed together.

Bisky especially felted cheated in the situation "That was uneventful..."

Killua agreed with Bisky "Kind of disappointing."

Daniel allowed his book to fade "We may have lost the _real_ **Witch's Love Potion**... but at least we technically have seven cards now."

"I was so nervous..."

"From what...?" Daniel raised a curious eyebrow at Gon's statement. They weren't cheating, so nothing bad was going to happen with deal on their end, and once the cards were switched, if the man gave them a **Transform** or **Fake** the card would immediately change on touch.

Gon turned to face the others, a smile spread across his face "But we've gathered eight types, in three days! We're making decent progress."

"Seven... we only had one **Paladin's Necklace**. We should have transformed that card as well..."

Killua raised a fist, excitement clear in his face "Okay, let's keep this up." The boy then turned to face Bisky, posing a question on her "Are there any events in the city for getting restricted slot cards?"

Bisky thought for a moment, eyes trained on the sky "Hmm... I think there are..."

"~"

Gon stared at the endless slot machines in the casino, his first time being in that sort of building. Curiosity wavered in his eyes with a hint of disbelief. He didn't believe Bisk with what she said earlier. Bisky believed that there was a casino offering cards as a winning reward. The better the score, the better the reward...

"Prizes from slot machines...?" Gon hummed as his eyes looked at the many patrons in the casino already gambling.

"Should've expected as much from Dorias, the City of Gambling..." Killua eyed the men already gambling there at the slot machines.

Daniel didn't like the setup of the building, preferring more of the **Card** and **Roulette** games over the slot machines any day.

Bisky piped up, laying down the chances of winning "You have a 0.01% chance of winning. That's one in ten thousand tries."

Daniel hummed, not liking those chances. _The reward better be an A rank and up only..._

Killua agreed somewhat with Daniel's thought "So it all comes down to luck. Pretty Risky." Killua held a thumb to his chin, mulling the thoughts in his head as Daniel openly stared at the boy.

Killua thinking always made the boy look sophisticated in Daniel's head, even charming. Those serious eyes could stare through into anything, a pair of eyes he hoped to charm or grab if he decided to openly state his feelings.

Killua's opened suddenly, Daniel shifting his gaze to anywhere besides Killua's features "I know, Gon! Use that dice!"

"Huh...?" Daniel suddenly jerked his head towards Killua "Why would you want to use **Risky Dice**?"

"Why do you think doofus?!"

Daniel openly stared at the boy, trying to figure out if the boy meant that as a mean comment, or he just openly asked a stupid question. **Risky Dice** had a one in nineteen chance of earning a better reward. However, the one in twenty chances was a risk neither of the boys knew the consequences too. What was the consequence of rolling that **Bad Luck**?

Gon didn't seem to think that far ahead, already handing the card to Killua. Daniel snatched the card out of Killua's hand before the boy could use it, earning a non deserved glare "What was that for?!"

"Clone... I don't even care if you win another **Risky Dice** as your gambling... use a **Transform**. We could end up getting hundreds of doubles as we gamble, wasting opportune time to gather more cards in the process."

Killua's sigh soon faulted, shifting into a smile "At least someone isn't _distracted_ anymore..."

Daniel let out a grunt of complexity. Another time he questioned Killua's timing... though this time he didn't know if it was a joke or a snide comment.

Killua used a cloned copy of **Risky Dice** , holding the 20-sided die as he walked up to one of the unused machines. The boy shifted the dice between his fingers, looking over each side "This is it... If we get Good luck, we can win!"

"But if you get Bad luck, something bad will happen that cancels out everything good that's happened."

Daniel agreed with Gon's voice of concern, what will happen if all good luck was cancelled out? Does an event occur where everything they won using the dice gets taken away? The boy highly doubted death was a concern, given none of the spell cards can be used to attack someone, and physically harm them... And the only thing to concern them with death seemed to be from other players.

Killua seemed unconcerned when he looked at Gon "There's only a one in twenty chance of getting Bad Luck."

Killua dropped the dice, rolling them along the table connected to the slot machine. It landed on Good Luck, no Bad Luck chance to be seen in sight "There! Next," Killua pulled on the Slot Machine lever as he finished his statement "we try the slot machine!"

Triple Seven, a winning Jackpot showed up on the machine as it pumped out a card, a reward for earning the jackpot "Awesome! One try!" The boy picked up the card, holding it to his eye height "A **Sage's Aquamarine**! Score! That's what I thought... This dice is the key to winning in this city."

**Sage's Aquamarine**

**74 A - 15**

**Its owner will have many intelligent friends and keep those friendships for their entire lives.**

Daniel laughed as he saw the card, a constant reminder to what he already has found. Gon... Bisky... and Killua... Especially Killua, are all friendships, he wanted to keep for the rest of his life. Though, he highly doubted Gon fell under the category of _intelligent_ , after witnessing so many 'brain fizzles'... then again there were different examples of intelligent.

Daniel soon cracked a smile at Killua's own from witnessing the power contained within the **Risky Dice**.

As Gon slot Killua's winning into his book, Bisky raised the group's hidden concern again "But if you roll Bad Luck, it could be scary."

"Don't worry. It can't kill me..."

Killua was right! There was no way a card in this game could end up killing the user, especially after the starting games explanation. They were A-O-K...

However, the sound of an explosion made Daniel freeze in panic. What was that sound?

Daniel peeked around the corner of the machine, a man lying on the ground with a smoking face. The machine he was using suddenly exploded, patrons of the gambling stations gathering around him "Oh, no! A slot machine exploded! I knew something was wrong. That guy hit the jackpot five times in a row."

Another patron agreed with the man's statement, his words making Daniel feel a chilling sensation running along the boy's spine. "And he was acting weird... He kept rolling a funny-looking die."

"Yikes, his face is mush..."

Daniel slowly turned to face Killua, fear evident on his face "Killua, I don't think you should use that dice anymore..."

Killua shook off the evident fear, a concerned smile cracking along his face "No, I can do this!" He rolled the dice again, ignoring the big fat consequence of death looming over the dice's possible Bad Luck chance.

"~"

Time and time again, Killua rolled the dice, 'Bad luck' always being on the cusp or never being showed on the faces of possibility. Daniel feared that bad luck roll, no many how many times Killua avoided the chance.

One slip and Killua would no longer be his friend, the boy he cherished most. He wanted to stop the boy at so many intervals, but a part of Daniel refused to... If Gon was rolling he would have stopped Gon after the incident, not that he would need to...

But with Killua... for some reason it was difficult.

Killua rolling the dice stopped Daniel from reaching out to stop the boy's hand. He feared the frequent chance of rejection, a possibility of Killua pulling his hand away from Daniel's finger tips.

How could he voice his concern without raising suspicion? He secretly cared for Killua, and saying aloud why he wanted to make Killua stop rolling wouldn't be a wise choice. He wasn't ready to let his feelings slip out, and his feelings were the main reason why he wanted Killua to stop.

He couldn't just say **'please stop... I don't want to lose a friend'** that didn't feel right... or more like the statement didn't portray his feelings enough.

No how much he wanted to stop Killua, he just couldn't force his own hand...

He could on watch the dice continuously roll, and the lever being pulled. Killua's eyes had completely dulled, bordering the line between tired and fearful. After so many rolls, it didn't seem like Killua would stop any time soon "I can do this... One more time!"

The boy forced himself after winning at least fifty plus cards, thirty or more of them being doubled and sometimes even triple at this point...

Daniel's hand began to shake, the desire becoming stronger. Killua was an obsessive gambler at this point, unable to stop even though his shaking hand said otherwise. _Just reach out... and grab it. No questions later..._ The boy continuously repeated that like a mantra in his head, so badly wanting to stop the boy. But every time his hand began to move, it felt like lead, held down by its own weight.

One second was all it needed to take to stop Killua, but as Daniel thought about this, some of it was partially his mistake. Killua's probably going over board from all that constant teasing, from all those losses back in Yorknew.

Some of this... was... is his mistake...

Killua was out to prove himself... that the boy could win more than Daniel. Yes, Killua was cheating in the process but Daniel had done the same thing back in Yorknew. He cheated the system in the same manner his father taught him... but he could only go so far and then he stopped...

Killua just couldn't, no matter how hard he was trying in his head "I said I can do this, so I'm gonna do it!"

Daniel felt a sudden gush of air run past him. Bisky had almost suddenly appeared in front of him, hand connected with Killua's neck. She chopped him with the intent to knock the boy out, ultimately stopping the boy in the process.

Daniel hated himself, he could've...

No...

He couldn't...

But he should've stopped Killua a long time ago. If he did, Killua wouldn't have been knocked out by Bisky. Daniel reached out, grabbing the dice to place it in his pocket, fear of dropping it being considered a roll.

They never knew if they needed it again, and Killua would suspect Daniel being the least likely to hold it. If anyone was going to or should hold onto it, Bisky should be the one. At least she could keep it out of everyone's hands.

Bisky swivelled the chair, as she held out a finger to pointing towards Gon "Pick him up..."

Gon didn't get to move a muscle, Daniel already reaching around to give Killua a piggy back ride. It was almost instinct, a desire and regret rolled into one. The desire to hold Killua close, and the regret for not stopping the boy from his antics earlier...

He was already walking away from the gambling venue, hoping to distance Killua before he wakes up. Being this close to Killua was comforting in a way, feeling _just_ right. It didn't feel wrong in the slightest, no matter how deep down, those feelings were...

His whole body felt fuzzy, and Bisky's words didn't help to distract the _fuzzy_ feelings "Okay, let's move on to the next city!"

"~"

Daniel was left to watch over Killua, Gon and Bisky going out to grab firewood. If Daniel hadn't been caught for staring long enough before, he would've been from doing so now. The boy intently watched Killua's sleeping form.

Bisky had done a real number on the poor unfortunate boy, Killua being knocked out for longer than she originally intended...

Daniel snuck in close to Killua, just him and Killua all alone. Daniel reached out, entwining his fingers around Killua's own. It felt perfect, more than perfect... it felt like the last piece of the puzzle had been fit in place. There was just one problem, Daniel hadn't confessed yet...

Daniel let go of the boy's hand, Killua stirring slightly to change position. Killua looked at peace, happy... cute... beautiful... and Daniel soon felt his hand reaching up to grasp Killua's face, he almost felt like his body was making every decision on its own. And Daniel soon leaned in closer to Killua, his lips almost touching Killua's.

Fear rocked through the boy's body, making him reel back in shock. He'd almost kissed Killua... almost, kissed a sleeping Killua. Daniel turned his head away, stopping himself from looking at the boy. If only he could confess... if only Killua was awake and alone with him, would Daniel feel right to admit his feelings? Could he even? Would he even...?

He was sure he had one or two times he could've said something, but the fear deep down in his heart stopped him from doing so. If only he could admit those feelings...

Gon said it was going to be alright if he did, and if Killua doesn't take it well, Gon will step in to make sure both parties accept the situation... He trusted Gon, more than he did so in himself at this point. After all, he did almost kiss Killua as he was asleep. Would've been worse if he did and Killua immediately woke up like it was some fairytale...

Letting out a sigh, Daniel moved far away from Killua, eyes drawn to the sky. _Wake up soon... Killua..._

"~"

Everything returned to normal, already back to obtaining cards. Killua was pissed at Bisky, but nothing had changed. It was just card, after card... after card; with exceptions of conversations, here and there...

**Staff of Judgement**

**82 A - 15**

**If a player names a target, while raising staff towards the sky, disaster will befall either player or target, depending on which has done more evil.**

**Elder's Growth Pills**

**67 B - 30**

**Each pill taken helps player grow 1 centimetre. Each bottle contains 100 pills.  
Not recommended for those under 20.**

They were some of the cards they had obtained, some of them on the weirder side of things. Each card had its own quirk, a cause and effect. It was very rarely they ever obtained a card which had a positive effect, without a warning of some kind.

They had reached the half way point, Gon cheering loudly at their latest find, the **Fledgling CEO** "Yes! Halfway there!"

**Fledgling CEO**

**45 B - 30**

**If you warm this fledgling egg in your hands 3 hours a day, it will hatch in 1 to 10 years. The feeling you put into warming it will speed the process.**

Daniel hid a smile at Killua's own larger smile, for once out matching Gon's. Seeing Killua smile at the achievement made Daniel's heart flip-flop in his chest, a warm sensation pulsing through him. Maybe this was the feeling of _love_... as cliché as it sounded, _lust_ didn't fit most of the feelings Daniel would run into at a daily bases, except for those rare few occasions...

Soon, if these feelings stayed the same, he could say to Killua he was in love with the boy... but whether or not he _could_ say it in the end was an entirely different matter...

"That makes fifty types!" Killua yelled loudly as Daniel agreed without words. If they continued like this, they'll complete the game in under a month... if they stayed on track.

They had been conversing through a forest towards their next destination for a while now, and Gon's mind had completely stopped focusing on where they were headed next, instead focusing on his friends to pose a question, one which he was sure his best-friends knew the answer to "Hey, Killua... Daniel... something's been bugging me."

"Huh...?"

Daniel looked up to face Gon without a noise, cueing into Gon's question. Maybe the boy was about to stumble on a topic other than where the next card is.

"Aren't there hundreds of players? Isn't it weird that we've been able to turn all our items into cards?"

Or maybe not... "Maybe we just aren't aiming for the right cards..." Daniel cued into the topic, interrupting Bisky before she even attempted to speak.

Gon frowned slightly at the statement, figuring it out to be wrong in some way "B-rank restricted slot types have a thirty-card limit. The players here before us should have already collected them..."

"You're right..." Daniel argued against his own statement after thinking Gon's words. Even if not many players were playing, some of the cards should have been hoarded right now, even the lower ranking cards... especially the rarer ones like A rank and above, but here they had multiple cards A rank and above.

Killua chuckled at Daniel's wrong guess, elaborating on the opposite end of the statement "However, you can also see it another way. Fewer than thirty teams in this game are capable of making real progress."

Daniel sighed at that statement, Killua being just as right as Gon. Not many teams would be gathering multiple cards, but at least one of the A rank cards should _still_ , have been hoarded by now "What about hoarders... ones whom stop others from collecting _all_ cards. We should have run into a problem gathering at least one of the A-Rank cards..."

Killua looked up to the sky, a sly grin appearing across his face "Maybe the players are aiming to hoard the S-rank and above... or maybe one of the A-rank cards is hoarded, and we just haven't run into one of them yet..."

"I guess we still are missing another fifty cards..." Daniel let out a defeated sigh as his gaze focused towards the floor. Killua was just too smart here. He knew how to wiggle his way out of arguments. Then again... did Killua ever argue against himself...?

"Also remember..." Daniel looked up towards Killua, wondering what the boy was thinking of now "Most players aren't worried about getting restricted slot cards. They're just struggling to find a way out of the game."

"Poor souls... let me just grab the world's smallest violin. They could just easily bribe the port master... and exit that way. Or test their luck on trying to purchase a **Leave** card... that's a possibility to..."

"Yeah..." Gon awkwardly smiled in Daniel's direction "It would suck if you got to Masadora, and there weren't any **Leave** cards."

_HUH?! Did Gon just swear... that's, rare..._

"Agreed! That's..." Killua paused, taking both Gon's and Daniel's words into consideration. They had come across a gold mine idea, and none of them thought to abuse the system at all "You two are a genius!"

Daniel stopped mid stride, staring at Killua intently. He must remember to purchase a lottery ticket later. Gon swore and Killua just complemented them. That's a leprechaun riding in on a unicorn, rare occurrence... Killua never praises anyone for an idea, or at least not to Daniel's memory.

The boy thought about it seriously, and maybe it just slipped out of Killua's mouth without him thinking about it, and sure enough the boy was ignoring his last praise "If you guys got to Masadora, but there weren't any **Leave** cards, what would you do?"

Daniel thought about it seriously "I would go to the port master... option B."

"What if you didn't know about that or you couldn't bribe, or beat him up?"

Daniel closed his eyes, thinking about other options. Though it seemed Bisky was more attuned to the situation, already thinking ahead "I'd save money until a **Leave** card showed up..."

"Yeah..." Gon agreed which made Killua smiled in glee "You're getting closer. Now think, what happens if you acquired a super rare spell card while waiting?"

Gon tilted his head to the side, curious and yet at the same time unsure where Killua was heading with the question "Sell it and buy more spell cards until **Leave** came in."

"I would save it..." Bisky frowned at Gon's statement. That would be a waste of a rare card, especially when it could be used later "Wouldn't it suck if all the cards you brought ended up being worthless?"

Daniel agreed with Bisky, raising his own concern in a way he thought Killua would be thinking of "Agreed, there's the possibility someone is hording them for themselves..."

Bisky humoured the thought "Then you should save the rare spell card. You never know if that _someone_ might just trade you for a **Leave** -"

Bisky's eyes brightened up at the same time as Daniel's and Gon's, it was on the tip of their tongue, and a devilish idea to rack more cards in.

Killua's smile widened after it click to all their minds in unison, a hand held out to express the idea everyone was now thinking of "See?"

"And we have the perfect card in order to kill all competition!" Daniel held out a hand to Gon "Your book, if you may?"

Daniel shifted through the book, running his fingers until he saw it.

**Quiver of Frustration**

**86 A - 11**

**It's possible to recite the "Leave" with each arrow that remains equipped. One vanishing each time you cast a "Leave". Bow with 10 Pieces.**

"This card!" Daniel allowed the others to see the card his was thinking off as he laid out his plan "If we clone as many Leave spells as possible, and mix it with this card, the chances of robbing everyone blind will be further increased."

Killua's smile widened further into a wicked grin "Even better..."

"~"

The plan had been put in motion, several players being suckered into the deal. While they didn't manage to get as many **Quiver of Frustrations** as Daniel originally intended, they did manage to clone a fair few **Leave** cards. It was impossible for a player to score one by luck, and they used that to their advantage the whole time.

While they didn't manage to score a lot of restricted slot cards, they managed to obtain many cards both useless and useful. Daniel hummed as he poked one of the cards they failed to fit in any of their books, a soft, cuddly, stuffed cat.

It fell over as Bisky sighed "So the cards that wouldn't fit in our binders reverted to items."

Killua fumed at the remaining cards that were now items in front of them "We're running out of free pockets. Then we should organize them now."

"Agreed..." Daniel pushed the cat back up as he gave the remaining of his attention to the boy. They should reorganize the cards, separating the cards while making sure each member of the group had a **Transform** , **Contact** and **Return** card just in case they ever needed it.

"We three have a total of 180 free pockets. We should each leave around 5 pockets free."

"On top of that..." Daniel joined in after Killua, adding his own thoughts "We should each at least carry one **Transform** , **Contact** and **Return** card just in case."

Killua nodded as Gon went next "Killua, you keep the spell cards."

Killua frowned slight "Bisky should also have a few defensive ones."

"Huh?!" Bisky was caught off guard by Killua's comment, arguing against him "Wait! I have to use spell cards? No way! I don't know how they work."

Killua reeled back in confusion before holding out a finger to object Bisky's reasoning "The hell? Then learn how they work!"

"Nope, make Daniel learn!"

Daniel blinked slowly at Bisky "I already know... What's so hard about reading words? They even come with pictures, so you can't complain! Just read the description, find out what each card does then say card name, attack person... it's not that hard. I can understand if you come from Ming dynasty-"

Bisky slammed her fist into Daniel's face before he could finish the statement.

Usually Daniel was very selective about his words, stepping around dangerous territory like a quiet panther... but this time he stepped on a minefield, getting knocked out before he could finish the argument "Ow! That hurt..."

"You deserve that..."

Killua raised a fist at Bisky, hatred seething in his words "Listen here, you are going to learn to use spell cards as well! Daniel's right, it's easy you old hag!"

Bisky slammed her fist next into Killua, almost knocking that boy out in the process "I don't want to learn... it's too hard!"

Daniel immediately got up, anger expressing across his face. He didn't say anything; he could say anything that Killua and he himself already expressed. But something fluttered in his chest about the situation.

Killua just defended him, maybe not with his body, but with words. Yes, Killua did get knocked out like he did... but it was the thought that count. He didn't know whether to smile or cry... or whether he should be massaging the pain in his right cheek. He couldn't do all three of them at the same time... that would be weird.... _too_ weird...

But eventually the boy did smile in the end at the thought, even as he massaged his cheek. He liked that Killua defended him... he liked it a little _too_ much.

Gon watched with a stoic face, somewhat afraid to step into the conversation. A single bead of sweat dripped down the back of his head, unable to figure out a way to calm Bisky down without saying he agrees with Killua and Daniel "I think we all should have some defensive spells... but Killua and Daniel should also share the spells."

Daniel massaged his jaw as Bisky huffed. Clearly she didn't like the idea, but eventually she agreed on one condition... it was limited to a few defensive spell cards. Though there was a change to the original plan, Daniel had to share the remaining defensive spells that Bisky refused to take on.

And to make matters worse, the only spells she did take on were **Thief** and **Steals** cards.

The cards were exchanged, Daniel closing his book after reordering the spells.  
Killua got most of the **Accompany** and **Return** cards. Bisky had a few **Thief** and **Steal** cards, and only one or two extra defensive spell cards. Daniel got the remaining defensive spell cards, while Gon took on the remaining leftover cards.

Killua let out a sigh, finishing up with removing his spell book from play "We've been deliberately avoiding other players, but we'll have to take risks to obtain the rarer cards."

Everyone agreed as Bisky continued, a smug expression showing "Well, let's get what we can ourselves, then negotiate aggressively with any players we come across. Sound good?"

Everyone agreed without complaint, moving on to obtain more cards along their travels.

"~"

As Gon was walking, he suddenly spoke aloud, speaking something that had been plaguing his mind for a while "Hey, this necklace can remove curses, right?"

"Only from spell cards..." Killua humoured the thought.

Gon looked away, a sigh followed by comically puffed cheeks "Oh, so it won't work." something was really plaguing Gon's mind. And seeing as the boy was over thinking things and had stepped in to do the same for him, Daniel probed the boy for more information. Maybe he was just over thinking things and it could be done "Say it Gon... it might not be a terrible idea."

Gon's cheeks remained the same, but he spoke his thoughts aloud, addressing something they hadn't spoke for a long time "I was wondering if a curse was behind the disease that all those villagers were suffering from."

"Villagers...?" Killua posed the question as Daniel answered, remembering about to forest ninja's immediately "The ones who stole our clothes... my favourite jacket..." _the one you picked out for me Killua_ "oh, and all our money..."

"Oh, those people..." Bisky chuckled before continuing "But that won't work since they aren't cards."

"They could be though..." Daniel cut in, voiding Bisky's argument. Every NPC could become a card in the end, considering they had beat up guards previously before, and they did turn into cards.

"I agree..." Killua's eyes narrow, addressing Gon's question and statement "It's worth a shot."

A smile cracked on Killua's face, Daniel walking and watching intently. He like these rare occurrences... He like how Killua could smile carelessly... Actually, he likes a lot of things about Killua, especially how the boy fought for him against Bisky.

"~"

Crickets echoed off in the distant, the occasional chirp here and there. It was a quiet night, the last stop of the day. Killua agreed to check it out if it was possible, attempting a chance with hopes of removing the village sickness or curse.

Gon explained what he wanted to do though the bandit's constant coughing, hoping they'll give the boy a chance to attempt fate. It was long and enduring, with the risks being minimal, or nonexistent.

They had so much to gain, and nothing more than they were already suffering to lose "Will you trust us with your lives?"

The elder was dead silent, thinking it over in his head. When he spoke, he wasn't reluctant in the slightest, freely giving himself to Gon's attempted experiment "You freely gave us everything you had."

_Including the jacket I cherished... I'm hoping I can tempt fate and get it back..._

"We will trust you!"

As they shifted to cards, Daniel picked up one of the many, reading the description. **  
**

**Sick Villagers**

**163 F - 150**

**Villagers struck by a contagion passing around the island.**

After Gon held one of the cards, Gon's pendant started to glow. They weren't affected by a virus, more of a curse limited to these villagers. Maybe somewhere along their quest line, a curse was inflicted on them from stealing so much.

Whatever occurred in the villagers' past, Gon's plan had worked, a new being displayed. It held a couple of jumping in joy village bandits.

**Healthy Villagers**

**263 C - 50**

**Healthy villagers who recovered from the contagion going around the island.**

"It worked!" Gon cheered as he handed the card to Killua, the boy smiling at Gon's own. Daniel soon joined in, but felt a tad jealous from Gon making Killua smile. Actually, he always felt jealous when someone other than himself, made Killua smile.

A part of him wanted to be the only reason Killua smiled, but in the end as soon as that thought came, it was replaced by others soon after. Why should he deserve that kind of ability, when he had yet to prove his first goal? He had yet to protect anyone with his strength alone...

Each card was transformed, the elder offering a reward more than they originally thought. It was a small, red ruby attached to a ring "Thank you very much! This treasure has been passed down for generations. Please accept this token of our gratitude."

It was beautiful to look at, an aura of love being attached to the ring.

Gon's eye glittered in the light the ruby ring project "Awesome! **Wild Luck Alexandrite**! Score!"

**Wild Luck Alexandrite**

**75 A - 20**

**Owner will enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences, for better or for worst.**

Daniel's eyes widened at the description. What did the card mean by **once-in-a- lifetime experiences**? Were most cards in this game meant for love experiences...? Between **Witch's Love Potion** , **Rainbow Diamond** and who knows what else, these cards were tormenting him. All he needed now was a card that creates children, and this game would be definitely trolling him...

One makes someone fall in love, one makes confessions easier... and now there's a card that makes **once-in-a-lifetime experiences** possible. A combination of these three cards could end Daniel's internal struggle... and yet, he didn't want to take the chance...

He wanted the real thing... but the problem was he was waiting for the right moment. When that right moment came, he wasn't sure yet... he needed more time... or in this case, more courage.

"~"

Gon had already slot **Wild Luck Alexandrite** into his book as Daniel rocked his original jacket, the blue stylised, flames etched into the arm sleeves. He felt relieved to know he no longer had to show off his 'designer' shirt no longer; being reunited with the jacket, felt even better than obtaining **Wild Luck Alexandrite**. He didn't just feel warm no longer, he felt warm and fuzzy while wearing the jacket.

They were already moving onto the next area, and only stopped when Gon's book suddenly flashed before him in a puff of smoke.

**Another player has used Contact to reach you.**

Who was it this time trying to contact them?

"Yo, this is Kazsule." It was the same guy who contacted them earlier for a trade involving **Witch's Love Potion**... and it was the same guy who stole the **Sword of Truth** from them. Boy was he suddenly invading their life a few times too many. What did he want now? **Wild Luck Alexandrite**...? **Rainbow Diamond**...? Who knows with the 58 cards they had now. "I'd like to talk to you. Could we meet in person?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern. This was new... he wasn't expecting a talk, more of a trade.

"About what...?" Gon curiously asked, hoping that his friends of Bisky knew what the man wanted to talk about.

"Some people are close to clearing the game."

The news came as a shock to them, unsure at who could be so close to winning.

"It's a team of three, lead by someone named **Genthru**."

Those words hit them hard. They knew that man; he killed so many people in order to complete the game. He was the worst player killer in this game, and an enemy Abengane asked for them to stop from completing the game. And here, they were about to fail.

They had to take up this deal, no matter what was being offered. Hopefully, they could end Genthru's chance of beating this game.

"~"

They had to come to a secluded area, blocked off from all views. There was only one spot where they could be seen from, but other than that the mountain sides blocked off all other views.

It seemed as though Kazsule was the one that who was leading the joint operation, involving at least four other different groups, other then themselves and their group "Thanks for coming, everyone. Much appreciated."

Daniel took the time to view the other groups involved. There were two other groups of three, a group of two and another player all by himself. He had to be good, considering he was here all by himself.

"As mentioned via **Contact** , Team Genthru is close to completing the game. I just checked the ranking, and they are currently at ninety-six types. We must figure out a way to stop them."

Sounds easy enough... the intended plan that is. The question is how does team Kazsule plan to stop Genthru from beating the game? They are after all, up against the Bombers...

Killua held up his hand, asking a question "Can I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"How do you check the ranking?"

It was a valid question Daniel thought, but the question he immediately thought soon after was, why ask that now?

"Well..."

The female leading one of the other groups cut in, arrogantly, and proud to do so Daniel might add "You don't know how to do that? If we answer all their questions we'll be here till dawn! Just cut to the chase."

Each boy, including Bisky frowned at the woman's words. Who was she to judge them so quickly, and harshly? Daniel soon smiled, a smirk extending to the sides of his face "Before or after this _woman_ finishes babbling nothing but poor excuses? Genthru would've beaten the game, and have his own private resort... by the time you obtain the ninety-six card... but who am I to judge...?"

The woman shot the boy an intense glare, but he immediately shrugged it off. He already knew more about Genthru by the sounds of things.

Kazsule chuckled slightly, though not for long. He stepped in to disengage the beginning of disorder amongst the group "Now, don't be so mean... We're all here to exchange information."

Kazsule's right hand man even joined in, offering his two Jenny "They could have information you don't, Asta."

So that was her name, Asta. She didn't sound like a team player, so what was she offering to the group?

Asta wore a tight fitted navy blue tank top, large grey sweatpants supported by a belt, and leather boots. Her orange hair made her arrogance, stand out that much more. She chuckled at the comment "That's impossible, Nick Cue. Those kids are amateurs who don't even know how to use the Trade Shop."

So, Nick Cue was one of the two members of Team Kazsule, wearing a green loose tank top with his white hair combed all to one side, and then spiked down.

"We do... we just haven't used all their features, as it would seem."

Kazsule however ignore her comment, explaining what the Trade Shop offered "In the Trade Shop, there's a ranking that lists players and their total restricted slot cards."

"So basically, it's like using **Adhesion**... except without the card. Who's dumb now, Asta?!"

The woman fumed as Kazsule steeped in once again "Not exactly. If you pay a fee, you can even learn the number of their cards."

"So even better..." Daniel smiled, but was soon lost when Asta began to argue again "But getting a player's name from the ranking still won't let you use **Contact** or **Fluoroscopy** on them. Not until you actually meet them. Don't you feel smarter now, boys?"

Daniel tilted his head to the side, wondering how stupid this girl could get "As a wise old man once said... We know where her brain went. _Unless_ , you _met_ them already... We have, and we also know what Genthru looks like. That makes your argument moot, invalid. **Fluroscopy** does the same thing **Adhesion** does, except **Adhesion** is permanent and doesn't require you to have already met..." _and I can't believe I just used Vastorie's argument right off the start of the conversation... but she had it coming anyway..._ Daniel smiled widely back after his thought, head propped up in his hands as he fluttered his eyebrows at her "Don't _you_ feel smarter now?"

Killua and Gon smiled at Daniel's retort as Asta fumed back, clearly she didn't like him already. Not that he minded, after all... the feelings were mutual.

Kazsule however stepping in before the argument could be continued "Team Genthru is only missing #0, #2, #9, and #75."

 _#75... funny, we already have that._ Daniel smiled at the thought, but didn't voice it, considering Asta thought them as nothing but noobs.

"There's a solid theory that #0 appears in an event after the other ninety-nine are collected, so they only need three. We propose to find one of those three types before they do and monopolize it, to prevent them from clearing the game."

Asta grunted in disgust, not liking the plan already set out "There's gotta be something else. We could deluge them with spell cards."

Kazsule argued against Asta "They already have a Paladin's Necklace. So **Levy** is the only spell that works. And they can block **Levy** if certain conditions are met."

"Levy, huh..." Daniel murmured under his breath, unsure about that spell.

Nick Cue stepped in after Kazsule, continuing the discussion "It's safe to assume that Genthru is willing to reveal that they have ninety-six types because their pages are protected by Prison."

"That's possible..." Gon agreed with their thinking pattern, followed by Killua having his say "Genthru was collecting a bunch of spell cards with the others who tried to recruit us. It's a reasonable assumption."

When Asta spoke, she said the dumbest thing possible. It was a thought out loud, who anyone that knew about Genthru's ability would never suggest "We could always take their cards by force."

Yabibi disagreed immediately, distrusting Asta's suggestion "Would you be willing to lead the attack? We don't know what kind of abilities they have."

Gon's eyes widened as Killua's narrowed. That was a piece of information they needed to hear. It seemed as though none of them knew Genthru's secret talents, a piece of information they could monopolise on the group.

Kazsule shoot his head "Finding a card type to monopolize is the most practical option. I assume no one has objections."

Daniel did, but hearing neither Gon, nor Killua speaking up, made him keep his mouth shut. They could abuse the secret later on, making the others submit in the process.

"Then let's get to business. We'll need everyone here to cooperate."

"I'm fine with the proposed plan." Asta smirked, hand held out to the other groups "But I have a problem with these members."

 _Oh, she's talking about us... isn't she...?_ Daniel frowned at the possibility, but he still allowed the discrimination to go on without complaint.

"Hold on, Asta. I followed your conditions... Have over fifty types of cards. These six teams met that condition."

"Not exactly..."

_Here we go... let's hear the excuses..._

"I also said that they had to be people who could contribute. I don't see how these kids can contribute anything."

Daniel feint anger in Asta's direction "Sorry, I don't speak the fluid language of _hypocrite_. What can you offer us besides sass...? I have plenty of that... and in no dire need of more. After all, my father taught me well..."

Killua kept the laughter inside, but his face failed to hide his emotions. Asta's eyes narrowed on the boy, he was really starting to piss her off "You've got a smart mouth."

"Again, my father taught me well..."

Asta's smile widen, egging on the boys "Then show me some proof that you can be useful."

Daniel huddled close to Killua and Gon "Can I spoil a little bit of the secret about Genthru. I won't say how to disrupt Genthru's ability, or his ability... just his hidden identity..."

Gon nodded, followed by Killua whispering something "Go head. But don't tell them anymore than that, just that we know about it..."

"Already planning on that..." Daniel pulled back, speaking aloud so everyone could hear "We know that if we went with your idea, Asta, you'll be dead... We know Genthru's ability." When everyone's eyes widened, Daniel finished the statement with a wicked grin "After all... he is the Bomber..."

Killua joined in with a sly grin "We also have one of the three cards they're missing. Still dissatisfied...?"

Asta soon smiled at the thought, thinking she had a chance to pry more information "No, that's good enough. So tell us exactly, what their abilities are."

Daniel so badly wanted to screw them over in a deal, but it seems Killua already had the same idea "What about you? Show us some proof you can be useful to us."

Asta frowned at the comment, her eyes narrowing as she rested her head against her propped up arm "We have seventy-one types of restricted slot cards... Significantly more than you..."

Daniel chuckled "Ha, like that will help you now. Genthru has twenty-five more cards more than _you_..."

Asta's features hardened for a second. She didn't like this cocky boy withholding that kind of information a secret "I'll give you an A-rank card in return for the information. You shouldn't have a problem with that."

Daniel waved his hand off on the deal "This kind of information is worth easily, three S-rank cards and above. Besides, we've already obtain A-rank cards with little to no effort by ourselves... And incidentally, #75 is an A-rank card..."

As Asta's eye twitch in anger, Killua joined in "Well, two S-rank cards or equally valuable information would do as well... Otherwise, we won't tell you anything."

"Don't you two dare get cocky, brats! Did you hear that, everyone? These kids won't be any help. They want two to three S-rank cards from each team. That's ten to twelve cards they'd take."

Daniel chuckled at the absurd joke "You should've become a comedian... that's funny! We want two S-rank cards from only _you_... we'll be happy to give the rest of the teams the information. And they can even choose whatever to offer us in return."

"Agreed..." Killua joined in, without giving Asta even a side glance "We're fine with giving information to the other four." Killua suddenly looked directly at Asta, his eyes narrowing in on the girl "However, unless you meet _our_ demands, we won't tell you anything until you meet the conditions set by my friend."

"You two are stupid brats... Throwing a tantrum because I didn't baby you, huh?"

"Stop this-"

"Temper tantrum?! Who's the one that started the argument with **these kids are stupid, obviously they have nothing to offer us** , hmm? Obviously not us, you parsimonious birdbrain...!"

Asta grit her teeth together, almost grinding them into dust as Kazsule stepped in "We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves!"

Killua was faster on the uptake, both him and Asta pointing at each other like little children getting into a fight "I haven't agreed to team up with them yet!"

Daniel quietly chuckled at Killua's reaction, finding it adorably cute. For some reason, when Killua got angry like this, his puffed up cheeks always made him look more adorable... sometimes even adorkable...

The male on Asta's team stepping into the conversation, hoping to quell his friend's anger "It's fine, Asta... Give them two cards."

Even the girl whose left eye was covered on Asta's team agreed with her other teammate more than her leader "We need to move on."

"What?! I have no problem with giving them cards! But those kids are trying to pick a fight!"

Daniel joined in; regardless on whether he was right "Your whole team is against you, because of how you childishly approached us at the start, and at this very moment. You assumed we could be of no help, even though you had yet to see our hand. We have #75, and Genthru's ability under our sleeves. Do you want to continue to fight a losing battle... or cash in while the losses are minimal?"

If there was one thing Daniel was thankful for, it had to be his manipulative side. A gene given to him at birth, by his selective _Nen_ category...

Killua leaned in close to Daniel, whispering into the boy's ears so he couldn't be overheard "Glad you're on our side..."

"Thanks..." Daniel's smile was beginning to grow, but immediately Killua destroyed the boy's ego "You should be like this more often."

"Thanks, I guess...?"

"Hey, let's leave. I don't think she's going to agree getting dis by two kids half her age. AND, I don't want to team up with these people!"

"I argued for half an hour for nothing?!" Daniel was in disbelief, unable to believe Killua let him get away saying so much, and not getting anything in return. Yes, Daniel only told them Genthru is the Bomber, but at the same time they didn't even know that...

Though, after arguing with Asta for so long, he was hoping to at least get away with stealing two S-rank cards or a better deal.

"Come, now..." Bisky slightly disagreed with Killua, after slightly turning her head to face Gon "Though I admit I'm a bit peeved."

Gon agreed with Bisky, and even Daniel to some extent "But given the circumstances..."

Daniel let out a reluctant sigh. He lost the possibility of obtaining two S-rank cards, but the circumstance still stood... Genthru was close to beating the game.

Gon ushered everyone in as Daniel took charge, giving the information or at least to what Genthru's abilities are "Genthru has two abilities. One is designed for long range while the other, is for people who _think_ they have a chance of beating him. **Countdown** , is the long range, while **Little Flower** is for up-and-close personal attacks. If at any point he has touched you and said Bomber, you're already inflicted by **Countdown**. So, it is best you avoid both of these attacks, by keeping your distance."

Asta slapped her face, fear settling into her eyes "Seriously? He got me..."

Everyone on the man with yellow hair, and wearing the white tank top's team has seemed to be inflicted as well, the beads of sweat being a dead giveaway "Same here. He touched me when were making a deal."

"Me, too..."

Bisky leaned in whispering loud enough for only the group to hear "Sounds like a bunch of them might be victims."

Daniel turned to agree with Bisky, but Killua's face was more enticing to look at. His eyes were wide open, the need to laugh being clear on his face. Then it happened, Killua's had covered his mouth, a wicked grin spread out from behind his hand. It was the same as when Hisoka would smile, except Killua didn't project a lustful aura that freaked out everyone around him.

He knew what Killua was thinking at that moment, and he knew a way to obtain multiple cards in one single deal.

Asta spoke up, a slimmer of hope filling her eyes; she secretly wished there was a way to end her suffering "Isn't there anyway to disable his technique?"

"There is... but how much do you think that information is worth?" Daniel's wicked grin rivalled even Killua's, but those hopes were soon dashed by Gon "You have to touch Genthru and say, **I caught the Bomber.** "

Daniel turned to look at Gon, both Killua and himself yelled the boy's name at the same time "GON?!" Killua even finished arguing Gon's statement before Daniel could "Stupid! Why did you tell them? We could've gotten more cards out of them!"

Gon puffed up in a comedic manner before he spoke with a sense of guilt written across his face "That would have started another fight."

Daniel sighed as he faced the others, the chance spoiled by Gon's sudden outburst "Fine... But, unless Genthru explains his ability to you, **Countdown** cannot be armed. So you should be fine... for now. Just, remember to remain distant from the man..."

Everyone soaked in the information. They were still on edge, but otherwise relaxed for the moment. Asta spoke next, leading the conversation "Did you know there are two ways to cast spells?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern. Was there a third option neither of the boys knew about?

Gon nodded his head, speaking aloud over Daniel's silence "Yep, I did."

Asta continued, she made a point they already knew "A spell card is used up the moment you say its name aloud."

"And...?" Daniel continued to raise his curious eyebrow, wondering if she'll make a mind blowing discovery. He wasn't disappointed

"It is possible to keep using a spell."

Each boy was taken back. There was a cheat, or glitch that could be exploited to continue using the same spell card?!

"For example, you know how a list of players you've met appears if you put **Steal** in your binder? If you remove the card without pressing the select button, the spell card isn't used up, so keep reusing it."

Killua hummed in understanding. He really liked that little piece of information "I never tried that."

Gon agreed with Killua, which made Daniel open up with an argument "By that logic... that means we could get away with moving to every city we've already visited, while having only one **Accompany** card..."

Asta didn't however stop there, she continued on with another little piece of information "You can buy all B-rank restricted slot cards at stores. You simply need to buy from the same Trade Shop over fifty times."

_What?! We can even get cards we could've gotten by just going to the Trade Shop over fifty times... we could get the entire B-rank card set, by just buying them... nifty!_

"If you become a frequent customer, they'll start making you offers. Do you have two **Skeleton Glasses** cards? Or **Emerald for Beauty** and **Mystery Pond**?"

She went on and on, telling secrets and gems hidden within the games coding. There were so many cheat codes they had glazed over, tips of the trade they could've abused. Eventually she stopped after telling them ten secrets "Is that enough information to satisfy you? I'll give you another card if you're not happy."

Ideally, the information didn't rival's Genthru's secret, but there was enough information to carry on and obtain more than what they offered.

"Nope, that's enough, thanks!" Gon liked what they had to go on with, and it seemed everyone else was eager for show-and-tell.

Goreinu went next, the lone Greed Island player. Daniel remembered him as being one of the players who entered Greed Island with them. But apart from that, he knew nothing about the man. His attire consisted of a purple, and whit rimmed vest, white baggy pants and brown slip on shoes.

Team Asta consisted of two other members Manheim and Amana.

Manheim Wore a red cap back-to-front, and a yellow shirt.

Amana had her hair covering the right side of her face, and wore a teal tank top like Killua, except on Killua, it looked better.... The afterthought however, made Daniel immediately retract the statement...

Team Kazsule's other member was Souheil, he wore a red, sleeveless shirt with the collars up.

Team Yabibi was another group, consisting of one other member Montreux.

Yabibi wore a purple plain hoody with a black undershirt, where as Montreux wore a white baggy tank top.

Team Hanse was the final team, consisting of two other members Zeho and Wong Li.

Hanse was the man with blond hair freaking out earlier alongside his teammate Zeho, who was bald headed.

Wong Li was the third member of team Hanse, wearing a white tank top like his other members, though his eyes were harder to make out and he was less muscular than his other team members.

Each team had something to offer in the end, and Gon couldn't be more thankful for all the advice and information "Thanks, everyone! That was very educational."

Kazsule stepped in, once again leading the joint team "The question now is which card we should try to monopolize."

Daniel opened up before anyone even attempted to suggest it. Going with #75 would probably be the worst card to obtain "May I suggest checking the number of cards #2, #9, and #75 respectively has... I don't think that would be the best card, seeing as you can get it through a quest line."

Killua nodded, joining in right after "Each team can only obtain one, and the limit is twenty, which is too high as well..."

Zeho blinked in disbelief "You obtained #75?"

"That's impressive..."

Daniel frowned at the praise. It was undeserving, considering the conditions to obtaining the card "Not really... you have to get robbed blind. I don't see what's impressive about that..."

Kazsule pulled a card out of his book " **List** On! #75. So five other teams each have one... Monopolizing this one will be impossible."

Asta frowned at the information; things weren't exactly going in their favour right now "What about the other two?"

Hanse checked #9 followed by Montreux checking #2. Hanse sighed, after checking "No good... There are three teams with #9."

"No one has #2, Patch of Shore... We can make it work!"

Amana spoke up from team Asta, pulling a card from her book " **Guide Post** On. #2... I know where to find it... Soufrabi..."

Everything was going in their favour now, Team Hanse already being there and Montreux from Team Yabibi having an Accompany card. They were off to a great start indeed.

"~"

Daniel looked out after landing, the vast ocean tide licking at the sand. It was a beautiful picture to mentally take in, and he'd wished for a second he was alone... with Killua to tell the boy his feelings. This was a great mood setter, and nowhere else they've already visited, could replicate, let alone outshine the place's scenic view.

But alas, nothing ever went in Daniel's favour. He was surrounded by five other teams, and his own. Gon even made sure to remind the boy he was still there "This is Soufrabi?"

Zeho from Team Hanse even agreed "It's a pretty big city..."

Daniel looked towards the town; the first thing standing out was the lone lighthouse, surround by the sea. By the look of things, either the lighthouse has stopped working, or they were too far away to see the light.

Kazsule spoke up after a long silence "Let's head in and snoop around."

"~"

Soufrabi, the port city was alive, chattering amongst the town folks and shop keepers. The boy continued to look around, watching everyone walking by, minding their own business as they tended to themselves or their family.

The town's atmosphere was romantic in a sense. And it was getting on Daniel's nerves, either Daniel's mind was playing tricks on him, or his feelings were threatening to spill out at any moment. He was so focused on himself, he didn't hear Killua until he poked his side "Daniel?!"

"Um, yes...? You called...?"

Killua sighed at Daniel's words; of course the boy wasn't listening. He probably wasn't even listening to the whole conversation "What did I say...?"

Daniel paused to consider his words before speaking "Search the town...?"

Killua quirked an eyebrow "Where...?"

"Businesses...?"

Killua let out a defeated sigh, Daniel wasn't listening at all "Search each and every room... one by one..."

"Right! And I assume you want me to speak to every character at least three times..."

"I..." Killua was caught off guard, surprised Daniel would make a quick judgement like that "How-"

"Hello... I am a gamer too..." Daniel soon frowned at the boy's consistent disbelief "You forgot... didn't you?"

When Killua shook his head, even though Daniel didn't believe the boy he continued on "When you play games like Digimon world three, you learn to speak to everyone... sometimes more than one... It's a hassle sometimes, especially when that _someone_ you need to talk to spans over three continents."

Killua let out a sigh of understanding "Yeah... so we gotta speak-"

"Hey!" Killua and the boys stopped mid stride, looking for the person it belong to. It seemed as though Goreinu was calling out to them, alerting the boys about his findings "I found someone with information."

They were completely shocked, unable to believe the man. He works fast... crazy fast.

Goreinu raised a concern eyebrow at the boys. What exactly was so strange about his findings? Were the kids expecting everyone to spend hours on end just to find the starting point to obtaining #2?

"~"

It was a small lit room, a fellow dull-eyed expressionless woman sitting alone in a barely lit room. She held a smoke between her fingers, life sucked out of all her words. This quest line was bound to be full of sorrow if the woman had less enthusiasm than the information brokers "The pirates rule this city..."

Apart from her smoke, she was surrounded by small platters of fish, surely that wasn't healthy. Then again, was the smoke even lit? It didn't look like it breathed any sort of flames of light, much like its owner. Or maybe it was just there for the aesthetic value...

"There's a legend about an underwater cavern called the Sea God's Grotto located somewhere in this area. **Patch of Shore** is the entrance to it. A few years ago, having heard of the legendary cavern and its treasure, fifteen pirates arrived in this city. Razor and the fourteen devils..."

After speaking the name, she let the players take in the information as she lit the cigarette in her hand. Maybe she was on autopilot, but that still didn't explain why she was lighting on amongst food.

"The city fishermen were all tortured and killed." She blew out a puff of smoke over some of the fish, eyes drained of life. Clearly she no longer cared, or was designed in the way "The pirates murdered anyone who knew about **Patch of Shore**."

The NPC slowly looked over all the players in the room before finishing her ultimatum "If you get rid of the pirates, I'll tell you what I know."

Everyone mulled over her words outside, a town square off to the side. A man was feeding a stray cat while a female and male, mostly likely a couple stared at each other, talking about whatever they were talking about. It didn't seem the town was fazed by what the other NPC said, so clearly that speech earlier was about an already scripted quest line story.

Hanse grumbled under his breath after a while "When we visited a few months earlier, we couldn't find a single clue."

Nick Cue spoke up after Hanse, speaking on what he thought about this newfound information "This must be information only available at certain times. Maybe an event that only occurs at this time frame?"

"Razor and the fourteen devils..." Amana barely whispered under her breath, Daniel catching on to what she was thinking, or at least what he hoped she was thinking "What if the quest requires a certain amount of people... or more..."

Amana nodded "It's possible the event was triggered by the number of players here."

Everyone was confused by Daniel and Amana's statement.

Daniel shook his head "Hanse, three... Kazsule, three... Asta, three... Yabibi, two... Gon, four... that makes sixteen here right now..."

Amana nodded as she joined in "There are fifteen pirates. And it just so happens that there are more than fifteen of us here..."

Kazsule raised a curious eyebrow "So the event won't start until you have a party of fifteen or more?"

Souheil, from Kazsule's team spoke up next "But how would a game character know that?"

"Oh..." Killua jumped in, able to connect the dots before everyone else " **Accompany**!"

Amana nodded at Killua before continuing "Yes, a group of fifteen or more must reach Soufrabi with **Accompany**. That's probably the trigger for this event."

Daniel curled a finger around his chin as he closed his eyes to think about it. It was an interesting concept, and a well thought out plan in order to make the card difficult to obtain. But something didn't seem right about this... and he couldn't place his finger on it either.

Behind Daniel as he thought about the secret agenda, Goreinu whispered something under his breath "Brutal..."

Killua was immediately caught off by the man's words, only to find his statement disregarded immediately "Oh, nothing."

Daniel thought more about the words but again, his train of thought was lost, this time by Kazsule's words "Let's go to the pirate's base!"

"~"

The pirate's base wasn't designed in a sinister manner like Daniel had hoped. It looked like every other building, the only difference being the sign said **Devil's Den**. Other than that, nothing out of the unordinary...

The room was barely lit, a bunch of rowdy drunken patrons all wearing the same strange getup. Were these guys apart of the so called famous fourteen Devils? They were hardly anything to look at.

The four devils stopped drinking to look at them, unimpressed by the people walking in. Though, strangely enough... one of the Devils looked eerily like Phinks, at least with his missing eyebrows and misshapen nose, but other than that, nothing made him feel like the man.

Only one of the Devils was something to look at, but that was due to his size, and Daniel wasn't just thinking over-weight size... He was taller than the other three, and even taller than the bar stand... and that was while he was sitting down. He had a large, growl to his voice when he spoke, probably the most irritated out of the group of Devils "Who are you guys? We booked this place for the night. Get lost!"

Daniel frowned at the words, so badly wanting to say **'Considering your _size_ , I dare say you're meant to say you've booked out the place...'** but who knew what that man would do as soon as he heard Daniel's joke. Maybe an in-game event would cause the man to attack...

Kazsule didn't take in the man's threat, and instead fought against it "We're here to talk. Would you please leave the city?"

The Devils broke out in laughter at Kazsule's words, finding the man's command more on the humorous side.

The man whom Daniel assumed to look like Phinks' long lost brother turned to look at them. Now that Daniel could make out his features a little better, he looked nothing like Phinks. He was just missing his eyebrows like the man. Maybe someone decided to shave them off as a prank?

The eyebrow-less Devil spoke; he sounded calmer than the large Devil "Been a long time since I heard those words."

They continued to laugh it off, none of the players moving including Kazsule. It was nothing more than a joke to the Devils, and the event of laughter clearly showed that.

The large Devil got up, spraying alcohol all over the floor around him in a circular pattern. It looked as though he was making a small ring around him. Pulling and flipping a small lighter in his hand open, he spoke with a huge grin "Then no need for talk. Use force to make us leave."

The alcohol lit on fire, creating a small ring of fire around the large man as he got into a sumo stance "I don't care how many of you attack at once. If you can move me from this ring, I'll take you to see our boss."

Daniel could think of a hundred different ways to make this fight go wrong for the large man, but the problem right now was whether or not to use his ability in the situation.

Daniel's eyes looked towards Killua, wondering if the boy could mentally read his thoughts, but Killua wasn't looking in his direction, his only concern was the large Devil in front of him.

Who should go first, Gon could probably take the man down in a second with his _Nen_ -filled punch, but that would reveal one of their trump cards, Killua's being his electricity and Daniel's being his shadow manipulation.

Zeho stepped up first, taking on the Devil's challenge "We just have to move you out of the ring? If it's brawn you want..." The man's muscles protruded, exaggerating extensively as aura was focused into the man's body "I'm your man."

The man charged the Devil, clearly no match for him. Zeho must have been an Enhancer, judging by the way the man's aura was manipulated. But, it was nothing compared to Killua and Gon's raw strength alone. Even as his arms clasped around the Devil, he couldn't wrap his arms around him, much less move the Devil.

A huge grin appeared on the larger Devil's face, arms reaching around to pull Zeho into a bear hug-like-grip, impossible to break out of "You're pretty strong..."

The Devil slowly walked up to the ring of fire, holding the man just above to ring. Fire began to lick at the man's feet, and this was not going as Zeho, or the group had planned.

Screams of agony echoed across the room "Stop it! I lose... let me go!"

Something was wrong with the Devil as he stood there, listening to the screams. If it wasn't for the man licking his lips, Daniel would've thought the NPC was lagging.

Though, the torture didn't go on for much longer once Gon got involved. The kick managed to catch the man off guard and make him drop Zeho in the process. He wasn't happy... not one bit happy.

"He admitted defeat. Why didn't you let him go?" Gon was angry, angry enough to show it in his voice. Gon rarely got angry enough to let his emotions drive him to retaliate in anger. Usually he did so in a calm manner.

The large, rounded giant Devil spoke, a gleeful smile spread across his face "I explained the rules. You lose if you step outside of the ring. Anything else, including admitting defeat, is totally meaningless."

The Devil was right in a sense, the man hadn't stepped outside the ring, and calling out in defeat wasn't mentioned. But that also meant a _Nen_ user of incredible strength could've easily walked in there and crushed him like a garbage compactor. And his screams of agony would've have stopped him.

But the Devil didn't stop there. He held out a finger to point at Gon "You kicked me, and then stepped outside the ring of fire. You've lost."

Gon's demeanour did a complete one-eighty, the sudden realisation hitting him hard "Oh! Crap!" another rare moment Gon had swore, but this time Daniel couldn't help but laugh at the way the boy said it. It sounded as though Gon had just drank the last of Killua's chocolate milkshake, and he was only realising the terrible mistake now.

As Gon begged the man for another chance, Daniel leaned in close to Killua "If all of the _Nen_ users are like Zeho, none of our allies will be able to take him down. Should I fight or you, seeing as Gon just _failed_?"

Killua shook his head at Daniel's comment "Your ability is too fancy to show off... We'll use it somewhere else later."

Daniel smiled at Killua's words as the same boy walked off to join Gon's side "Don't bother, Gon..." Killua held a hand against the boy's shoulder, hoping to stop him mid plea against the brick-headed giant.

Killua's voice suddenly became quiet, Daniel unable to hear what the boy was whispering. But if it was what Daniel asked Killua about earlier, the boy was probably telling Gon to back down, and refrain from using his _Nen_ ability... or that's at least what he hoped.

The Devil slowly turned to look at Killua, unimpressed by the boy "What's this? You gonna pair up now?"

Killua had made his way over to the bar, during the large Devil's snide joke. His finger traced a line over all the bottles on the bar. Eventually Killua stopped, hand reaching out for one of the bottles "I'll be using this."

Daniel saw Killua's thumbnail sharpen for a second, and a quick swipe then after to remove the bottle head. If there was anyone in the group who could use their _Nen_ ability, without showing it off to the group Killua could.

Killua was too quick for the Devils to follow, already above the man before he knew what was about to happen. The boy dumped the contents of the bottle on the man's face, and then moved onto the next attack.

Killua could go either way, tripping the man face first into burning ring of fire. It would show off his strength, and make the large Devil regret his idea...

Or he could go the other way, using electricity to light it himself. Killua used the second option, a small trace of aura flickering into a small line of static electricity. The Devil was lit on fire.

Killua landed safely in the ring, the man screaming in agony as he ran, and then rolled out the ring, and straight into a wall in hopes of ending his suffering.

Hearing the Devil screaming worse than a girl, who broke her nail, was a refreshing sound, and one that made him smile. The boy certainly knew how to please the masses, and scare even the biggest of men into submission.

"There, I win."

Daniel crossed his arms at the sight of the man removing his face from the wall...

The Devil slowly turned to face Killua, veins protruding out of his face. He wasn't happy, not in the slightest ounce "D-Damn little brat!"

Killua smirked as the man regressed into a large child throwing a tantrum, arms held out as if he wanted to grab and crush Killua beneath his finger tips.

Daniel was already running before he had a plan. He didn't care if he showed off his ability, he was going to stop the Devil from laying a finger on his friend, whether Killua could defend himself in time or not.

But even with the boy's speed, he wasn't able to move as fast as one of the other Devils, or maybe the Devil was already moving before his ally lunged for Killua.

The eyebrow-less foot was firmly place into the large Devil's face, kicking the man back into the same wall he rolled into.

A crack of knuckles could be heard as he landed back on the ground, irritation showing on his forehead "You made up the rules... Don't get upset."

The large Devil grunted in agony, after having his face burned and pummelled by someone's foot in a span of ten minutes "Yeah, my bad..."

Daniel stopped where he was, hands curling into fist at his sides. If only he was ten seconds faster, hell even one. He would have been the person to end the fight. He wanted to be that person, but being denied made him feel even worse than not moving at all.

Though, Daniel's emotions weren't placed as a factor, when the eyebrow-less man eyes glazed in Killua's direction "Come with me. I'll take you to the boss..."

They had already past the first third of the quest line, the next was defeating the fourteen Devils and their boss, and the third was obtaining the card.

He'd get his revenge, one way or another... he'll make sure of that.


	70. Razor X Hisoka X Tsezgerra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I thought the confession would be this chapter, but it's a definite in the next. I can't wait for the cringe-fest of Daniel admitting his feelings... (Because I'm writing it... and it's gonna be a cringe-fest for me...)

They were lead outside the door, following a long pathway to a lone, factory looking building. Why were the Devils relaxing in a pub so far away from their main hideout? Was this pub designed to be a trial, so that no one disturbed their main hideout?

As soon as they entered the large building, Daniel saw all the answers to his questions. Everyone was training in their own form of sports, no exceptions. Sumo wrestling, bowling, volley ball, boxing, basket ball were some of the sports the Devils were playing.

These weren't conventional, sea pirates... they were Sports Pirates!

Killua whistled at the surround Devils practicing "Eh, so your boss is in here?"

The eyebrow-less man didn't answer Killua's question, and instead called out to one of the pirates wearing red shorts "Boss, we have visitors."

The boss was holding small dumbbells, somewhere around 30kg, performing rips as if the weights were there for show "Who are these guys?"

The boss refused to turn around after asking his question, leaving his lackey to state the reason to why he brought strangers "They want to chase us out of town."

"Chase us out...?" The man pondered the statement a few seconds longer before turning to face his so-called enemies "Ah..." The man placed his weights on the ground before turning around, facing the group with one hand up "Let's have a contest."

He was the boss for a reason, ripped, muscles showing through his tight fitted shirt. It was amazing his shirt didn't rip from the smallest of movements, and what was even more amazing, was the man managed to get the shirt on. His eyes were closed, strange from how he was able to see the group.

The boss' muscular facial features made him always looked like he was smiling, and with the smile suggest that the quest line and this person were two different people "If you win, we'll leave the island. However, we choose the contest. How does that sound?"

Goreinu posed a question to the boss "What happens if we lose?"

"Nothing. You'll just have to leave..."

These pirates were... unnatural. They showed no signs of being the same ruthless pirates, or at least the boss wasn't the same ruthless pirate as talked about from the quest giver.

Kazsule grinned widely, liking the quest outcome on failure "Okay, let's do this!"

Each member of the Devils smiled widely as they surrounded their boss. There were fifteen members in total, and that meant the one being surrounded was the infamous Razor "The theme of this battle is sports. Each of these members will challenge you to a match in their best sport. One win per person! The first side to eight wins will be the victor."

Daniel expected him to be... more sinister, perhaps even worse than Hisoka... maybe on the 'evil' part. Daniel was pretty sure no one was worse than Hisoka, or he was yet to meet someone. _Maybe Illumi...?_ Daniel thought the about the man he despised for hurting Killua was worse, but when he thought longer on the topic, he'd rather be forced to be stuck alone in a room for twenty-four hours in a row with Illumi, than Hisoka...

One of the Pirate Devils stepped up, his eyebrows making him look angrier than his voice is projecting "I'm up first... I'll go with boxing."

"Well? Who's up?"

Daniel thought about Razor's question, boxing... who would be the best for boxing? An enhancer obviously would have the better advantage, the first punch destroying the target. But while they stand on opposite ends of the fields, who's to say an Emitter wouldn't win. Long ranged attacks would land on the first blow...

A _Nen_ ability which allows someone to close the distance, or attack from it as they close the distance would be a killer. Daniel's fighting style is best for the situation, shadows attacking as he closes the distance. Or he could combine his shadows with Wolfbane to weaken the enemy...

But the more he thought about it, it would be wise to grab some points at the start with their allies, leaving Gon, Killua, Bisky and himself as the trump cards in order to clean up the last remaining points.

Montreux stepped up; taking the first challenge "I've got this."

The boy hopped that this person was stronger than Zeho, able to take the first win.

The Ring was normal sized, but something was wrong with the floor mat design. There was a large symbol, a double ringed target in the middle with an almost wavelength pattern surrounding it.

It was hard to judge what the pattern does, or maybe Daniel was over thinking it... the pattern being a stylised choice.

Razor stood in the middle, the Devil on one side while Montreux stood on the opposite end. There were rules to be place, and probably even unique ones at that, this was Greed Island after all...

"There's one special rule. You may use any item created by _Nen_."

Everyone was shocked by the rule, except for the three boys and Bisky. That was a given, to be expected in this game... Everyone here can use _Nen_ , so why should anyone complain?

"What...?"

"You can't call that boxing!"

The boxer Devil looked at the group with a smug expression, something up his non-existent sleeves "Don't worry, I'll use my fists. That rule's for your benefit. Wanna tag out?"

Montreux felt the same as the boxing Devil, his chances of winning skyrocketing "No, I'll do it."

Daniel thought about the rule hard, seeing this as an advantage more for himself than the opponent. But it would be hard to use his ability with the boxing gloves on, or even his weapon for that matter... Maybe this match wouldn't be best for him.

Razor called in the match, Montreux's smile growing by the second "I know what's going on here... There's a reason you chose boxing!" The man threw the first punch, aura speeding across the boxer's face only to leave barely a cut on the man's cheek.

He was surprised, even shocked to see that Montreux could throw aura.

"You're also an Emitter, right? We're fighting a close range, within a finite space. This is the ideal situation for an Emitter. However, you made one mistake!" The man continued to throw a wasteful amount of aura in the boxer's direction, an endless supply of long range aura punches "Not anticipating that my power could be stronger than yours!"

The others were surprised by Montreux's power, though neither boy was.

An Emitter wouldn't be the only one to be best in the situation. An Enhancer, Transmuter or even a well placed Manipulator could do the trick.

Daniel then saw it, a shift in the aura. The boy's eyes were attuned to the situation, seeing a hand coming out below Montreux's chin. It connected... an instant win in the situation. No amount of aura thrown in one's direction, could replace the raw amount of strength backed behind a single punch.

The boxer could punch at a longer range than his body permitted, able to transcend space, and possibly time.

The boxer may have taken every one of Montreux's _Nen_ flung at him, but the damage already done couldn't be replaced.

Hanse cheered in triumph, thinking his already won "Yes, he's down! Too easy!"

"No..." Gon cut in, his eyes narrowed. He saw the same thing as Daniel and Killua it would seem "No, it was a simultaneous hit."

Montreux finally fell over at Gon's words as the boxer Devil stood. Those who were blind-sighted by Montreux's supposed _strength_ didn't see the punch the boxer delivered.

Killua finally addressed the situation, dissolving everyone's confusion "He used teleportation."

"Teleportation...?"

Daniel addressed Killua's statement with a quick explanation "As the boxer was taking the hits, he moved his hand like Killua said, and placed it right under Montreux's chin."

"It was a short uppercut. His goal was to land a knockout counter-strike. It was obvious..."

Daniel hummed in agreement with Killua's statement. It was blatantly obvious if one were to focus on both fighters and not just Montreux. Razor had been checking the man the whole time on the floor. He wasn't getting up at all, and Razor confirmed everyone's suspicion "Seems he's out cold... That's one win for us."

Next up was another Devil, one that looked like he got shoved into a sandwich press. His face looked flat, and blocky, the opposite of what he was holding in his hand. He held a soccer ball, balancing it on his finger tip as it spun in place "Okay, I'm up next... I'll go with juggling soccer balls."

"Then I'm up-"

"Wait, Gon!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern when Killua ushered to his team members, wanting to have a group meeting. Killua whispered the plan, an unusual request until his made his point "We'll never make it with this team! Bisky, it would be wise if you go next. Find out more about these events, and then we purposely lose to all of them."

Bisky had been listening the whole time, nodding "Indeed, that would be wise."

Gon didn't like it; he wanted to win at least one of these events on his own; it was possibly a desire from his earlier mistake or loss to the large sumo wrestler Devil.

Bisky walked up to the soccer player's side, acting innocent. She was a master, able to pull it off so well due to her looks "Okay, I'm up next!"

"A little girl...? Now I'll have to take care not to injure you."

 _Oh, if only the man knew how 'innocent'_ she really was... She'd taken out Killua on numerous occasions. If the man knew her real age, he would've made more claims on the opposite end, judging her from how old she really was.

"Injure me with juggling?"

"We're allowed to attack using _Nen_. Provided you don't touch the ball with your hands..."

"I understand."

That was valuable information, meaning every one of these Devils could use some form of _Nen_ as an attack. The problem is finding out about how they attack later on. His ability could range anywhere from turning the soccer ball in a homing missile to levitation. The Boxer used Teleportation, so who's to say this guy couldn't use Levitation?

The soccer Devil bounced Bisky's ball over to her as he further explained "Moving anywhere inside the building is allowed. Whoever drops their ball first loses."

"Right! Got it!"

"Okay, let's get started. Ready... Go!"

Both Bisky and the soccer player dropped the ball on the word 'go', Bisky purposely tapping the ball to end the event in an anticlimactic manner. Everyone was shocked at the instant loss-win, except for the soccer Devil, whom was the most shocked.

"That was harder than expected... I lose."

Daniel smirked at how well Bisky fit the child-like role, but soon hid it out of fear from being called out. But even if he did, he could've easily called Bisky out, and claim she is a klutz or even a nincompoop without fear of death.

Killua stepped up, a sly grin across his face "I'm up next, then. You wanna go, big guy."

"You bet! Prepare yourself, brat!"

Daniel cut in, stopping Killua "Wait a second!"

Killua raised a curious eyebrow. Why was Daniel going to object now or all times? "What...?"

Daniel closed the distance, whispering into Killua's ears "I don't want you to take him on, lose to some other guy..."

Killua's concern was raised further at Daniel's questionable statement "Why...? We are going to lose to everyone regardless..."

"I want to deny him, from the chance of getting revenge, winning, and because I just want too..."

Killua blinked several times, but allowed Daniel to take over. A part of him wanted to see what Daniel had planned.

"Change of plans..." Daniel stepped forward, a sly smirk spreading across his face "Your opponent is me!"

The large Devil looked baffled for a moment, trying to understand what was going on. After a few linger seconds of silence, the Devil crossed his arms "One of you take care of this kid!"

Daniel smile dropped at the possibility, but he otherwise refused to back down "Oh... you scared of losing to three kids. First, my friend kicks you in the face... Then my second friend lights your face on fire like an easy bake oven. Now you're backing down from another kid. I thought these Devils weren't supposed to be afraid... especially with kids!"

"You want to die, kid?!"

"Bring it on..." Daniel held out a hand, while simultaneously funnelling aura into his hand "butterball!"

"~"

The Devil was furious, ready to rip apart Daniel the moment his boss said go. However, Daniel hadn't planned on giving the man the satisfaction, denying him the request to pummel Killua into the ground, and the chance from him sinking his teeth into the boy.

The moment Razor initiated the fight, Daniel charged the Devil at the same time. He wanted this to be so realistic, so that the loss will make the man seethe in anger for a long time to come.

"I'll crush you!" Daniel avoided the man at the last second, hand scraping the man's arm as if he was about to grab him. But Daniel stopped, and pretended to trip. He bounced for a few meters before rolling out the side of the ring "Oh, I... tripped..."

The man's face was seething in even more anger than before, and it only worsened once he saw Daniel pouting from outside the ring.

Killua smiled, knowing full well that the moment they come back a challenge, he would want to beat Daniel and Killua into the ground until nothing was left. He'd been denied three times in a row from three different kids.

"~"

Time and time again, everyone lost. Some tried to win while the boys and Bisky gave up right at the start.

"That's eight wins." Razor announced as Goreinu, the last to lose headed towards the group "We're the victors."

The Basketballer Devil spoke up with a smug grin "Get out. And we can do as we please in this city."

The large Sumo Devil yelled out as everyone walked out of the room "Damn it, you brats! Come back here! We need to fight again!"

Daniel hid a smile which Killua seemingly picked up. He leaned in close to Daniel, whispering as quietly as possible "Boy, you made him mad..."

"As mad as a hornet... he isn't going be happy once we come back."

Killua chuckled, a smile soon following "He certainly is..."

Daniel soon smiled like Killua, happy to know he was the one that made Killua laugh. Though, there was one problem now... how to they disband the poorly assembled team.

"~"

Daniel looked at the Devils' hideout from afar like everyone, wondering how they were going to beat such strong enemies. Each of the Devils had their own ability, serving the purpose of beating their enemies.

He thought about how the boxer's ability worked, and judging by his _Nen_ capabilities, he could only assume the others' abilities with that kind of information. Goreinu spoke aloud to Gon and his friends "When you saw we couldn't win with this line-up, you decided to lose deliberately to gather information, huh?"

Daniel barely whispered loud enough for Goreinu to hear "Too bad we could only gather the information on some of their _Nen_ capabilities..."

Kazsule spoke next, a sigh escaping his lips "But once a party has lost, they can't make another attempt."

Nick Cue stepped in after his team leader "But it's okay if we simply switch out one member. It was a worthwhile risk."

"Or you can add one, and then take him or her out once we _lose_ again..." Daniel argued against Nick Cue, making sure to let them know how poorly the group organised is. There was no way they could beat them when most of the member only used _Ren_ , _Zetsu_ and _Ten_. He was pretty sure none of them could use their own from of _Hatsu_ , let alone _Gyo_ from their display of confusion when Montreux lost...

Asta agreed with Daniel's statement, opting out already "You can count us out. We've accomplished our original objective, keeping the Bombers from completing the game. It will be impossible for them to assemble a team of fifteen..." She walked off, waving to the rest of the groups waiting around as she gave her final statement "You should probably give up on this contest. If you end up obtaining the card, you'll just become a target."

Once team Asta left, Team Kazsule, Yabibi and Hanse went their separate ways. Daniel highly doubted they'll not be targeted for other reasons... They joined in on obtaining the #2 card. Who's to say someone wasn't watching them intently, trying to find out on how to obtain the card also.

Goreinu somewhat agreed with Daniel's thoughts, even though the boy never actually voiced them outloud "They don't get it... It makes sense to obtain this card quickly."

Killua raised a finger, acting like a highly intelligent authority figure "To avoid potential internal conflict."

"Exactly..." Goreinu smiled at Killua. It seemed as though this boy also caught on to the dangers of not beating this game.

Killua soon smiled at Gon whom was confused by the statement. For Daniel, it gave him the chills to see the boy smile in such away. It was strangely... seductive in a way... or maybe his secretly harboured feelings made it seem that way.

Killua continued, his facial features never changing in the slightest "You need at least fifteen people to participate. Even if you use **Clone** , you can only obtain three copies of **Patch of Shore**. This event was designed to incite infighting."

**Clone**

**Transform into random card selected from the restricted slots of one target player. (If target has empty restricted slots or max of selected card has been reached, Clone is used up without transforming.)**

**[LR][NORM]**

Gon and Bisky stood there dumb-folded, impressed by Killua's knowledge on the matter. But Killua didn't stop there; he turned to look at Goreinu with a massive smile "That's what you meant."

Daniel thought about what Killua was talking about. The only thing that came to mind was what Goreinu said earlier, about it being **'brutal'**. Daniel spoke, assuming he hopefully knew what Killua was talking about "Ah... the **brutal** comment... I'm guessing."

Killua nodded at Daniel before turning back to look at Goreinu "I had to think about that, since I didn't understand right away."

Daniel added a comment on top of Killua's own "But that's to be a given, considering **Patch of Shore** might be an S-rank or even SS-rank... but I never thought to think about the infighting... It wasn't at the forefront of my mind, I guess..."

Goreinu spoke after acknowledging Daniel's words with a slight nod "Assuming that we five are capable of winning, we still need three more up for the task. And ideally, they'd already be in a party of ten. Do you have any leads?"

Daniel thought for a second before muttering out a name "Tsezgerra comes to mind... but I'm not sure how many are in his team."

Gon checked his Book as Daniel checked his own "Hmm... I don't have him in my book..." Daniel continued to check the names as Gon announced one name "Looking at the names on my list, Chrollo's probably the strongest."

Killua looked at the name in Gon's book before saying his own piece "But Kurapika said he's definitely a fake."

Daniel joined in right after Killua "But we can't deny they know Chrollo... they could be either a Phantom Troupe member or someone else who knows him..."

Gon looked at Killua as he agreed with Daniel "I wonder why they are here...?"

Killua cocked his head slightly to the side as he thought aloud "To complete the game...?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Killua "Genthru wouldn't be winning if that's the case... He'd probably be dead..."

Gon looked at Killua confused; it was as if the boy's gears were turning, focusing on questions Daniel wasn't even expecting "But Wouldn't they have used their own name?"

"That's true..." Killua sighed at Gon's question, as Daniel immediately interrupted soon after "Maybe they want to fill their boss's shoes, and by donning the name... they feel like their taken over Chrollo's life..."

Killua raised an eyebrow at Daniel's statement "That... is weird!"

"Not really... After missing _someone_ for so long, you sometimes go crazy enough to call even a rock the same name of the person you miss badly. It's creepy and weird... in a way..."

Killua turned to look at Gon, concern, with a mixture of flushed cheeks encompassing the boy's face "Did Daniel... name a rock after me?"

As Gon thought about it, Daniel denied it "No! I did not name a rock, Killua..." _But I may, or may have not extensively thought about you..._ Daniel refused to say the thought out loud as he shifted the topic back to the main question "Alright, now back to Chrollo... do we have any ideas?"

Goreinu stepped in, offering a solution "We can use **Sight Vision**."

Everyone looked at Goreinu confused, unsure about the cards ability. Did it allow them to peep on the man or woman impersonating Chrollo? The more Daniel thought about, the more he got confused.

Goreinu could see the confusing surround the boys, so he further explained "If this person isn't here to beat the game, they won't bother to collect cards."

"Oh, that's right..." Gon agreed as he placed his fist into his other opened hand.

Daniel looked at the card as Goreinu handed it to Gon.

**Sight Vision**

**1015 D - 70**

**You can see all card data of 1 target player.**

**[LR][RS]**

As Daniel thought about it, the card appeared even less useful than his mind made it out to be. But nonetheless it served its goal, showing how many the cards Chrollo was holding.

Killua frowned at the details provided by the book. Chrollo had no cards... just food and water "This guy's not even trying..."

Gon agreed "His only cards are for food and water."

Goreinu interrupted the boys "That makes it easier to invite them."

Gon disagreed in a way with the man "But if it really is a member of the Troupe, we won't invite them. We'll just ask a few questions."

"This is going to end poorly..."

"I agree with Daniel!"

Daniel smiled when he heard Killua agree with him, which only made Gon frown "Why...?"

"Oh, hi... you're a member of the Phantom Troupe... sorry to bother you, but we have some questions before we take our leave." Daniel spoke the words with no emotion, making sure to get the words through Gon's thick skull. Obviously he'd forgotten how well their last encounter with the Phantom Troupe members went.

Killua let out a sigh of exasperation "There's no point in bothering. Since it's definitely one of them..."

Daniel nodded in agreement with Killua "There's no way anyone else, would dare impersonate the leader of the Phantom Troupe without signing off on a death wish..."

Gon frowned deepened as he looked between Daniel and Killua "Finding out who they are is important, but I rather learn why they're here!"

Killua's eyes narrowed slightly on Gon's statement... this wasn't going to end well. Daniel had nothing to say, just watch as Killua and Gon fight over the argument on what they should do with Chrollo.

Killua barked back at Gon in rage, shocking the poor boy in the process "Are you an idiot?! You're gonna ask them why they're here? They aren't going to tell you!"

Gon yelled back in return "Yeah, I'm an idiot! I'm an idiot, so I'm still gonna ask!"

It was funny to watch, but Daniel still made no attempt to back either party up. Neither boy was right, nor were they wrong. Finding out who Chrollo is, is both dangerous, and a question which needs to be answered.

"Then go right ahead!"

"I sure will!"

Daniel wasn't sure if he should be worried. Yes, they fought over the littlest of things... but Gon just admitted he was stupid to Killua, just so he could possibly do something stupid. Wasn't there a card in-game which allowed you to peek at a player to see what they looked like? Shouldn't they be using that instead of using an Accompany card to teleport next to this Chrollo imposter?

They can't just ask _Chrollo_ questions if he was a member of the Phantom Troupe... that's suicide!

Gon flicked though his book before grabbing one of the many **Accompany** cards he held "I'm off, then!"

"Hold it!"

Gon fumed at Daniel, wanting to know why the boy was stopping him now of all times.

"Isn't there a card that allows us to catch a glimpse of a player...?"

Goreinu rolled his chin in his hand as he thought it over "I don't think so..."

"Bisky?"

Bisky shook her head, which made Daniel sigh in defeat "Go ahead, Gon!"

"I was going to anyways!"

"Knock yourself out."

It was hilarious to watch seeing the two blasting flames in each other's face. It was so hilarious to watch, Daniel finally burst into a fit of laughter. He just couldn't contain himself any longer.

Killua raised an eyebrow as Gon looked at the boy in confusion "What's so funny?"

"You two are worst than kids... and it's just too funny!"

"You're a kid too!" Killua snapped back at Daniel. The reaction only made the boy laugh even harder in return "Yeah... but I'm not picking a fight over visiting a stranger..." _who may or may not attempt to kill us..._

Gon stuck his tongue out at Daniel as he held up the card " **Accompany** on! Chrollo Lucilfer."

As the four of them landed, Daniel reaches out for one of his **Accompany** cards just in case. They still didn't know who they were about to deal with, and the fog didn't help the situation.

It was a lone, tall man... and from what Daniel could make out, he had red hair... and was really lean and muscular.

Killua whispered something, as if he already knew the man "No way..."

Gon freaked out first, the fog starting to wane "Hisoka!"

Hisoka slowly turned to look at the people watching him wash in all his glory. It should be a crime to be this good looking, and Daniel was afraid to admit it... The tear drop and diamond the man usually drew on his face was no longer a recognisable trait. Hisoka was really damn hot, and that isn't something Daniel should be thinking right now.

_My mind's telling me no... BUT MY BODY... My body's telling me YEAH! WHAT THE FUCK... is wrong with my body! Hisoka's naked right in front of me. Sure, his handsome... with his hair down! BUT, that's Hisoka standing there..._

"Well, well... I have unexpected visitors." Hisoka finally turned, nothing left unseen "It's been a while."

Hisoka was big down there, and Daniel could only shut his eyes from the thoughts soon following. If Hisoka kept his hair down, he would no longer be scary... just handsome... It was just a tall handsome man with his hair down, a really muscular tall handsome man standing _naked_ in front of him... them...

If Hisoka didn't speak at all, his mind wouldn't associate the name with the body, and that was the scariest thought of them all. He was attracted to someone's body, whom happened to also be double his age... and that also happened to be associated with clowns.

When the boys felt Hisoka's aura begin to reach out, Daniel's eyes shot wide open, his own aura protecting himself and his shadow. He didn't want to feel like he was suffocating under the man's menacing presence... not even through his own shadow.

Hisoka raised a finger to point at the boys, his finger tracing the outline of each individual boy "As I thought. You've matured quite a lot..."

Daniel could've sworn he saw Hisoka's eyes droop a little in ecstasy, but from this far away it was hard to tell. And he certainly didn't want to get closer for a better look.

The man dropped his hand to his side, resting it on his hip as the aura being projected worsened. A sickening feeling was running their fingers around the boys, even with their new levels of _Ken_. And it didn't stop there; it deteriorated the longer Hisoka spoke "It appears that you found an excellent teacher."

Little Hisoka began to rise to the occasion, which made Daniel reach out and hide his friends' eyes. He didn't want them to become as corrupted as him. He didn't want them to feel the same things as his body originally felt, from the man's body. His presence did make his mind switch feelings, but the initial thought of seeing Hisoka naked, still sickened him.

The man's member rose to the occasion, pointing straight at them, with tiny beads and drops of liquid, seeping out to corrupt the water surrounding the man "As I anticipated, you grow more appetizing every day."

Goreinu finally freaked out once the man stopped speaking, his eyes drawing over the figure "Wh- Who is this pervy freak?"

Hisoka's eyes gazed towards Goreinu first, licking his lips in anticipation "Are you their teacher?"

Hisoka's gazed stopped to look over the other person, Bisky, without a single word. Daniel turned to look at Bisky, hoping she would step in to beat the man to death. But his eyes widened in mortification. She was having the same reaction as he did earlier, but she took it a step further. She was almost about ready to drool over Hisoka's naked form.

She completely ignored the fact that Hisoka's hungry aura was reaching out to lick at the boys. When she realised Hisoka's hungry eyes were looking directly at her, she turned around, shrilling like a little girl who was just caught stealing the last cookie "Stop it!"

Daniel shut his eyes in disgust. Won't anyone protect their fragile eyes from gazing at Hisoka?

Daniel's hands wrapped around Killua and Gon, and then proceeded to pull them in, He flipped his friends around so they faced the opposite direction of where Hisoka was standing. He didn't want that image of Hisoka to be etched into the boys' minds, corrupting them like they are doing to him "WILL YOU PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

Hisoka looked down, a cheeky smile etched into his face "Why...? You like what you see..."

Daniel refused to give that man an answer, and neither did he like the seduction hidden in the man's words. It made him feel debilitated, as if he were about to puke from the thought.

However, the thought that crossed Daniel's mind next, didn't make the situation any better. _Why couldn't it have been Killua naked...?_ Daniel's eyes widen at the thought. Did his mind just attempt to think of Killua naked, and attempt to make those a replacement for the ones he just witnessed...?

He'd seen Killua naked once, but that was a while ago... months ago... Back then he only focused on the scars and smile Killua gave. And when he attempted to think about Killua's figure from back then, the only difference from Hisoka's was that Killua had a smaller frame, riddled with scars... scars he wished he could erase...

But was that what Killua really looked like, or was that to hide the fact his brain was still focusing on Hisoka...

For a moment... he really wished that was Killua's really body, and not Hisoka's he was imagining now...

"~"

Hisoka eventually got dressed, fanning out his clothes with those attentive hands. His hair was still down, and his face markings were yet to be drawn on "So what do you want with me... No, with Chrollo?"

_Besides asking why having your hair down makes you less scary... none..._

Gon opened up the conversation, speaking to Hisoka, seeing as he was the one who originally wanted to approach 'Chrollo' "I have a question. Why are you here?"

Chrollo, or Hisoka went deathly quiet. His eyes were focused on Gon, as if he was over thinking the question. It wasn't too long before Hisoka's sly smile spread across his cheeks. He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his hair up with his _Nen_ "I'm looking for Chrollo. There's actually a way to remove Kurapika's _Nen_ from him."

Daniel had heard of this argument with Bisky. It is possible to remove _Nen_ that's been placed. The question was why here of all places... there were only a hundred players or less in this game, so the chances of finding that person here, was smaller than any other part of the world...

"You can purge it." Gon stated without a second thought.

"So you knew?" Hisoka's eyes lighten up as well as his smile "Then that makes this easier. I'm looking for Chrollo, to give him that information, but I have no leads. That's when I remembered that some of the spiders were interested in this game. I thought that maybe they would know Chrollo's whereabouts. And by choosing his name, I ensure that they will come to me."

"I get it..."

"I don't..." Daniel admitted loudly after Killua. Hisoka had inconsistencies in his story. He was sure Kurapika mentioned one of Chrollo's conditions being unable to speak to Phantom Troupe members... so wouldn't he avoid them at all costs? And wouldn't Chrollo know this, because the Phantom Troupe members seemed to know the consequences of killing Kurapika.

So, surely, wouldn't they also know about how to purge it as well, the more Daniel thought about it, the more Hisoka's inconsistencies start to show... the ones that needed to be addressed. But Daniel didn't dare to ask his questions.

Hisoka was way too scary to question, and he was unsure whether Killua and Gon remembered if Kurapika told them about the conditions set on Chrollo...

A thought crossed his mind when he remembered saying something specifically.

**Wait, I guess it can be revenge now that the Spider's leader can't actually ever see his friends again...**

Did his friends ever understand the words enough to know what Daniel meant by them...? The long he thought, the harder it was to recall the memory. Maybe he should stop thinking about it for now...

Killua turned to look at Daniel with a raised eyebrow "He was just pretending to be a member of the Troupe." Gon agreed with Killua, it seemed that neither of his friends thought about this route, so Daniel continued to remain silent.

"Now, it is my turn for a question. You didn't come here just to ask that, did you?" Hisoka's eyes gazed over to Daniel, a slight wink in his direction.

"I think I just vomited... in my mouth..." _and may or may not have been scarred for life..._

"No, I did... come here to ask only that." Gon freely admitted to Hisoka.

Hisoka's reaction was priceless, which only made Killua's reaction just as priceless. Killua hung his head in shame as Hisoka stood there with a shocked face.

"Um..." when Bisky started to speak, the boys' looked directly at her. Each of them could feel something bad about to happen. And they weren't disappointed, or maybe they were with Bisky's next few words.

She was smiling carefree, asking a question which neither of the boys wanted to do. Especially with Hisoka "Actually, we're looking for people who are really strong. Won't you please join us?"

Is Bisky CRAZY?! She has to be... no one in their right mind would ask Hisoka to join the group, especially after freely winking at Daniel over a thought. But then again she was drooling over Hisoka's naked form... so maybe she was just lusting after the sinister man...

"Hmm...?" Hisoka paused as he looked towards Bisky "Sure... Why are you looking for strong people?"

Each boy was looking defiantly at Bisky. They didn't want this sick, twisted, perverted man accompanying them.

"Wait, h-hold on... I'm against this. It's too dangerous!" Goreinu disagreed first. There is no way his going to travel around with Hisoka.

Killua continued disagreed next "Yeah, you don't know who this guy is, Bisky!"

"DID you not see the pervert wink at me?!"

"Oh? That's not true..." Bisky disagreed, her features hiding a dangerous smile only the boys could see. "He never winked at you in a disgusting manner..." She held her hands up as she wiggled a finger to look between them "I can sense that he's a kindred spirit."

The words were written there in _Nen_ for the group to see **'He's lying'** it seemed that Bisky caught on to Hisoka's lie like he did, but he wondered on which parts she thought he was lying with. Bisky hardly knew the man... so there's only so much she could catch him out on.

Daniel gulped at the information. Being forced to travel with Hisoka was the last thing he wanted to do, but it seemed that Bisky wanted this dangerous enemy even closer than her friends.

Hisoka held up his hands with a smile "We should head to the **City of Love** just ahead, **Aiai**. It's a great place for new meetings. Perhaps you can find strong people there."

"~"

Daniel dreaded the whole walk, feeling Hisoka's presence always lingering on behind him. It made him sick to the stomach, especially how for a split-second of his life, he viewed the man as being handsome.

He stayed close to Killua, and even closer to Bisky, hoping to pit her against him if it so as much got dangerous. Eventually, Killua asked Bisky the question they all being thinking while Hisoka was distracted with Goreinu "What do you mean about him lying?"

"Technically, I should say he wasn't speaking the truth."

This information was a game changer. If Hisoka wasn't exactly lying... what wasn't he telling the truth about? It was an odd and bold statement to make.

"How could you tell?" Gon asked as he blinking in disbelief at the woman.

"I had a gut feeling."

Daniel chuckled at the answer. To simply have a gut feeling without context didn't sound right. Did she also never tell the truth? Had she lied to them about everything involving _Nen_? Something didn't add up with Bisky's **'it's a gut feeling'** statement

Killua followed through Bisky's statement with his own criticism "A gut feeling?!"

Bisky's eyes narrowed, a sense of pride following a statement one never admits too... even when they're caught in the lie "After lying for fifty years, I can recognize a fellow liar." Even the laugh to follow made her seem more sinister than before.

She was a little imp, hiding behind her fake body. She looked like a child, even when she was fifty years old. Killua sadly agreed with her, even if the statement was a stupid one to admit "That's a convincing argument..."

"Does that mean..." Daniel's smile widened "We can never take you at face value. I could say you're from the Ming Dynasty and you could reply with **no** , only to have me fire back with, **you're lying! You are from the Ming Dynasty...** "

Bisky shot the boy an intense glare as Daniel reeled his statement back in to save his life "No one would admit they're _lying_ when they're clearly _lying_..."

Bisky smiled in achievement "Since he's hiding something, we'll keep him around to see what's up. Plus, he really is strong, right?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Yeah, but his also like a double edged sword he'll-" Daniel felt his whole body shiver in disgust, as if he could feel someone thinking perverted thoughts about him. And he wasn't the only one, Gon and Killua felt the same thing too... there whole body distorting from disgust.

Daniel's head snapped to look behind him, noticing Hisoka's eyes narrowing on an object below his waist. Though the thing that made him feel even more disgusted, was the fact Hisoka was licking his lips, as if he were looking at delicious treats.

Daniel stopped to turn around, stomping up to Hisoka and then behind him to push the man ahead "Keep your eyes on the road, pervert!"

"Aww... but I have to pass time somehow~"

"Yeah, you can do that by not staring at our asses as if they were watermelons you wish to dine on."

"They did look pretty juicy~"

Daniel shivered along with Killua and Gon. That was a mental image they could do without... and now knowing that, they wish they could leave this man on the side of the road, preferably with an immortal creature that wouldn't stop until Hisoka drew his last breath.

It wasn't long until Hisoka started to speak again, this time talking about why they needed him. Why couldn't he talk about that, instead of staring at the boys' _asses_ in a perverted manner "We need nine more members, correct?"

"Yeah..." Goreinu agreed, unsure if he should be disgusted in the man or not. He was pretty strong and quick to adjust to certain situations... but doesn't mean he should be allowed to stare at young children in a disgusting manner "We hope to find others like you who aren't interested in cards."

"Isn't everyone else here to beat the game?" Hisoka's trademark sinister smile showed up, and it wasn't until now Daniel noticed the trade mark tear on the right side of his face also.

Where the hell does Hisoka keep the makeup in his personal belongings? The man's clothes didn't exactly look like it had pockets... Did he use his ability to attach items to the underside of his shirt?

Did that also mean he carried lipstick around him, or whatever he used to paint the tear drop and star on his face? It didn't seem to concern the others, so why should Daniel think about Hisoka anymore than he has to.

"I can't image there are too many eccentrics like myself."

"I think you meant to say perverts... but I'll let that slip for the sake of my sanity." Daniel comfortably argued with Hisoka, even though he wanted to avoid as much conversation time with the man as possible.

Hisoka's head turned, looking at Daniel.

"Eyes to the front, Hisoka..."

Hisoka smiled at the boy before looking at Bisky. Sufficiently intrigued the man looked back at Goreinu "By the way, did you use someone's power to warp to me?"

"That was one of the spells in this game."

"Oh, so that's what it was..."

Ok, this time Hisoka had to be lying. There is no way after being in this game for long... no one had teleported to him already. They had been visited by a random player when they walked in, so why shouldn't Hisoka have been visited as well.

"You need to buy spells from stores, right?" Hisoka seemed to drone on and on, each sentence seeming more fishy that the last. Daniel's eyes narrowed on the man, wondering what exactly, did he have hidden up his shirt, considering the man never wore clothes with sleeves.

"~"

The **City of Love, Aiai** was surprising more bustling than one would expect in a game, called Greed Island. The constant smile from love heart at the top of the city only seemed to make the town feel more disturbing with Hisoka around. But knowing this town existed, only made Daniel feel most disgustingly aware of earlier attraction to Hisoka, and that his feelings for Killua have remained the same throughout.

Couldn't he have one moment in this game, without being hyperaware of the _freedom_ to have attractions towards another person, being shoved down his throat? He wanted one moment of his life that didn't make him want to scream out, **I love you Killua, now stop tormenting me Greed Island!**

As they were walking through the town, a girl in a green dress with thick glasses tripped right behind Hisoka. She felt around the ground, hoping to stumble across them by luck.

Hisoka smiled as he held out a hand to the girl, offering her up to one of the group members "Why not give them to her? You might become friends."

"Don't you mean _friends_...?"

Hisoka smiled, only to have it dropped a second later from Goreinu's reaction.

A girl had walked into him, blaming him for all her mistakes "Hey..." She wore a pink dress with a pinkish-red and white checkered shirt, and she was really drilling into the man she ran into "Watch where you're going! Be more careful."

"S- Sorry..."

She ran off, shoving the toast into her mouth before Goreinu could give a full apology "I'm gonna be late!"

It wasn't a second longer before Hisoka drilled into the man "You weren't supposed to apologize... You should have told her to watch where _she_ was going and started a fight."

Daniel hummed at Hisoka's tune, finding this to be way too helpful. Either this man was a love guru, or this town has been his hunting ground for way too long. It wasn't long before another girl's voice could be heard "Stop it! Release me! I'll scream..."

A man's voice could be heard talking to the girl "Go ahead and scream. No one's coming to save you..."

Gon ran up to the alley way, pointing an accusing finger at the lady's attacker, possibly attackers "Hold it! Let go of-"

Killua's fist pummelled Gon into the ground, already knowing what's about to happen. It was funny to say in the least, that this was a definite cliché moment. Daniel knew this story, the damsel in distress begging to be saved, and now that he thought about it, the others were clichés as well.

The girl who couldn't find her glasses...

The girl who'll never admit she was wrong...

Daniel wondered what else was a cliché in this town as he listened to Killua berate Gon "How could you fall for such a cliché?"

Killua stopped talking once he heard Bisky's voice, talking to someone else "You want me to model for your hairstyling?"

Killua dropped his head in shame, twitching in anger. He was about to knock Bisky out, but he was stopped instead by someone bumping into Daniel.

"Hey, watch where you're standing... girl...?"

 _Oh, shit!_ Daniel turned to look at the man whose voice it belong too. He knew which cliché this was, but why was it still surprising to hear. He wouldn't deny the man was good looking, but that doesn't mean that the next few words didn't make him want to belt the man across the side of the face "You're really beautiful..."

"I'm a dude..."

"Huh, what?!" The man's body reeled back in surprise "But... But... how can you be more attractive than any girl I've ever met."

Daniel slowly blinked at the man; this was hitting way too close to home. The instant attraction, followed by the confusion between sexes... It was an ungodly repeat to the Yanick instance, only this time the guy said it out flatly, rather than waiting a few years to say it.

And he only looked like a girl from the behind, so why was he surprised when Daniel said it, rather than when he saw his face.

"Will you go out with me?!"

"... No!"

"Huh, why not?!"

Daniel slid right up to Killua, wrapping a arm around the boy before he knew what was about to happen. He pretended for the first time in his life, that he wished the case was true "Because this is my boyfriend~"

Killua slid out from under Daniel's arm, shock across his own face. He wasn't prepared for this, not in the slightest "Wh- What?!"

Daniel slid back up close to the boy, whispering so only he could hear "Lie..."

"Why me...?"

"Because you're the closest..."

"Goreinu was closer!"

"To my age..."

"Gon was even closer..."

"And type... Just, don't argue... lie!"

Killua blushed as he awkwardly lied "Yeah... He is..."

Gon piped up in surprise, a huge smile emitting for the boy "Really?!"

Killua slammed his fist back into the top of Gon's head, giving the boy the bump on his head, a bump of its own "Of course not..."

Even with that comment, the man still abused the situation, adding another to the already existing clichés "I can love you better-"

Daniel reeled back his fist, before jumping towards the 'You turned me gay' cliché. His fist connected with the man's cheek before launching him across the town into a wall.

The boy breathed out heavily, smoke being emitted from his fist as if he'd fired off a gun. Daniel wasn't going to listen to this any longer, walking away from the town before anyone could argue with him "I'm sick of this shit!"

It hurt Daniel to hear Killua say those words, but he did ask after all, to lie about the situation to get out of another. But by walking away the way he was, he was giving away the disgust in his words... giving away the fact that something was definitely up with Daniel.

He wasn't acting like himself...

He was usually calm and rational, never acting without words. If this was really him, he would have berated the man until he was emotionally embarrassed or mentally destroyed... not slamming his fist into the side of the 'You turned me gay' guy's face, and proceeding to use him as a cannonball.

Daniel frowned as he looks at the outside of town, waiting, hoping his friends will join him soon. He didn't want to stay any longer in this town. It hurt him more than it should. It made his emotions feel raw, taken more at face value than he liked...

Why, couldn't he just admit his feelings rather than bottling them up?

When Daniel heard Killua's voice, his stomach dropped at the thought of admitting to his feelings "Hey, what's wrong with you...?"

"Nothing... It's just..." Daniel sighed before admitting something "He reminded me of Yanick..."

Daniel thought for a second he saw Killua's fist clench "That loser!"

"Aww, that's sweet of you..." Daniel's smile widened at the thought of Killua caring for him, but his cheeks started to turn red at the same time as Killua's. _Did... I just admit that out loud?_ "I didn't mean it in that way... it was nice... to hear I guess. Slip of the tongue..."

Killua looked at Daniel with a scrutinising eye, something was definitely up. But Gon had other ideas "Hey, Killua... I've been thinking. I think Daniel was right earlier, we should try recruiting Tsezgerra. Even if he doesn't join," Gon raised his fist to look at it "we should meet him, so he'll be on our binder list."

Killua let out a quiet sigh "It would be good to know what they're doing."

"It would've been better if we did have him in our binder..." Daniel sighed at his statement before looking towards Goreinu "Do you have him in your binder?"

The man shook his head which only made Daniel sigh for the second time. _I really don't want to ask Hisoka..._

It wasn't a second longer before he heard Gon ask the question for him "Hisoka, let me see your binder. I want to see if Tsezgerra is on the list of players you've met."

"List...?"

Daniel looked mortified at Gon, unsure how the boy was able to approach the man. He had a terrible track record, one that he constantly switched between helpful, and downright dangerous.

They had to trust him when it came to defeating Razor and the fourteen Devils, Daniel knew that much. But one thing was for certain, he wouldn't trust Hisoka... not after his advice to visit Aiai.

It only made him feel worse, more self conscious about his feelings. He was now border lining his own feelings which were threatening to spill out. If he didn't say anything soon, it's going to rip itself out through Daniel...

Daniel watched Hisoka with unblinking eyes, seeing the man draw his book from within the ring.

Hisoka ran his finger through the book, searching for the name Gon mentioned. Eventually he stopped before looking back at Gon "There's Tsezgerra."

Gon ran to see, as Killua's eyes lightened up on the statement. Killua was thinking about something, something Daniel hadn't a single clue about. What was running through Killua's mind about Hisoka? Was he onto the man as well, trying to figure out what sort of secret he was keeping?

Daniel followed the others as Killua's eyes scanned the book for names. Who was Killua looking for? Why was there a small trace of defeat in his eyes? Was Killua hoping that he'll find someone he was expecting?

Daniel ran the scenario through his mind, checking to see if he was missing something. The only thing that he could think of was Killua being concerned with finding members of the Phantom Troupe. Was it something Hisoka said that triggered the thought?

He'll have to check with Killua later, preferably when Hisoka wasn't around to hear within an earshot of the two of them.

Gon had been shuffling through his book before drawing a card to show Hisoka. It was **Contact** , a card that allowed players to get into contact with each other "Then, Hisoka, recite this spell..."

Hisoka drew his head back when Gon shoved the card in the man's face. It was like Gon want Hisoka to eat it "We'll do the talking."

Hisoka's hand slid over Gon's fingers before plucking the card out of the boy's hand. His eyes ran over the card, reading the description as if he were suspicious of the card before finally repeating the steps. He read the card, contacting Tsezgerra as Gon spoke.

The boy was eminent, hoping that Tsezgerra was willing to speak with them. It had been months since they joined the game, and even more since they laid eyes on the man. What was he doing now? Was he fighting to obtain all the cards? How close was he to beating Genthru?

He was sure he'll know once they met with the man. Daniel was so focused on his thoughts, it wasn't until when Gon handed Hisoka another card, Daniel had realised how far out of the loop he was. They had made a deal of some sort, opting to hopefully join forces.

He was sure when they met, he'll find out how willing Tsezgerra was to join forces with them.

"~"

Tsezgerra and his group partner had listened to Goreinu's tale, their findings on the quest line to beat Razor and the fourteen Devils being the hot topic. Nothing was left out when speaking about on how to obtain #2, **Patch of Shore.** They had to make sure Tsezgerra joined, unsure if they'll be able to find another group just as strong. Most of the players had been killed off after a few months in, so that left very few players to trust and depend on in this instance.

Eventually Tsezgerra spoke once he heard all the details and thought it over "Together, there are six of you?"

"Yeah, this is all of us." Goreinu admitted, Tsezgerra focusing his eyes on the man before drawing his eyes to Gon and the others. He was surprised to see the boy's faces after so long, stronger than when they first entered the game.

Tsezgerra thought about the situation for a moment longer before speaking once again "There are two others in my group." The man clicked his fingers as two others joined the group, wearing exactly the same uniform as Tsezgerra. It was of military design, yet somehow different. It allowed for mobility.

Tsezgerra's group was a four man team, adding to the already six man group "This makes us a total of ten. Where do you plan to find the rest?"

Daniel liked the fact Tsezgerra already had four in his team. That pushed the group over to more than enough people to win, as long as his team was strong enough to beat the Devils. They had to be strong enough to use _Ko_ , _Gyo_ , _Ren_ , _Ryu_ and have their own form of _Hatsu_ in order to beat the opposing force.

Rodriot, whom Tsezgerra originally first introduced as his only team member spoke "We'll need fifteen members, right?"

Rodriot was a head shorter than Tsezgerra, reaching up only to the man's shoulder. Apart from the same getup, his sleeves were rolled up and the top of his hair was tinted blond while the sides were dark brown.

Goreinu held out his hands, explaining what was being done for the last few spots. All they needed was at least eight members to win, and no more than that as long as the eight can muster up the points "We can use stand-ins for the remaining five. Invite players who want to return to the real world but can't."

Killua frowned at the idea, but it was necessary, considering the time left to complete the game, and the amount of strong players left "They won't be able to help, but they won't care about receiving cards, either."

Tsezgerra sighed; he had to come to terms with the possibility of having fifteen players who could help, was just not possible. And the fact that anymore than three teams destroys the possibility of unity, and a chance to hoard #2 without a fight. Three teams' maximum, and Tsezgerra was the third team "Meaning that the ten of us will have to win the contest. I don't know how strong our opponents are, but can we?"

"We can..." Goreinu was sure the ten of them can, but if by chance they can't, they had an option to remove a single player from their group, and add another to make an entirely different group "Even if we can't manage eight wins, we're allowed to switch members and try again."

A sly smile appeared across Killua's face, this time the tables has turned, and now Tsezgerra has to prove himself to them. They knew they were strong enough to beat any of the opponents, the problem was can Tsezgerra's team beat them?

It had been so long, but that doesn't mean Tsezgerra has been training enough to beat his opponents. He could be at the same level or worse than them, if the boys thought about it. Tsezgerra was strong before the test to enter the game. Now after Bisky's training, how much stronger is Tsezgerra than them?

Killua was out to prove a point, and he issued a challenged to Tsezgerra "So whether we can win depends on you guys. Show us your _Ren_." Tsezgerra blinked at Killua once, surprised at the command. How the tables have turned since then. However, Killua didn't stop there "We'll decide if we want you afterwards."

Daniel looked at Killua, liking the smirk mixed with the seriousness behind Killua's words. But damn, he sadly admitted silently, that he wanted to be the first to say it...

Tsezgerra's smile widened at the command "I see our roles have been reversed. Very well..." The man leaned down on his words, focusing the aura to below his feet like Daniel would do when manipulating his shadows. But this time the reason felt... different. It focused more like an application, to achieve a certain goal "Here I go!"

The man forced his aura in a similar way to an emitter, the aura propelling him up into the air like a trampoline.

Each boy was impressed, though Daniel wasn't in the slightest. But, then again he was also biased... Nothing was more impressive than Killua's ability to manipulate Electricity. The way sparks of electricity shot between each finger tip, a tingly sensation running across his body, like he had been rubbing his feet through carpet before generating a small spark of electricity like a prank.

But Killua's was on a higher scale, able to light even alcohol on fire.

Even though Killua was impressed, Daniel didn't see how so. His ability was... no, IS cooler than Tsezgerra's.

The man laughed at the two boy's praises, and smiles. If these boys were impressed over that much, imagine how they would react if he put all his effort into it "If I use my full strength, I can fly higher."

Each boy smiled at each other, Daniel seemingly confused for a second. Then it clicked, they wanted to try it for themselves, and there was a silent challenge being issued between them.

They had ignored Tsezgerra's next statement before moving into their own stance like the man had done.

Daniel won't be beaten here, no by a long shot if he had a say. He wanted to prove he mastered control, over strength. He focused his aura into his hand before pressing it into the ground below his feet. Daniel wanted to remove the possibility of conflicting within his own shadow's aura, and in doing so, failing to replicate Tsezgerra's own _Hatsu_.

The moment Gon and Killua said go, Daniel blasted his aura out, hopefully pushing his body to surpass Killua and Gon's record on the first go.

Gon stopped first, his ability to propel his aura failing to surpass Killua's. Killua grinned down at Gon, sitting with his arms crossed in mid air. If one were to compare heights between them, Killua looked as though he would be sitting on top of Gon's head "ha ha, I win."

Gon fumed at Killua's words, hoping to gain more momentum as he swam through the air. There was a very slim chance of swimming through air, and Gon seemingly failed to do so.

Daniel moved his body as if he was lying down on a couch, and when he saw he was even higher than Killua, he couldn't help but gloat at the success "Killua~"

Killua shot a dirty glare at Daniel, but was momentarily surprised by the boy's action.

Daniel made a circular motion with his finger, as if stirring the air below him. The boy wasn't much higher, but he still held the record... even if it was by a single inch.

"That's not fair!"

Daniel frowned, but soon was smiling once again. He raised his finger to Killua, before curling it towards himself, as if telling the boy to come hither "I'm~ still~ higher~"

Tsezgerra dropped down first to land on his feet, head bowing down in respect. Though, that might have been due to the way he landed "I am impressed. Although you still fall a bit short of my full height..."

When the boys landed, Daniel failed to change his position, falling back onto the ground on his side. The boys laughed at Daniel, as the same boy ran a hand across his butt to soothe the landing, even though it was his side that impacted with the ground.

Once the boys got their equal share of laughs, Gon's smile widened "Okay! Let's go again!"

Daniel frowned at the idea, getting up to rub the side he did end up falling on "Oh, no... Not again!"

Gon fumed, the denial to beat Daniel being removed. But he still had Killua he could beat, and he wouldn't fall for last place, no matter how many times he needed to go again "Ehh... Killua!"

"What? If the sore loser doesn't want to go again-"

"If I may remind you... you were below me the whole time..." Daniel's eye twitched at the double entendre. He really hoped Killua didn't pick up on that. _Oh, no... That sounded too sexual in my mind just now. Damn Hisoka... and my dad for making me think about these things..._

But Killua didn't stop there; instead he made it worse "You'll be under me next time..."

Daniel's cheeks puffed up as covered his mouth. It was evident on how much he wanted to laugh, and it only made Killua question him "What's funny?!"

"Oh, nothing... you just keep thinking that!" _I'll never be under you..._ But the boy's thoughts took a turn for the worst, focusing on things he would never ever tempt to think about it.

His thoughts for a second imagine himself beneath Killua, the boy on top of him... looking down on him in a perverted manner. But when dirty thought's Killua leaned down, Daniel held up his hands as if to physically destroy the thoughts. But he only instead made himself in inevitably look like an idiot.

Killua laughed at Daniel for waving his hands in the air like an idiot, but the thoughts of questioning the boy came to mind. Why did he just do that?

Gon didn't give Killua anytime to think however, the challenge still being issued as he forced his aura to jump the boy back into the air "I beat you Killua!"

Killua's features soften before a smile extended "Not if I have a say about it!"

When Killua surpassed Gon, the boy held his hands around his mouth before yelling back down from the air "Oh, you pass by the way..."

Daniel looked toward Tsezgerra, but was met with a troubling face. It looked as though the man was angry, and was trying really hard not to show it. A faint vein twitched in anger as Goreinu tempted to quell the man's anger "Sorry... They're only kids, so let it slide."

Daniel stepped forward, agreeing with Goreinu, only slightly "Yeah... this may take a while... So while my friends... challenge each other, I think we should focus more on what happens now. We need to defeat Razor and his Devils, so we need to figure out how we can beat the supposed Devils at their own sports."

Goreinu nodded "Agreed... we need to figure out whom to assign to which sport."

"Do we know all the sports they'll use?"

Daniel shook his head in disagreement, only to say the complete opposite in a way "Only a few... but we could probably guess the others."

Goreinu produced a piece of paper, noting down each sport they lost at "We've managed to confirm these eight."

**Beach Volleyball**

**Wrestling**

**Boxing**

**Juggling**

**Free Throws**

**Sumo**

**Bowling**

**Ping Pong**

Daniel ran a finger across his chin, wondering which one of those he could good at. **Ping Pong** would be the best option, followed by **Juggling** and then **Beach Volleyball**.

Goreinu tapped the piece of paper, as he pointed out each sport "Depending on our success, they may add additional sports."

"i understand..."

"I'll take Ping Pong..." Daniel quickly grabbed a sport before they start to fight "My ability makes it impossible for sneak attacks. And I can get around corners if they try to score a point that way."

Tsezgerra looked at Daniel before nodding "Sounds-"

"Hey, this is bad!" The man, who Daniel was yet to learn his name from Tsezgerra had white hair, freckles and a well defined chin... much like Kazsule's to his dismay, yelled out. Something had happened, and judging by the stress strained across his face... it was _really_ bad.

Another member whom Daniel was yet to learn their name that had a brown, miniature afro, questioned his team member "What is it?"

"Team Genthru is up to ninety-seven cards."

This was really bad; Genthru was so close to beating the game. All he needed was two more, and the event to occur to obtain the last. While Genthru's team was missing #2, **Patch of Shore** , and had no chance to obtain it, it doesn't mean he wouldn't send hordes of players against Razor like lambs to the slaughter.

While Razor's team weren't aiming to kill, maybe Bopobo might attempt too... A player with a weaker _Nen_ defence would possibly die in from any of the sports.

Now the threat had further increased, they had to act now... before the slaughter intensified to dangerous levels...

First comes assigning the sports to members, next comes beating Razor...


	71. Razor X Dodge Ball X Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Hopefully no one was tormented by naked, leaking little(big) Hisoka... now on to the story!
> 
>  **A/N2:** I completely forgot to use Bopobo's name in the last chapter... whoops, my bad...

The training was completed...

Each player learned a specific sport, aiming with the intent to decimate the opposing Devil. It wasn't going to be easy taking down a Devil, but after learning how their ability works, they'll make it happen.

It had been a week since they seen the lone factory up on the cliff, but standing there... viewing the building once again is going to be what makes this game beatable. This was the last card needed before completing the game, and the only card Genthru doesn't have.

They needed this... they needed to obtain this card no matter what...

Tsezgerra looked at the building, words carrying meaning as they prepared themselves for the event to come "Over the past week, we've run various simulations and have prepared accordingly. Given Team Genthru's current situation, we can't afford to lose."

"We have to win!" Gon agreed next, followed by Bisky "Yes, we'll win."

Killua remained silent as Daniel clenched his fist, speaking boldly "Let's do this! Team Gon... And extras vs. the Fourteen Devils!"

He didn't care what the other teams thought about his comment, but in reality the only two teams to repeat this quest was Gon's Team and Goreinu... the rest were all extra's to the insane fight to come ahead.

"~"

Like the first time around, the first match was boxing. Only this time, it was Barry, the man with white hair and Kazsule's similar type chin, from Team Tsezgerra vs. The Boxing Devil.

There was no way they were losing this time around, and they'll push Razor and his Devils out of Soufrabi, and in doing so gain #2, **Patch of Shore** in the process.

Razor pressed his knuckles into the side of his skin tight shorts "We'll begin with boxing."

As Barry made sure his gloves were tightly fitted, the Boxing Devil laughed "I'll send you packing."

Killua spoke aloud, repeating what they had learned earlier from their last fight with the Boxing Devil "His special ability is teleportation."

Daniel nodded before speaking "Yup, a face full of fist before anyone knows what's happening..."

When Razor initiated the fight, this time it started differently. Barry was rushing towards the Boxing Devil, aiming to punch the man before he knew what was about to happen.

Unfortunately for Barry, the Boxer was still fast enough to throw up his guard, but in doing so, he only could manage to defend from his position.

Barry kept going at it before sneaking a punch into the man's chest, and in doing so knock the air right out of him.

The boys cheered as Barry kept going at it, breaking the man down until he couldn't stand any longer. One final punch sent the man hurtling down into the ground, unable to stand.

When Razor held up Barry's boxing mitt to announce him as the winner, it was clear who was already in the lead. They were up one point, and that left only seven more to obtain.

Rodriot was the second winner with bowling, obtaining the second point and was soon followed by Kess in Basketball.

They were now three points strong, and on the road to winning the card.

The three boys were cheering loudly, happy to hear they were already so close to winning. It wasn't until Razor spoke, things were about to get difficult. The man spoke with a darker tone in his voice for some reason "You guys can toss your matches. I'll take it from here."

"Roger that."

"Wait!"

Daniel flinched at the loud obnoxious man, the sumo Devil named Bopobo. The man stomped up to the side of Razor, throwing the jester hat on the ground in a tantrum. He must have hated that hat... really badly "I'm done following your orders. I'll be doing things my own way now."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering if this was a part of the quest line, where Bopobo helps out. Boy, was he was his initial thought so wrong... he was way off the marker "Hey, brats! Let's step outside!"

 _What did I- OH... Right... I hurt his ego too..._ "Sorry about your... ego, earlier..." Daniel chided, for a moment pretending as if he was sorry. Unfortunately, he was sorry he wasn't sorry for the man, from how he acted towards his loss with Killua. The revenge in his loss earlier was only him getting back at the Sumo Devil.

Killua slowly blinked at the man, wonder too if this was a part of the ploy "Outside? Do you think this is a sumo ring?"

"I'm done playing around... Want me to kill you here?"

Daniel held out his hand in front of Killua, aggravated by the man's words. There was no way he'd let the man touch Killua with that intent, not without some form of gift in return for losing... harshly "Who do you think you are, fat boy?!"

Daniel extended his free hand towards the man, a finger towards the Devil's chin, aura surround his hand as if he were about to use his own ability. If Bopobo takes one more step forward, Daniel would subdue the man, making him grovel beneath Killua's feet before he even considers the idea of letting him gaze upon his best friend.

It seemed as though some of Bopobo's old team mates had the same idea, stopping the man with one hand. Razor held a hand to his chin as he spoke, addressing the Sumo Devil's sudden conflict "That's a violation of our agreement. Want to go back to the slammer, Bopobo?"

 _That's... a weird statement? What does he mean by **violation of our agreement** and **going back to the slammer**? Is he a..._ The boy suddenly clicked to a thought process... Bopobo, and the Devils may be convicts that escaped with Razor's help, and Razor is willing to let them go, but at a cost of being sent back to prison. But that may have been another ploy, a scare tactic of some sort.

"I don't give a damn! I'm done playing this stupid game!"

Daniel was shocked by the statement, and when he looked at the others, he wasn't alone. Everyone in their group caught on to the topic, that Bopobo and the Devils may not have been a NPC... and may in fact be other living, breathing players...

Why didn't he catch on sooner when Bopobo got pissed and attempted to attack Killua...?

Those were dead give a ways, and when he looked towards Bopobo's old team mates, it didn't seem as though Sumo Devil was the only living, breathing player "Anyone else with me?" The man pointed an accusing finger at the silent Razor, continuing to berate the man "If we team up, we can crush that bastard! And then we can use a ship to get off this island!"

Razor's hand flicked up, projecting a small volley ball of aura before throwing it at a very surprised Bopobo. The ball contacted with the man's face, condensing for a second before expanding into an explosion.

Bopobo's head popped like a balloon, leaving only a tiny trace of the man's head behind as evidence. There wasn't a huge splatter of blood one might expect after seeing someone's head exploding.

Razor's hand shifted back to his side before addressing the lifeless body, of the former Sumo Devil "You'll be punished for breaking the taboo. Didn't I warn you?"

"Y-Yes, you did..." another devil freaked out as blood began to pool around the opening where the head used to be.

"Did that idiot think I wouldn't kill him?"

Daniel flinched at the body lying on the ground, his hand dropping to his side as he was surprised by what was left. He had to remember to block any attacks for the man, and more importantly... enquire about the situation. Bodies usually disappear on death. So if this person wasn't an NPC or a player... what was he?

It was a question he wasn't sure he'd get the answer to once Razor spoke again, though this time walking up to the players to address them rather than the Devils "Okay, I'll go next."

One of the stand-ins was freaking out, already stepping back from the grisly body in front of them "Hey, this looks bad."

Another stand-in agreed in-turn as well; terror filling his eyes "We can't fight those guys..."

Daniel held up his hand, looking away from the body as his mind seemingly tried to understand the situation "You won't... especially that guy. Jokes aside, we, and by we, I mean you agreed to just help us start the quest again. Nothing more... Nothing less..."

"That's right..." Goreinu joined in, hoping to calm the men down further "We'll be doing the fighting."

"Really...?" another of the five standing spoke up, which Tsezgerra addressed calmly "If the ten of us cannot secure eight victories, you can just forfeit without fighting. So don't worry..."

The remaining out two sighed in relief, the words getting through to them as Tsezgerra gazed back in Razor's direction. Daniel saw something was definitely wrong with the situation, so Daniel turned to look at Razor to.

Now that he focused, he could feel a very strong amount of aura being projected of the man. So this was what a boss felt like in this game. Though, he somewhat expected the man to wearing more... epic, boss-like clothing and not... Gym-shorts.

As Daniel pondered the situation further, Killua asked the man a question "Can I ask you something? That guy's dead. What about the sumo match?"

Daniel drew an eyebrow up at the question, wondering why Killua was asking such a question. Now wasn't time, given the fact a boss fight was about to ensue. Then again... it was a win, and no extra point should be left behind. He let the situation go, focusing on the boss to see their reaction.

"Hmm...?" Razor looked at Bopobo's dead body before answering Killua's question "Oh, you get the win."

"But we never decided who we were sending."

Daniel's expression softens for a moment, wondering if Killua was being serious. He sounded as if he was manipulating the situation... but he was glossing over the fact... he was already admitted to taking on the Sumo Devil.

Either Razor was oblivious, or at this point he didn't seem to mind at the point lost. He only wanted to move on, and get to the match that was about to start soon "I don't care who you give the win to. Just give it to one of the guys standing in the back."

"Okay," Killua turned, running a finger over the useless players. He stopped at one of the bigger players, choosing him out of the five "you get the sumo win."

The man flinched in surprise, unsure why he got the point out of all of them "Eh? Wait, me...?"

Killua didn't give the reason to as why he gave the point to them; he only made a bold, true statement "That gives us four wins."

A few Devils started to move Bopobo's body as the others got to work cleaning the mess up. At least they cleaned up after their boss' mess... and he seemed to be more menacing now, the more he thought about it. He no longer cared for his old ally, and wanted to move on in the situation "Now, then... I'll go with an eight-on-eight game of dodge ball."

Razor's aura shined brightly, menacingly as the aura split into seven separate chunks of auras, varying different sizes. Everyone was taken back as puppets wearing a similar hat came from the ground, sizes matching those of his original players.

The only difference between the original Devils and these ones, were they had no faces. They had a number and large set of sharp teeth coming out from under the hat. Also, the number on their face and bodies matched the same amount of bobbles on their hat.

They didn't seem to speak, just stand there in deathly silence "Pick eight members, you'll field. I already have mine."

Daniel blinked in surprise before his features hardened. This boss... was about to get difficult. He maintained a large amount of aura, even though he had this many puppets made out of _Nen_. Razor, considering his aura ball used to kill Bopobo had to be an Emitter... An Emitter, who specialised in Manipulation also...

This was going to get difficult... and fast.

Goreinu didn't like where this was heading, already arguing "Hold on... How is this scored?"

Barry agreed, only up to a certain extent. He already was figuring things out "It's one win per person, right?"

"Yes, one win per person. So the victorious team receives eight wins. Simple enough, yes?"

Tsezgerra's facial expression hardened, looking over each puppet before focusing on Razor "So that was the plan?"

 _This changes everything..._ Daniel thought as he looked at each individual puppet. If they lose this match, they fail the quest and have to repeat it again. But judging by each _Nen_ puppet's strength, they needed at least one other player in order to help beat Razor.

Right now, they only had seven useable players who could participate... and judging by what just happened to Bopobo, none of them would step in to be the eighth.

"I'm against this... If you have to field eight, you need one more!"

Each of the player stand-ins were scared out of their mind, and the remaining four wouldn't agree to being number eight... they all thought of the same thing, running away from the monster.

Barry held up his hands to argue with the player's terror "Once the match begins, you can deliberately let yourself be hit-"

"Screw-"

Daniel held out a hand, speaking without turning around "Not even... you can run outside the boundaries right before the game even starts. Then, you can stand at the back of the enemy and pass the ball back to us. Even then, you don't have to be in the match!"

Not even Daniel's words got through to them, their thoughts only focusing on one thing. Razor, and the power behind his throws "Didn't you see that? If he hits us with that ball, we're dead!"

Razor smiled widely, uncaring about each of the scared player's words "Oh, just so everything is clear, we'll be using a normal ball. But with _Nen_ , it's just as strong as the _Nen_ projectile I launched earlier."

Each player turned and high tailed it out there, screaming at the top of their lungs "This is crazy... I'm out of here!"

Killua held up a hand, hoping that one of them would at least stay and listen "H-Hold on! We'll think of something real quick."

"I already did..." Daniel spoke with an emotionless tone, drained of whatever tolerance he had before. When a player is outside the ring, they don't have to participate. They just have to throw the ball back to their teammates. That wasn't hard to do when if thought about it...

"We'll do this by ourselves..." Gon stepped in, disliking the idea of having to push any of the stand-ins to join this death match "If our lives are on the line, we should field willing players." Gon looked towards Razor, hoping the man is willing to accept the choice being offered "Do you have a problem if we only field seven?"

"Yes, actually, I can't let you do that... You have to field eight members. Otherwise..." Razor's smile widened, rivalling Hisoka's only by just a slither in-terms of menacing "Why ask you to recruit fifteen?"

Gon's expression hardened "Saying this to an in-game character is probably pointless, but wasn't Bopobo one of your allies? What did he do to deserve death?"

"Burglary-murder and rape-murder... Eleven confirmed counts alone."

Gon was shocked, which brought Daniel's face to widen in shock. _So this is the real world...?_

Hisoka had the same thought, only he voiced his without a hint of shock in his voice "This is the real world."

Gon turned to look at Hisoka in shock, which made Tsezgerra continue the conversation "This place, Greed Island, is located somewhere in the real world. This game takes place in the real world."

Daniel's eyes widen like his team mates. Only his widened at the many questions plaguing his mind... and the scenarios that didn't need to happen. Killua could've stayed with them, ringing Kurapika from within the game, as long as they had reception.

What happened to the dead bodies in this game? Did they move it to the last place they logged in, or where they moved to a rubbish dump to be disposed of?

How many of the NPCs are native, living people and not NPCs?

And more importantly... why lie about this being a game fabricated, when it occurs in the real world? It makes no difference, considering it takes _Nen_ to teleport them to the location. Did they do that so the island remained a secret?

As Daniel questioned himself, Tsezgerra continued on "Revealing that information to a player who believes they're inside a game is a taboo. Bopobo was executed for breaking that taboo. This guy, Razor, is a Game Master, a real human."

"Game Master?" Gon questioned as Daniel answered "Someone who built the game. But usually they hide behind the scripts, not actually play in the game. I thought this guy was a boss... but now that makes more logical sense in a way. I guess he's a Game Master Boss..."

"Huh, but..." Gon started to question the scenario. But he was lost for words, unable to form any of the words into a question. Or maybe the boy just didn't know which one to ask first.

Tsezgerra continued on "Bopobo and the other pirates are real death row criminals. Not only did he disobey orders; he attempted to instigate an escape. Execution was a fair consequence."

"This is the real world?" Gon asked himself again, questioning the scenario once again.

Hisoka's expression remained the same throughout the conversation, never once showing he was surprised or aware of the situation "That is correct."

"I never noticed..." Killua questioned the statement, followed by Bisky "I hadn't even considered that."

Daniel agreed and disagreed at the same time with Killua and Bisky's thought process "Considering half of the items in-game are cards... I'm not surprised. One usually doesn't expect that... but **time** should have been a giveaway. And Bopobo's reaction should have been a dead give away... ignore the unintentional pun..."

Razor bounced the ball on the ground, drawing in everyone's attention "Well, it doesn't really matter. Since this island is still isolated from the rest of the world."

"Wait a second..." Gon posed another question "If this is the real world, does that mean Ging is here, on Greed Island?"

Razor's features hardened on the mention of **Ging's** name. It's been a long time since he heard that name, and neither did he expect the name to be uttered. When was the last time he saw Ging, and how did this boy know the name when some of the other players did not.

When he looked at the boy, an eerily familiarity hit the man, and the sudden realisation why the boy knew his name hit him. He shared a similar face structure and the words left behind Ging now made sense to him "Ah... So you must be Gon."

"Yeah..."

Razor's aura lit up like fireworks, projecting a higher amount than he originally showed. He hadn't shown it off before, but now Gon, Ging's son had arrived he was getting serious "I was instructed not to go easy on you by your old man."

The players that had stopped to listen to Killua no longer wanted to stay, running out of the building. They didn't want to stay here any longer, and Daniel didn't blame them for that thought process. He would run away too he was given the chance. But he stayed where he was for two reasons:

The first being, he was here to help out Gon achieve his intentional goal...

And the second was because no matter how strong this guy was, he could always rely on his friends help... but he wouldn't stoop to the situation until he saved one of his friends in the situation. He wanted to at least keep his end goal... that being to save one of his friends, and not appear useless to them...

He'll stop at nothing to achieve that goal, and now knowing this man was dangerous, he'll save his friends with his ability no matter the cost.

Rodriot held out his hand, attempting to stop the players who were already out of the building "H-Hey!"

Goreinu stopped the man from further proceeding to stop the players whom just ran off "It's okay, let them leave."

"But then we can't have a match!"

"I'll count as two." Goreinu let his aura flair, doing the same as what Razor did. But instead of his aura projecting a purple light like Razor's his was a light blue, cyan in colour. The man summoned a white haired gorilla, whom also shared a few human features, at least with the facial structure.

Goreinu then turned to look at Razor, expecting a **yes** from his next statement "You're doing the same thing, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Razor smiled at the man "Yeah, that's fine. Now it's eight-on-eight."

Daniel smiled at the thought, but the match that was about to come... terrified him. He was about to challenge someone who's aura capacity surpassed his own, even after it was split into seven extra puppets.

But no matter what came next, he'll have to beat him in order to gain #2, **Patch of Shore** , and then beat Genthru soon after. Daniel clenched his fist at the thought, as they prepared for the match to come.

"~"

The fields were set up, everyone standing on their respective side of the field. Daniel looked to his left; Goreinu, Goreinu's gorilla and Hisoka were standing there. Daniel then drew his eyes to the right; Gon, Killua, Bisky and Tsezgerra were standing there.

Knowing where his allies where, the boy drew his attention back to Razor. Razor during his preparation summoned another player who started to speak "I'll explain the rules. The game starts with one outside player and seven inside."

_Oh, I could've made that point..._

"The first team to run out of inside players loses. Any player inside the court who's hit by a ball thrown by an opponent is out, and must move outside. However, you may bring one player inside the court again by saying **'Back.'** And if the ball hits an area outside the court, without any players, the opposing team gets the ball. Now, the important stuff..."

Razor's smile grew wickedly, at least in Daniel's eyes. It's the next few words that held water when it came to listening, paying attention to these rules is a must, considering bending the rules is a possibility. Especially if one doesn't understand the rules "The rules regarding hits employ a cushioning effect. For example, if I throw the ball and it hits opposing player A, ricochets, and hits opposing player B before hitting the floor, both A and B are out."

Goreinu held out a finger, making a point which everyone should have known by now "But if player B in that scenario is able to catch the ball, player A is safe."

"Exactly..." Razor held out a second finger, making another point "But if I throw the ball and it hits opposing player A, ricochets, and hits my teammate, player C, before hitting the floor, only player C is out."

Goreinu objected, seeing if there was another rule that applied "Then if player C catches the ball, does that mean player A is out?"

"Indeed..."

Gon's brain was fizzling out, the rules becoming too hard to remember. It was funny to watch, but Daniel decided to dumb it down for Gon, so he wouldn't have to remember all the extra details "You get hit, catch the ball. If your teammate gets hit, and you can catch the ball... catch it. If the ball hits an opposing player and is heading toward you, catch it so he's out."

Razor smiled soften before looking at everyone "Do you have any questions?"

Killua slowly closed his eyes on Gon's information overload. It took him a second before he opened his eyes as he looked towards Razor. He had another question, one that would make Gon's brain possibly melt out of his head "If an outside player hits someone with the ball, is the hit player out?"

"Naturally, they're out. But only one player can return to the court using **Back**."

Razor passed the ball over to the referee, another one of his puppets. But unlike the other puppets, he wore a mask with a set of teeth and the number Zero, where his face should be.

This one spoke unlike Razor's other Devils whom stood in silence; it had a cheery voice "I am Number 0, the ref. We will now begin the game."

Goreinu's gorilla stood behind Razor's team as Number 1 Devil stood behind there's.

The game was about to begin, Razor's Devil 6 standing in the ring in the middle, facing his team as Killua stood to face his. Whoever passed the ball to his team, would get the upper hand.

Daniel clenched both fists, hoping Killua could tap the ball before they could.

"Ready..." Devil 0 held the ball in his hand for a second longer before launching the ball in the air "Go!"

Devil 6 didn't even attempt to hit the ball, jumping to join his teammate's side. Killua's eyes narrowed, only to have Razor quell the boy's suspicions "You can make the first move."

Killua hit the ball towards Goreinu, before running to join beside Gon and Daniel. He stood facing Razor, still suspicious of the man's intentions as Goreinu smiled "You sound quite confident. Here's a little greeting, then!"

The ball hit number four, colliding and smacking the puppet to the ground. Daniel grew suspicious, now questioning the man's motives. First he let them take the ball, now he let one of his puppets get hit without even attempting to catch the ball in some way.

Killua cheered loudly, happy to know they've already obtained the first point to victory "You got him!"

"Yes! That's one down!"

The gorilla picked up the ball, handing it back to his master, Goreinu "Good! Let's keep this up."

Goreinu threw the ball, this time knocking Devil 5 down, the same process being repeated.

Razor bent his knees, a smile forming to give away some kind of hidden intention "Okay, all ready to go..."

"Huh...?" Goreinu was caught off guard at the sudden remark. Soon, however, Goreinu's smile formed as if he had just gotten the joke "What did you say?"

"I'm prepared to defeat you now."

Goreinu tried to rival Razor's smile, thinking what he said was more of an empty threat "Heh, that's funny..." Goreinu loaded the ball with his own aura before throwing it at the man "Show us what you've got!"

Razor stood up calmly, catching the ball in one palm without any effort. The aura empowering the ball did nothing; maybe if Goreinu was lucky enough, he'd have scratch the itch on the man's palm. Everyone's eyes grew wide except for Daniel, Hisoka and Tsezgerra who were suspicious from the start.

He had a secret, and now the jig was up. The fight was going to start now, but Daniel had no idea why Razor waited until two of his team members were knocked out.

Goreinu was the most surprised, his _Nen_ filled throw being nullified with one hand, and without any effort to boot "H- He stopped it with one hand?"

Razor's wicked grin returned with a vengeance, his eyes looking directly at the ball "Right, then... Time to launch the counterattack."

Purple aura flowed into the ball as Daniel took a step back. He was going to need to watch the ball. Judging by the effort used to stop the ball, Razor's throw was going to be a little more than _painful_ when caught.

Razor took one step forward before launching the ball directly at Goreinu. The man stood there, as if he was contemplating on whether or not to catch it. It looked like a rocket, ready to impact, and kill anyone who dared to attempt catching it.

Goreinu sweat like crazy, his voice portraying his feelings out loud for everyone to hear "White Goreinu!" As Goreinu and his White haired gorilla switched places, the ball collided with face of the now switched out player.

Razor must have thrown the ball with enough power to kill anyone, because as soon as that ball collided with the White gorilla's face, the creatures face was taken off just like Bopobo's. Though this time, the kill was cleaner, considering the Gorilla was made entirely out of _Nen_.

If Goreinu was one second later, he would have died.

The ball rebounded, leaving not a single trace of the Gorilla's existence as Razor caught his own throw "Nice rebound."

Daniel blinked, looking around for Goreinu, a single trace. The boy's eyes fell onto the area where the gorilla was originally. Goreinu was kneeling, breathing heavily as if he just participated in a boxing fight, consisting of ten rounds.

He was struggling, and Razor was smiling down at him.

Killua was the first to make a remark out of anyone "Goreinu's outside the court!"

Razor chuckled silently as the man struggled to breathe evenly "I see... You have the ability to change places with your _Nen_ beasts."

Daniel looked between the remains of the gorilla and then Goreinu who was still shaking. That was two men down in a single fight, the sight of Goreinu participating in the fight once again not even considered a possibility.

Killua posed a question to Devil 0, the referee "Goreinu's _Nen_ beast is the one that's out, right?"

"Yes, exchange was preformed with Nen, so it broke no rules. However, Back must be used to bring Goreinu inside the court."

Razor was already preparing for the next throw, choosing his next target wisely "All right, let's move on!" Razor threw the ball with immense speed, Devil 5 catching it to pass it onto Devil 1, then to Devil 4 who passed it back to Razor.

The cycle continued as Daniel looked around, trying to figure out what was about to happen. Anyone could throw the ball at any point, and following the ball on its own was hard. Daniel focused on the trail of aura left behind by the ball, focusing mostly on the larger chunk of the aura rotating between Devils and Razor.

That was what he was mainly worried about, that being able to do the most damage.

Devil 4 eventually broke the chain, throwing at one of the players inside the ring.

The boys were first to catch the act, Killua and Gon's being to one to voice their concern "Tsezgerra! Behind you!"

Tsezgerra didn't even get to look at the ball as it collided with his back. The man's mouth opened in shock as he was sent towards the floor, his eyes were shaking as he racked his back. He was in serious pain, but he fared better than Goreinu who was still shaking in his boots.

Gon and Bisky checked up on man as Killua jumped to catch the ball. However, it was too late. The ball already bounced on the floor once, Killua failing to grab it in time. But something was wrong, Killua's eyes were shaking.

Razor smiled at the process "He focused his aura in his back, and avoided a lethal blow. Hey, patch him up."

A few death row Devil players ran to help Tsezgerra. However, the man slowly standing objected to the notion "I-I'm fine... Don't touch me." The man continued to shake as he hobbled over to his allies on his original team.

Devil 0 spoke as he addressed the situation "If a player is unable to continue playing, they're disqualified. They won't be allowed to play in or outside the court, so keep that in mind."

Killua bounced the ball, Daniel watching the boy intently. How were they going to beat a Razor, when his throws consist with enough power behind his throws to kill, or even maim someone physically, and possibly mentality at the same time?

If they were going to do this properly, the best option is to leave Razor last. It didn't seem as though any of his puppets, besides Devil 0 talked. However, given the chance, would Gon let them go through that route.

He done so much damage, and Gon, may even attempt to take revenge if Razor didn't stop any time soon. They needed a plan, a way to take out Razor's Devils without any effort.

Gon already seemed to have a plan forming in his mind, already turning to seek the least likely person's guidance "Hisoka..."

"Okay, give me the ball."

Killua smiled, liking where this was headed. Daniel touched a fist to his chin, smiling soon as well. Why didn't they think of it sooner? Hisoka's **Bungee Gum** could take everyone out, leaving no chance for them to take the ball back.

Killua passed it to Hisoka, the man's aura surrounding the ball in pretty, menacing pink colour just before he threw it. The ball held a fishing line of aura between the man and the ball. The first throw knocked Devil 3 out, before Hisoka reeled back in the ball, catching it in his hand once again.

However this time, Hisoka egged Razor on with a menacing smile "Now, do try to entertain me. Surely..." Hisoka licked his lips in anticipation to the fight to come ahead "this isn't everything you have."

"Very well..." Razor got back into position as Hisoka continuously wiggled his finger back and forth, the ball hanging by a thread of _Nen_. It swung back and forth, the Bungee Gum stopping it from barely touching the floor.

Killua spoke up, a question on his mind; he wanted to know if he could get away with something "Question for the ref. Can the last player inside the court use Back at the second he's hit?"

Devil 0 referee held up a finger "That's not allowed. For a moment, there would be zero players in the court, so that team would lose. But someone outside the court may use Back at the instant that the last player is hit."

Daniel smiled at the information, his eyes drawn to their last real target. None of Razor's Devils seemed to speak, so leaving Razor until last would be the best option.

Killua agreed, voicing those thoughts out loud "Okay... Hisoka..."

"Yes, I understand." Hisoka already knew what Killua was going to say, the plan already forming in his head "We leave him for last." Hisoka suddenly flicked up his wrist, catching the ball and holding it for half a second before throwing the ball. Picking one of the Devils at random, Hisoka aimed for Devil 6.

Bisky smiled at the throw "Nice and strong!"

Killua agreed "If we're lucky, we can take out 6 and 7 at the same time!"

Daniel's smiled widened "And if Hisoka whips it, he could take out 2 on the way out! Then that would leave only Razor left to take out."

Their plan was short lived, Devil 6 and Devil 7 merging to form a new Devil. It made a much larger and fatter one than the two on its own. Devil 13 was the number, most likely from combining the numbers.

Devil 13 grasped the ball, never letting go as Hisoka tried to pull it back. He struggled, the line getting thinner as he tugged harder "You're strong." Hisoka flicked his finger, snapping the string in its entirety.

There was no way he was going to get back the ball, and snapping the ball to another object might not help, considering the Devil may be able to rip it off, or will stand there holding the ball for the rest of the game.

Killua frowned, yelling at the referee in exasperation, as if it was the referee's fault for letting it slide "Is that allowed?!"

"It is..."

Killua's frown intensified, disliking the idea. That meant Razor could have started with eight, and combined two or three players right off the start. And those players would have been impossible to beat "If you're allowed to combine, are you allowed to split?"

"Yes, but you cannot surpass the maximum number of players on the court."

"Now, that's not fair..." Daniel paused to consider a thought "Couldn't he keep combining... or worse, merging the players on the outside to combine with one on the inside as soon as they are knocked out..."

"Yes..." the referee permits, seeing how nothing wrong is with that scenario "as long as he doesn't go over, there's nothing wrong with that..."

Daniel let out a long sigh, dropping his head in shame after finding out there is no way to win the argument against a _Nen_ puppet "At least that would reduce the amount of people we have to avoid..."

"Now!" Devil 13 handed Razor the ball as the man spoke, not even attempting to object to the thought "It's my turn to attack again."

Everyone took a step back, weary to the man's throw. Surviving it is one thing, catching it, is another... How were they going to do this? They need to figure out a way to stop, and catch the ball.

"Now we have to retake the ball again." Gon was the first to voice his concern, while Killua followed through with Gon's statement "If we're going to stop his ball..."

Each boy seemingly had the same idea, activating their _Ken_. If they were going to survive, _Ken_ would be the best chance of survival. But a thought still crossed Daniel's mind, would he survive. Gon had the best chance, may be even Killua. But he didn't see himself surviving due to Razor's strength.

Daniel thought about it more, coming to a single idea that should work. The next throw in his direction, he would use his ability to stop it. Shadows will reach out, clinging and stopping the ball from reaching him. He'll just hope the shadows have enough strength to stop the ball from reaching him.

Razor's grin widened "So you know how to use _Ken_. That means you won't die. However..." the man held up the ball to his face, aura clinging and surround the ball in a purple hue. It felt as though this ball throw was going to be harder than the first one he threw "that assumes you aren't hit in the wrong spot."

The ball being held was filled with extensive amount of aura, larger and more intense than amount of the first _Nen_ throw. It looked as though Razor was out to kill, and who his first target was, neither of the boys knew.

Razor's eyes widened slightly, showing his dark black eyes filled almost with rage. He was out to kill his next target, and those eyes were trained on Gon "Here I come, Gon!"

Gon freaked out at first, him being the first target coming off as a surprise. But soon that surprise changed to anger, before merging to become a challenge. He'll take that threat at full value, and stop the man's ball. The boy will prove to Razor he's not weak at all "Bring it!"

Razor made the first, the ball full of immense aura heading into his direction. Gon however didn't leave it to chance, holding up his hands to cover his forehead "Ko!"

Killua and Daniel were surprised by the action, Gon focusing his entire aura into a single spot, his hands and forehead. Gon took the ball, his hand grasping the ball and taking it head on.

But not matter how strong Gon was at the moment, Razor's trumps his. Gon was launched out of his boots, sent flying out of the ring with the ball ricocheting into the roof.

It was like an explosion of aura occurred, followed by a chemical reaction between the auras fighting for dominance. The only funny thing about the situation was Gon losing his shoes, but that didn't stop Killua and Daniel yelling out the boy's name to see if he was ok.

They needed to know if their friend was still alive, functioning in some way. They couldn't lose him, not Gon...

Daniel held out his hands, calling for a time out before any of the others could do so. They really needed to know, and Killua was the first to run out and check, whether the timeout was accepted or not.

Daniel soon joined the boy's side, running after Gon while being followed by Bisky. Before he could even attempt to hold out his hand to check Gon's pulse, the boy had brought up his head to yell back "I'm just fine!"

Daniel's jaw dropped. Gon was not fine... he was far from fine. Maybe the throw caused the boy to lose a few brain cells, because he was bleeding for his forehead.

Daniel raised a finger, flicking the boy across his nose. Though, his original thought was to poke the boy in the forehead, but he decided against the idea "IDIOT, you're bleeding from your forehead!"

Killua even agreed with the quick hypothesis "Agreed! Like hell you are..."

Gon soon gave away to his carefree smile, a quick rub on his nose to soothe the damage Daniel left behind "I used _Ko_ to harden my arms and head, but my legs couldn't take the impact."

Daniel let out a sigh, humorously chuckling to the idea "Your boots are all that remains of that glorious battle. But still... you could have died..."

Killua nudged Daniel in the chest, a silent issue to keep quite. Gon ignored the joke left behind by the boy, instead holding up his hands to look at them shaking "However, next time, I'll catch it!"

Daniel smiled at the fire in the boy's eyes, an unyielding determination to take down Razor, even with the blood that dripped from the boy's forehead onto the ground.

Daniel turned, wondering if it was still possible with that amount of strength. There was no way, if Razor continuously threw balls like that all the time. They'll all be taken out, maybe even killed.

The referee looked up, eyes training on the roof where the ball entered. Bits of the roof crumbled to the ground, leaving behind only a single trace "Estimating the ball's likely drop point... Play will resume with Team Gon's inside players controlling the ball. But as the ceiling is considered an extension of the floor, Gon is out."

Gon's mouth twitched into a smile "I'm going to use Back."

No matter the circumstances, and what Gon's thoughts and ideas were, Bisky was against the idea. He needed to at least recharge, and rest a little before taking on the beast, Razor "But you're..."

"I'm doing it!"

Killua closed his eyes, squinting from the thoughts that followed "He won't listen to us..."

"Agreed..." Daniel's frown softens, although still twitching at the thoughts "I think Razor knocked the intelligence right out of Gon..."

Gon was already stepping up to the field, willing to call in Back, but even with that assumption still in play, Bisky refused, and instead offered the boy an ultimatum "Fine... However! Don't use Back until we're down to two inside players! Got it?"

The players were back on the field, Gon being treated by Tsezgerra's team. At least Gon accepted that plan. Now the problem was dealing with Razor, and his two last minions inside the field. They may have had one less person to deal with, but that one Devil was stronger than the last two it replaced.

"Now let's start."

Killua passed the ball to Daniel "Gon, get patched up."

The boy caught it, and then passed it onto Goreinu who was standing and willing to join back in the match. Killua looked the man over before posing another question to the referee as he caught the throw back to him "It isn't against the rules to keep passing the ball like this, is it?"

"That is okay..."

Daniel smiled at the idea, this being a way for the others to heal up while they kill some time.

Gon smiled at the notion, his head bandaged, covering the wound from his previous encounter with Razor's power throw "All right, I'm good now."

Daniel passed the ball back to Goreinu after being passed the ball. But instead of the man passing it back to Killua, he held it for a second longer, standing deep in thought. It was as if Gon's words cast a spell on him.

As he was walking away from the field, Killua questioning the man's motives "Oi, what are you doing?!"

Goreinu stopped at the wall, turning to face the boy with an angry glare, though it didn't seem that the glare was direction at the boy "I'm the type that tends to hold grudges. Time for payback, Razor!"

Goreinu took to a running start; Killua's glare being directed at the man was a valid gesture, and earned.

What was Goreinu going to do from that far away? His first throw was a crappy one, and there was no way he was going to knock out the man.

Aura flailed around Goreinu, an extension being projected at the last second. A black gorilla was summoned from the man's aura, before being teleported onto Razor's side. That had to be against the rules, and was going to get them disqualified.

But the man didn't stop there, and forced the Black Gorilla, an ability named after himself, **Black Goreinu** to switch with Razor and then teleport out the ring.

Razor was surprised; shocked to see he was even closer, but not as shocked when he took the volley ball to the face "You got me good..."

"That's what you get..." Goreinu grinned at the outcome, Razor still slowly falling from the impact "You're out of there!"

The ball kept going, heading for straight out the ring. Given the trajectory, at least they'll use Razor's Back. However, the dream was short lived once they saw what Devil 13 and Devil 2 were doing.

Devil 13 had picked up Devil 2 and used the puppet like a cannon ball to catch the ball. Devil 2 then passed the ball back to Devil 13. Daniel tilted his head to the side, wondering if that counts as Devil 2 being out.

Goreinu was in disbelief, unable to comprehend what the Devils were doing. He was so distracted by the team work... he didn't see Devil 13 launch the ball at his face. The ball rebounded, landing back in Razor's hands.

Goreinu was out, wasting their turn and in doing so, not only did he hand the ball back to Razor on a silver platter, he got taken out.

Razor chuckled at the man's unfortunate situation, looking down on Goreinu lying on the ground "You have an interesting ability. You should use it wisely."

_Yeah, like switch the ball with the gorilla after Devil 13 threw Devil 2..._

Bisky stomped her foot on the ground, demanding an explanation for his actions "Hold on! What was that?!"

"There's no rule against passing the ball to an opponent..." Razor argued back as he looked towards Bisky "And you're allowed to hit people in the face here. So his attack was also legal. Had the ball touched the floor, I'd be out."

Daniel caught it off to the side, the Gorilla vanishing into nothing "Looks like Goreinu is out cold..."

Razor stared at the remaining players, figuring out a plan on how to take out all four before someone can use back. He could take out three in one go, but one of the four would make it impossible to achieve if the ball is caught before a bounce could occur.

His eyes darted over each player, wondering who would be the weakest link. Razor's smile grew wide as he placed his foot down, preparing to throw a hard ball "Well, then... who's next...?"

The ball was headed towards Killua, and Daniel didn't like the idea. He had to stop it and somehow catch it, even at the cost of his position. Daniel shifted his movements; fingers pointed straight ahead, and spaced out. Aura fluxed around his body, focusing on three points...

His shadow...

His right hand...

His left hand...

Daniel reeled in his fingers, purposely flicking the Middle finger, followed by his Index finger a second later out. His ability came to life, hands forming a shield in front of Killua to direct the ball "What-"

The ball rebounded towards Daniel, the boy then shifted his right hand, curling the three fingers into a ball while still leaving the index and middle finger out. A larger hand curled out in front of him, acting like a catcher's mitt as Daniel shifted his left hand to repeat the same steps as his left hand, forcing the ball to continuously rotate on the spot "How's that for a catch..."

Tsezgerra's team cheered, alongside Gon, even though no one had technically caught the ball yet. The referee hadn't counted the situation as a catch, so he must catch it... somehow...

The ball still moved, showing no signs of stopping. He could feel a burn tugging at his hands, the aura clashing with his own to cause a feedback. He needed to stop it mid flight; right now "Ah... we have a bit of a problem. It's not stopping anytime soon. We need to..."

Daniel's hand wavered as he forced his aura to clash once again with Razor's, his _Nen_ being mostly focused into his shadows. One slip, and he might die if his not careful "what next?"

Killua held out a finger to Hisoka "Can you catch it?"

"Sure..." Hisoka chimed in, a menacing smile spreading across his face.

Killua was right. There was only one option where they all might survive; he had to direct the ball to Hisoka, and make him catch it. But something caused Daniel to hate the idea internally. He wanted to catch it, and prove he was stronger than he made himself out to be.

Daniel unfortunately took too long to direct the ball. The _Nen_ filled ball snuck, through his shadows, Daniel jumping back as he recalled his shadows. He needed a second, a second to refocus his _Nen_.

Daniel flicked up his right hand, the shadows being close enough to pull it off as he snuck his left hand to act as a shield. The ball clashed with his shadow hand, but the strength wasn't enough, and speed wasn't quick enough. He felt the shadow curl backwards, leaning against the arm he pulled back.

While it had a cushioning effect, the strength of the shadow was breaking under the pressure. The ball connected with his arm, crushing it in-between his chest and shadow. Daniel let out a banshee scream of agony, and to make matters worse, he couldn't redirect the ball. He was out, and there was no way he could direct it to Hisoka... not from his angle.

The only option was towards Killua, and he couldn't do that...

Daniel through gritted teeth applied aura to his broken arm, stopping it from crushing the arm and his ribs any further "CATCH IT HISOKA!" The boy yelled as the ball and Daniel's aura clashed one final time.

Both were sent in the opposite direction, Daniel feeling the air travelling past his body before he felt the wall connect with his back as the ball went straight towards Razor.

He wasn't sure about the outcome of the ball, but he felt as though he would be in bad shape... for a while. The boy hacked up a cough, wheezing through each intake of air. Several of his ribs were cracked, and his left arm was completely crushed.

He couldn't feel his left arm, much less lift it.

Voices could be heard around him, though they all sounded like a ringing pain. And the images weren't that better. Everything looked like a blur, no faces able to be made out. He took in another lungful, trying to focus on the voices and faces.

"Dan-"

"Daniel-"

Killua's voice was the first voice he could make out, a dry coughing between each word as he tried to answer "I'm... fine... Wh- what about the ball...?"

A ringing could still be heard, like an ear shattering scream echoing in Daniel's mind. The boy looked up, hoping to see Killua's face first. Killua was smiling, but Daniel couldn't tell if the next few words were a lie or not "Hisoka, caught it... What about you?"

Daniel allowed a smile to crack, even with the pain "I'm Mr. Fantastic... at least in my left hand..." he allowed the joke to linger in the air before adding insult to injury "Tell _that_... to all your _cute_ twins..."

Killua blinked several times, wondering who Daniel was referring to. He must have taken a hard hit to the head as well, considering he was supposedly seeing doubles or even triples of the people in front of him.

But how he referred to the twins made Killua's cheeks flush. Daniel referred to each of Killua's twins being cute, and seeing as they were only after images, he was ultimately talking about the boy.

Daniel saw Killua's cheeks. He shifted his left hand, hoping to feel the heat contained in one of the many Killua faces, but a sudden cough made him instead recoil his hand to cough into it. Was this the second time it's happened? Failing to achieve a goal where he wouldn't lose?

He failed to beat Yanick, and in doing so lost the bet. Daniel's thoughts lingered, his vision getting blurrier by the second. _Well, damn... Killua's face will be the last, I possibly see for a while... better make it quick before I fall unconscious_ "Killua..."

"Wh- What...?"

"Don't you dare, lose to Razor... or get hurt..." Daniel closed his eyes, chuckling as he tried to remember Killua's face.

The warmth in the boy's cheeks...

The smile...

Those eyes of pain...

Daniel's final thoughts made the boy smile as he went into a deep sleep. _If I ever wake up... I'm going to confess! Fuck how scared I am! I just survived one of Razor's hits to the chest... that's all the strength I need to confess..._

Killua watched the boy's eyes flutter close, stilling before entering a slow breathing state. The boy looked to be surviving physically, even with the damage sustained. But he couldn't say whether or not the boy had a serious concussion or not...

It was dangerous to leave the boy in this state, especially seeing as he was delusional... maybe even confused. Killua looked towards Gon, anod shared between them "Let's take down Razor!"

"~"

They had obtained #2, **Patch of Shore** it was an achievement considering the three teams were the first to obtain the card. Bisky was talking about how much of a liar Hisoka was, but Killua completely ignored her, and instead focused on Daniel slouching over her.

The boy was still knocked out, no signs of waking up anytime soon.

Seeing Daniel, even while being in an incapacitated state, was impressive. Even though the boy wasn't awake, his body still followed the rules he placed on himself. Aura was surrounding his shadow, while the remaining around his body licked around at the surrounding area. It always wavered, seemingly reaching out for something... or someone.

The boy raised his hands, looking down at his finger tips. He had sustained serious damage while holding the ball for Gon to pummel into Razor...

Somehow, Killua felt he broke Daniel's promise... to not get hurt. He wondered how the boy will react after waking up, and Daniel's eyes drew to the boy's finger tips.

Bisky drew up her hand, ready to knock Killua back to reality, but Tsezgerra's book did it for her.

**Another player has used Contact to reach you.**

A slow, calculative voice spoke through the book. It was as if the person was accessing the situation with each passing word "It's been a while. Do you know who this is?"

Everyone was surprised to hear from him, so quickly after beating Razor and just obtaining #2, **Patch of Shore**. Genthru, the Devil Bomber, and leading PVP killer of Greed Island...

Tsezgerra's eyes shook when he first heard the man speak, Genthru's sudden call being a surprise. After the initial surprise, the man took in a deep breath before speaking to the Player killer "What do you want?"

"First, I'd like to congratulate you."

"What are you talking about?"

Genthru chuckled at the man's question "Don't bother playing dumb. I promise to spare your lives. In return, hand over **Patch of Shore**."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Killua shook his head in shame, the man's deal being the biggest trap of them all.

"Well, I am somewhat interested to see if you can beat us. If you're willing to deal, come to Masadora's entrance in one hour. If you don't, we'll take the card by force. You cannot escape us. We have many copies of **Accompany**."

Killua looked at Daniel, wondering how they'll be able to defend themselves when a few members of their group are badly hurt, and one is incapacitated.

Genthru suddenly spoke, slow and calculative as he mentioned every name "Asta, Amana, Manheim, Nick Cue, Souheil, Kazsule... They were all members of your party of fifteen. Isn't that right? Check your binder... They're no longer with us."

Gon checked his book, searching for all the names Genthru mentioned. None of them were active, including the ones that weren't mentioned in the group of fifteen "This means they're either dead or no longer in the game..."

Gon clenched his teeth together, tightly as anger radiated off the boy's aura "Genthru!"

"Who are you?" Killua could sense the irritation in the man's voice.

Gon continued to yell at the man, anger seething with every word "Gon Freecss! I'll take you on!"

Killua freaked out from how easily Gon started a fight with Genthru. Daniel was out cold and his hands were destroyed. How were they supposed to beat Genthru and his team, while they had to protect Daniel? This was about to get dangerous... and fast.

"Gon, huh...?" Genthru paused as he searched his mind for why that name sounded familiar. "Ah, so you are one of those four kids. It appears you have Lucky Alexandrite. Once I'm done with Tsezgerra, I'll come for you. Or do you want to give up the card now?"

Gon held out an accusing finger at the book, even though it was only the man's voice "You come here this instant! I'll fight you! I also have-"

Killua grit his teeth at the bait, and how easily Gon fell for it. He ran to the boy's side, a hand reaching out and covering the boy's mouth. Even if his fingers stung at the touch, he couldn't let Gon continue like this... not while his emotions were so high "Tsezgerra, can you move somewhere else?"

While Tsezgerra dealt with Genthru, Killua held Gon down, while one hand covered the boy's mouth. Gon squirmed around in Killua's arms, cheeks puffed up as he flailed his arms around wildly. Every touch against his arms hurt, but Bisky already had her arms full with Daniel. It wasn't like she could dump his body on the floor to deal with Gon... he was a bigger priority, considering Genthru could take on Gon's sudden demand at any moment.

"~"

Killua eventually let go of his best-friend once Tsezgerra was nowhere to be seen in sight. He frowned at the boy's reaction, the sudden need to hunt down the older man and Goreinu whom also joined the conversation.

Eventually, Tsezgerra came back. He had dealt with Genthru, so now it was time to come up with a plan, and deal with Gon and his friends, and Goreinu.

The man had a few stern words to drop on Gon "Genthru doesn't know your strength. So he believes that we are carrying the original **Patch of Shore**. They want the original card... they want **_our_** card... We'll try to buy as much time as possible. Use that time to regain your strength. If you want to beat this game, you'll have no choice but to fight them. And you are the only ones with a chance to win."

Gon's eyes had remained stern, focused on the man. He looked ready to rip anyone a part, mainly the man who put him in this position.

"But, Gon... Just now, your actions were both selfish and foolish." Gon wavered at the man's next choice of words; Gon's eyes lost all its hatred and were soon replaced with confusion, which Tsezgerra dismissed with his next few words "If they'd accepted your challenge and come, what would have happened to Killua, given his injuries? And what would have happened to Daniel? Look, the boy has remained unresponsive this whole time..."

Gon's head dropped in shame, unable to deal with the news that he nearly got his friends killed.

"You endangered not only yourself, but your friends too, by losing control of your emotions!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Very well. It will all come down to **Accompany**. If we evade their use of **Accompany** , we should be able to buy plenty of time. But if too much time passes, they may decide to switch and target you. I estimate we have a one-week limit. Past that, we can't make guarantees..."

Killua allowed his hands to go slack, trudging through his minds as he stared at Daniel's sleeping form. _One week... That isn't long._ Killua grit his teeth, the thought coming soon after, made everything seem worse in his eyes. _And that's probably optimistic. They may well switch to us after three days. What if Daniel doesn't wake up by that time... we can't leave him on his own. Who knows what he'll do when he wakes up... what if he decides to jump to us after waking up, and we're in the middle of fighting Genthru...?_

Killua looks over Daniel, the boy sleeping on Bisky's back. Daniel was completely at peace, unaware of everything that had transpired. _What are we going to do with you, Daniel...?_

"~"

The mountainsides were empty, no enemies or monsters in sight. They originally chose to train and plan in the same area where they first met Bisky. It was an area they were already familiar with.

Killua watched Daniel sleep on the floor. It has been three days, and Daniel has showed no signs of waking. Bisky and Gon were training, while Killua was left to come up with a plan, heal and watch over Daniel.

They still had an estimate of at least eighteen days, hopefully, from Tsezgerra's end of the deal. Goreinu was offering to help Tsezgerra's team, while latter team distracts Genthru and stop them from pursuing them.

In return for keeping Team Genthru off their back for twenty-one days, Tsezgerra wanted to trade #75 in return.

Killua brought up his hand to look at the bandages, the cloth wrapping around the skin tightly thanks to Bisky's 'wrapping' skills. If only he payed more attention to what Bisky was rattling off about, instead of the interesting conversation he rather be listening to with Gon and Razor, the cloth wouldn't be so tight.

Killua let out a reluctant sigh, the boredom from watching a lifeless corpse barely moving, or the damage sustained to his fingers, removing all chances of doing something other than 'nothing'.

Then again, he was thinking of a plan with little to no information. What is Bisky's _Nen_ ability? If he knew that much, maybe he could wrap a plan around everyone's _Nen_ ability. Gon will have to deal with Genthru, no matter what... Gon will fight for that chance no matter the plan.

The problem was whether he should do so alone or delay the battle, so help has time to arrive...

Killua hummed to the thoughts, wondering how well Gon's training was going. The boy absentmindedly traced a finger in the air, letting his thoughts linger and make new arguments.

Daniel slowly stirred, a groan eliciting out boy's mouth brought Killua out of his thoughts; it was a cue for the boy to hide his hands. One problem at a time, there is no need to hit Daniel with all this bad news in one go.

Daniel let out a painful breath as he got up, eyes closed from the strain in his chest, from failing to 'catch' Razor's throw. Blinking slowly, Killua spoke quietly, just in case the boy's ears were still ringing and or any loud noise would set the boy off "Hey, Daniel... enjoy your sleep?"

Daniel nodded, another groan following before his statement "I think Mike Tyson punched me... and shattered half my ribs, along with my dignity..."

Killua chuckled at the comment. Even when Daniel was in pain, he still could crack a joke. The boy spoke a little bit louder this time, hoping that judging by the boy's reaction, 'ringing ears' wasn't an issue "Well, you did take Razor's ball to the chest. You're lucky you were alive. Your left arm was completely crushed, and you have a few broken ribs as well as..."

Daniel's attention drew to his broken arm, bandaged up by someone while he was out cold. His arm relaxed in a sling, as he observed the damage. The right side of his jacket and shirt got caught in the crossfire, ripped off to give a more _stylised_ look.

"As long as..." the boy's attention snapped towards his friend Killua "Did we win? Is everyone ok?"

Killua nodded, though he couldn't help but fill a bit of shame from hiding his damaged hands "We won... thanks to teamwork... and Hisoka's ability in the end. Though he admitted it was thanks to teamwork, not because after Razor redirected the ball back at Gon, Hisoka rebound the ball back to Razor..."

Daniel let out a quiet laugh, hoping that it wouldn't trigger pain "Sounded like a tennis match involving _Nen_... dangerous _Nen_ capabilities."

Killua gave a silent nod. He watched the boy move slowly, relaxing and tensing at the small movements. He felt as though he should say something, at least to keep the conversation going "Gon's going to be happy you're up."

"Actually..." Daniel tensed as he tilted his head to look in Killua's direction "Where is he?"

"Training... with Bisky. I thought it would be best to move you... away from the combat just in case your ears were ringing."

"Thanks..." Daniel muttered under his breath, eyes drawn to the floor in front of him. His cheeks lightly tinted at the thought of Killua being thoughtful, which in turn made his thoughts delirious, at least to him. _I'm alone... with Killua..._

Daniel slowly scooted his body towards one of the mountainsides, resting his back against it as he asked another question "How long was I out?"

"Three days... almost four if you woke up at night."

"THREE?! And you... watched me that whole time?"

Killua's cheeks flared at Daniel's conclusion, even though he was right in a sense. He was watching the boy, but not because of the reasons he was thinking "N- No! It's because of... circumstances!"

Daniel gawked in the boy's direction.

Killua let out a sigh from Daniel's reaction, but the constant stare didn't help his cheeks cool down "Let me explain."

Killua brought the boy up to speed; he made sure Daniel knew all the facts and didn't assume anything, thanks to the already quick assumption from watching over him. Daniel silently listened, a few grunts, body adjustments or groans to let Killua know he was in either pain or listening.

When Killua had said everything he needed to say, except for the damage to his hands, the real reason why he was watching instead of some half assed excuse **'Gon is training with Bisky, therefore it's only logical for me to watch over you'**.

Daniel remained silent, piecing everything together before speaking "So we have eighteen more days before we fight Genthru..."

" _Could_ have eighteen... Tsezgerra is trying to extend the time, so we have a plan to deal with the Bombers... and what do you mean by **_we_**? You're hardly in any condition to fight!"

"I... I'm sorry... but even with _this_..." Daniel gestured to his damaged body, with his only useable arm "I can't leave you three to fight alone... I know... I should have sent the ball to Hisoka, him being the only one able to possibly catch it. But at least he did catch it in the end..."

Killua felt a tinge of guilt, another thing he kept hidden. The ball rebounded back to Razor before Hisoka could even attach his **Bungee Gum**. Maybe it was for the best Daniel didn't know about his hands as well.

"Anyways..." Daniel piped up, a smile with pain showing in his expression "All's well, ends well..."

Killua nodded, though he remained silent at the comment.

Daniel looked towards Killua sitting far away from him in silence, doubt crossing his mind several times over before giving way to new thoughts "Killua, come closer and close your eyes..."

Killua's head shot to look in Daniel's direction "Huh?! Why...?"

"Because..." Daniel left out a sigh "It's hard to surprise someone..."

Although Killua was reluctant to do so, the boy eventually got up. His hands remained in his pockets as Daniel looked suspiciously at him. When Killua sat down next to the boy, he ignored the suspicious look and closed his eyes.

Daniel waited for a bit, making sure at he wasn't going to open them immediately. Sufficiently happy with Killua following his orders, the boy held up his hand that wasn't attached to a broken arm and got to work. Aura flowed up into his finger tips, extending onward like he was taught during his Transmutation training.

He briefly touched upon it like Gon did with Conjuration and Manipulation training. If he thought it was hard shuffling from the numbers zero to nine on a single finger, he was about to tempt fate with only five fingers and eight letters... or maybe three fingers if he included the spaces.

The moment Daniel's aura flexed to life, Killua spoke "What are you doing...?"

"My surprise... it's hard with one hand..." Daniel refused to look at Killua as he got to work. Unlike Bisky who could keep the message hidden, Daniel's was out on full display. He was happy to do so, considering Bisky and Gon were training somewhere else, which left Killua to look after Daniel alone.

Considering he just took one of Razor's volley ball shots to the chest, he was lucky to be alive. And he was also happy to hear that they left him alone to sleep off the pain, even when he felt his chest heaving every time he breathed out. Though, knowing that Killua was the one to look over him all that time made his heart swell as he shifted the _Nen_ extending from his finger tips into words.

It hurt like crazy, but only one card could end his suffering, and that card was apparently being hoarded by the Bombers. Daniel made sure to make every letter clear in the words before holding up his hand to show Killua.

It was a confession, the words his wanted to say for so long but was too afraid to... **I love you** was written in _Nen_ , rising off his fingers like a hidden note of sorts. This time was as good as any to do so, and he wasn't too sure when then next time would be like this... alone, just the two of them together.

Daniel turned to face Killua "Killua-" the boy stopped dead short when he saw Killua's face. Killua was fuming, a pout being expressed. It was cute... it made him look way to beautiful to resist Daniel's next thought... **kiss him**.

Daniel sweated from the thought; the words in his mind making his throat seem drier than it was two seconds ago.

Daniel swallowed thickly, his breath getting shaky as he gave in to the thought. The boy leaned forward, pressing his lips against Killua's. Daniel didn't know what came over him, even when the doubts of Killua not wanting this, was etched into his mind. But Killua was wide awake now, if he didn't want it, Daniel will accept being pushed away by the boy.

It's only fair considering he never wanted it...

Daniel had his eyes closed, unsure what Killua's initial reaction was. But Daniel was never pushed away; he was just frozen there in time, shock and confusion rolling around his mind. What the hell was he supposed to do now...?

Pull away slowly to look at the boy...?

Push into the boy to kiss him further?

Does he move his lips during a kiss?

Does he remain static as he uses his tongue?

Is the tongue even used at all during a kiss?

He had no clue how to kiss... just how to start it. Hell, he didn't think ahead to how he should end it. He'd seen his fathers' kiss so many times in the past, but he didn't stay longer than the initial start of one. It was really embarrassing to watch one's own parents get intimate.

The longer each boy remained unmoving, the more Daniel's mind strained against the idea of ending the situation and pretending nothing happen at all. But, even that was hard to do!

The boy pushed his mind to think about other things. Did Killua get his message? Or did the message fizzle out once Daniel's mind became distracted with the kiss?

Even though these were valid questions, questions he wasn't sure he'd get the answer to once he opened his eyes. Though in the end, no matter how long Daniel tried to think about the questions, his mind eventually looped back to the lips his pressing into. What route he should be taking next with the kiss?

Daniel pulled back slightly, the desire to ask a question of what happens next. He feared the response rotating around his mind on how Killua reacts. _What if Killua pushes me away?_

But the moment he pulled away far enough to ask his question, he felt hands wrap around his back and pull him back in. The boy could have sworn he felt cloth other than Killua's clothes wrapping around him, but the when Daniel felt Killua's lips pressing against his own, it derailed his train of thought.

Once again they were kissing, but this time, Daniel was doing something other than remaining frozen.

The boy's lips caressing his own made him fight for dominance, even though he had no clue on how to win. Daniel could only mimic, and learn from this and hope to improve later on if this does continue... Maybe he'll die after Killua kills him, given the fact Killua _might_ be blushing right now... and hard.

Daniel's hand dropped, running around to massage Killua's back. He wanted to feel the boy's skin so badly between his finger tips but he was afraid to do so. Was it even right or wrong to do so, and so quickly... so early?

The boy guided his hand upwards, running his fingers through Killua's hair. Killua's hair was soft and fluffy to the touch, like cotton candy without the stickiness. He really could enjoy this... it felt oh so real, oh so perfect. He wanted this to never stop...

But, something did happen in the end, something neither boy was expecting...

As Killua pulled back to catch a lost breath, he let out a name which made Daniel's heart sink, and everything around him crash and burn.

**"Gon..."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an announcer once said... DENIED! Though I still feel bad for Daniel... I would say pray for the boy, but this is only the start to the boys actually now building a relationship of equal grounds.
> 
> I planned this from the start, and I want it to be as real as possible, seeing as Killua's gaze had always been trained on Gon.


	72. Breaking X Down X Bombs

Killua's cheeks flushed at name he called, unable to look at Daniel as he pulled away. He couldn't believe he called out Gon's name, and in doing so admitting to having secret feelings. And to make matters worse, kissing Daniel made him feel butterflies in his chest. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling... one he'll never admit to.

Killua glanced towards Daniel for a split second, his emotions riding on a rollercoaster that had no idea whether to be happy or sad. But when Killua saw the tears in Daniel's eyes, he drew his own away and felt nothing but sadness. He just ruined the friendship with Daniel...

Daniel removed himself from Killua, pulling back with tears in his eyes.

Killua never wanted Daniel in the first place, so the boy's reaction was him giving into lust. The warmth, from having someone so close, broke Killua in a sense. He wanted Gon to be there... not Daniel.

Given Killua's background... and everything leading up to this point, he should have seen the signs. Gon was Killua's first best friend. Gon was his best friend, long before Daniel could say the words or even admit it without a joke mixed in.

 _I'm so stupid... how could I not see it!_ He hated the self loathing echoing in his mind, the disgust of acting without asking. It hurt so much, but there was a bright side to this, even if the boy hated to admit it... at least he knew how to kiss someone next time if the situation ever arose.

But a part of Daniel did wish, even if the chances were ungodly slim that he still had a chance.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Me too..." Killua sulked

Daniel remained in silence, hoping to get a conversation started. He wanted to remove the thickness in the air, the dread of making a mistake. But all he could think to ask... was one question "How long...?"

Killua remained silent, his head buried between his legs. It was a while before he spoke "I don't know..."

Daniel broke out into laughter; he was unsure why the circumstances were so funny with so much pain involved. Maybe, because it was a reminiscences to his own past, the confusion to why he was feeling those _feelings_ , and ones on whether he should be acting upon them or not. It still hurt, but the laughter made it easier... even when his broken ribs dug into his chest.

"Wh- What's so funny?" Killua drew his eyes to the boy, shocked as he blushed at the thought of Daniel finding those feelings funny.

But when Daniel spoke, pain could be heard in his voice "Well... your answer reminded me of my own confusion..."

"S- So..." Killua's face was full of terror, followed by his cheeks reddening to the point Daniel wasn't sure if he was going to live or die this time.

This was the most embarrassed, Daniel has ever seen Killua get. He didn't know if he should start running or saying his prayers... maybe he should do both...

"You've liked me all this time...?" Killua eventually asked as he looked away, unable to look at the boy in his eyes.

"Probably ever since the Hunter's exam... I really don't know how long I've held onto these feelings." Daniel's words seemed distant, even to him. He wanted to badly to disappear, or at least rewind time back to the moment he leaned into the kiss. Everything was awkward now, and he was unsure how to repair the friendship, or if that was even an option.

Daniel held his hand out, pushing his back into the rock so he could get up. The pain rocking throughout his body forced the boy to sit back down, a hand pressed into his chest "Ow..."

Killua's head snapped back in Daniel's direction "What happened?!"

"I hurt myself while trying to get up. I just... I just wanted to go for a walk and have some alone time..." _Possibly, even run as far away from my problems too..._

Killua's pat the ground, a warm expression showing, even when the pain was evident "Stay..."

Daniel saw Killua's hands wrapped in bandages. It made the situation worse, the anguish from failing to protect Killua rocketing through his mind. He hid his eyes away from the boy, trying so hard to hide the tears that were threatening to spill. The boy slumped back down into his spot, silent at the boy's request.

Both boys remained silent until Killua finally worked up the courage to speak "I don't... want this to ruin-"

"I already ruined it... I should have just gone with the original plan."

Killua hummed in agreement "We both did... I like you... just not in that way. But, that doesn't mean we still can't be friends, right?"

Daniel openly starred at Killua. There was a blush evident on the boy's face, and Daniel couldn't help but pick at it "I don't think so... rosy cheeks."

"ROSY?! Who's the id-idiot that tried to kiss me in the first place?"

"Me..." Daniel sighed, sorrow returning back to his eyes. It was a vicious, endless cycle for the boy. His head looked up to the sky, hoping it will start to rain so he could cry freely.

Killua took in a deep breath, unable to believe what he was about to say "Umm, idiot! I know Gon will get upset with me... if I don't say this."

"I think he'll get upset more with me, for kissing you..."

Killua's cheeks flared, the heat warming his hands as he tried to cover them "In- In any case... can't we just be friends..." _For now... Maybe if..._ Killua bit his lips, the words lost in his thoughts.

Daniel's expression changed, though only slightly "You're asking for a lot..."

Killua nodded at Daniel's words, unable to voice his thoughts. _What if I gave you a chance...? Would those feelings change?_

"Ok... but on one condition..."

"W- What...?"

"Don't tell Gon I kissed you... for both of our sakes!"

Killua faced away from Daniel. _I can't believe..._ "Alright..."

"Good, now... I can lie and say I confessed to you. And then you rejected me..."

Killua remained silent, agreeing with the boy's words internally.

Daniel eventually spoke, holding out a hand to Killua "Now can you help me up...?"

Killua attempted to hide his hands at Daniel's request, but the boy already knew. He was well aware of the damage "I already saw when you pat the floor..."

"Oh..."

"I'm making mistakes left, right and centre. You got that from Dodge ball... right?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't blame you at all, for hiding that... it's... painful to look at."

Killua held his hand to his face "Sorry..." Killua smiled warmly, reaching out his hand for Daniel "Let's go see Gon..."

Daniel smiled at Killua's own, grasping at above the wrist out of fear from hurting Killua's hand. Once both boys were standing, the boy couldn't hold it in. Daniel pulled Killua in for a surprised hug, burying his face in the boy's neck.

Killua froze until he felt Daniel's tear hit his shoulder.

"I... I'm sorry... just give me a minute." _I can't stop failing..._

Killua's arms wrapped Daniel, a hand experimentally reaching for the boy's head. He held Daniel close, unable to push the boy away. It's the least he can do for Daniel. A thought did run through Killua's mind, the thought of Daniel caring for him tugging at his heart strings. Daniel's feelings being admitted to the boy broke one of his walls... walls that were built up ever since training.

Clutching Daniel's head closer, Killua heard Illumi's voice in his head. **_The boy is only getting closer to you, because he wants to backstab you later... don't trust him..._** gripping the boy even tighter again, Killua yelled back at the thought, words distant even in his own head. _He won't... Daniel's not like that..._

**_He will..._ **

_My family knows nothing about me... My family... knows nothing..._

"~"

Gon ran up to Daniel, pulling the boy into a vice-like grip hug. Seeing the boy alive and well, made the boy smile, and Daniel couldn't help but smile back in return. Though, the vice-like grip would've been less appreciated.

Bisky was also happy to see the boy up and walking about, but not to the same extent as Gon.

Life had returned to normal, as normal as it could after the 'discussion' the boys had. It was difficult for Daniel to adjust.

The constant stares he'll steal in Killua's direction on occasions... was one of the few things he would do. But, knowing now who they are up against, he had to focus on the situation to come ahead.

Daniel constantly butted heads with Killua, the boys disagreeing with whether or not the boy could be an asset with the fight involving team Genthru.

Daniel shifted his butt against the rock; Bisky's training with Gon was well into the heat of battle, a flow and exchange of blows. Gon's objective was to avoid Bisky's grapple, and if caught use _Gyo_ and assess the situation.

Daniel watched intently, his hand wiggling in the air as he manipulated his shadow. It was a great pass time, and a way to distract his thoughts "Gon's getting better..."

"Yeah..." Killua hummed, eyes trained on the boy as well.

Daniel flicked his wrist, ending the ability before looking towards Killua "So, how goes your _plan_? Figured a way to not involve me yet..."

"I'm not having this discussion, again..."

Daniel hummed, disliking the tone Killua used. He didn't like the way Killua treated the boy, him being useless in any plan the boy could think off. A part of him smiled when he focused on the hidden reason, the boy wanting Daniel out of danger...

But at the same time, he didn't like how Killua had to fight and he couldn't help...

Bisky stopped, hand held up to end the sparring match "Okay, take a ten-minute break. Next, we'll start Emitter training."

Daniel looked at Gon slump down on the floor, restless as he wiped the sweat away. Even Gon was practicing hard, training to beat Genthru. Daniel reached a hand out to poke Killua "What are your ideas so far?"

"I don't know... I have to figure out everyone's ability..." Killua groaned, eyes focusing on Bisky watching Gon "If only I knew Bisky's ability..."

"Why didn't you ask her before?"

"Because I was watching you..."

Daniel crossed one arm against his chest, fuming at the boy's immediate response. He knows Killua isn't going to take his ability into consideration "Well, have fun..."

Killua groaned at Daniel's immediate response "Thanks..."

"I could help... but, someone doesn't need it..."

Killua impatiently tapped his fingers against his chin, ignoring the boy's words. Ever since the boy's confession, he's changed. He's been a little... more helpful and outspoken. While there were these rare times Daniel would seem distant, and even sad... the need to help outweighed those moments.

Daniel remained in silence, watching Gon repeat the steps Bisky had already explained "Emitter training, level two. Elevation! Keep those legs together... remain still, and then push your aura out."

Gon frowned, repeatedly pushing out his aura. He looked like he was bunny-hopping as he was performing a handstand. Daniel smiled as he watched the boy, Killua raising a concern with Bisky "Have you been making Gon do that this whole time?"

"Yup..." Bisky responded, eyes still trained on Gon.

"That training is a lot harder, and it's only a level higher."

"Naturally..." Bisky turned to face the boy, her attention drawn to the boy sitting on the ground with saddened eyes "Because this is really level-five training."

"Five?"

"Yes, and more importantly... is Daniel still moping?"

Daniel nodded, words unsaid as he focused on Gon. He didn't want to say the real reason why, and the **'because Killua won't let me help'** , is the best fake assumption to go with. Being rejected twice in a row had its toll on the boy.

"That's not important! Are you sure you should skip levels like that?"

Bisky's eyes looked up, narrowing on Killua before she drew her attention back to Gon. Something was fishy about the way Daniel was acting, and she couldn't place her finger on it "Well, it's a gamble. If it doesn't work, we'll have wasted the three weeks we were given."

"Or less..." Daniel hummed aloud, Bisky ignoring the boy's comment "If we follow the proper sequence, he could reach level three easily. But that wouldn't do him any good in actual combat. He needs an Emitter attack that can push an opponent back several meters with a direct hit. It must be that strong for him to use it as a weapon."

"Or... certain someone, with the ability that can manipulate shadows could help... but, what do I know!"

Killua groaned out loud, hands digging into his hair. It was frustrating to hear over and over again, a broken record about desiring to help "Daniel, I just... you're in no condition to fight."

"Who said anything about fighting...?"

Killua reached down, poking Daniel hard in the back "That's why..."

Daniel squirmed on the spot, pain reverberating through his bones "I'm a _support_ character... not a _main_ fighter, at least at the moment."

Killua jabbed Daniel hard again "And what's stopping them from using that against us? They'll use that weakness against us..."

Daniel fumed at Killua's words, but still accepted them. The boy was right, and he couldn't go against that logic.

Killua smiled, leaning back up to look at Bisky "Finally... That's why you jumped to level five... But even if he clears the training, the ability to send enemies flying isn't a decisively lethal weapon."

"Exactly right... It's only meant to give him more options."

Daniel groaned, Killua already knowing what Daniel was about to argue. However, Daniel remained silent as Bisky turned to face Killua once again "So have you made any progress on a plan?"

"NOPE..." Daniel smiled deliriously at the sounds Killua was sure to make.

Killua groaned at Daniel's immediate response, the statement not wrong, but the tone he did use however was unneeded. Killua ran a hand through his hair before moving it down across his face as he asked Bisky a question "First, can you tell me what your power is? My job will be easier with that information."

Bisky smiled a finger extending as aura poured out. A large, thick, sludgy amount of aura came out, slowly reforming into a young lady dressed in a tight nurse outfit "I'll introduce you to my power. Magical Esthetician Cookie-Chan..."

Killua and Daniel paled at Bisky's ability before she could explain what Cookie-Chan does. The young physique, mixed in with the outfit, said this ability had nothing to do with combat situations.

"She specializes in providing massages of pure pleasure. She'll burn off excess fat and guide both your body and your soul to paradise. When her aura, transformed into special lotion, is applied to the skin, it makes your skin look younger. She can also use acupressure massage to cleanse your body internally. Constipation, stiff shoulders, chills... an anomaly you have will vanish!"

Daniel remained silent, lost for words as Killua blinked slowly. He was the one to voice his concerns, hoping Cookie-Chan comes with an added arsenal of weapons... and not just lotions "That's it?"

Bisky beamed in delight at the question, continuing to rattle off other abilities Cookie-Chan comes with "Of course not! She can also do chiropractic massages, meditative massages, rolling massages... And there's still much more!"

Killua muttered the word first, Daniel following right after as the boys to join sentences.

"That..."

"Is..."

"The..."

"Most..."

"Useless ability I've ever seen..." The boys finished in unison, voices melding almost into one.

Bisky blinked once, then twice, a twitch slowly appearing on her forehead as her mood darkens "What are you talking about?! That's the most useful power in the world!"

Killua grounds his teeth together, returning the fire she was directing at them "This is why you're just a stupid old hag!"

"I dare you to say that again!"

Daniel steps in, making his own argument "What's so useful about great skin when you're getting a face full of knuckle sandwiches...? That porcelain skin isn't going to protect you... except make you look pretty!"

"Huh?!" Bisky held an accusing finger to the boy "You have a smart mouth on you. I don't need a special ability to take down people!"

Killua threw his hand out at Bisky's words "Special?! You're a useless old hag-"

Bisky smacks Killua across the face, the boy ground his teeth as Daniel stepped in "He's right! Here, we have abilities that are designed to help us when in a pinch, and all you have **'to look pretty'** ability... that's not going to help us, or more importantly you against Genthru's team!"

Bisky smacks Daniel across the face this time "No, but I already have that covered! This is the best ability, because after no matter how many battles I go through, I'll always look great!"

The three of them had a back an fourth argument against each other, arguments lost and won becoming nothing more than lost words in the wind. Gon continued to rigorously train, the banter nothing more than white noise to the boy's ears.

"~"

Daniel sighed loudly, the boredom kicking in. The boy pressed a finger to Killua, drawing in the boy's attention once again "Killua..."

"Huh...?" Killua paused his track of thoughts, training his eyes on the boy who just poked and called out his name "What now?"

"I'm bored..."

"And...?" Killua humoured the boy, but stuck his face between he's book, ears only listening to the words.

"Well, I want to talk about something..."

"Go ahead..."

"You know when I woke-"

"Stop!"

Daniel fumed at the sudden request, but otherwise still asked his question. As much as it pained him to think about the rejection, something plagued his mind about the situation "I'm gonna ask it anyways..."

Killua let out a groan at the statement, but stopped himself from rejecting. At least the boy wasn't pushing to further the topic of 'helping out'.

"I curious to know about how you figured out your attraction..."

Killua's cheeks flared at the question, but otherwise still tried to wrap his mind around it. He had no clear answer, just that being around Gon made him happy, not that Daniel didn't do the same... unless when he was annoying him. But then again, Gon did the same thing as Daniel sometimes...

What makes the two different, under in the same circumstances?

"I..." Killua paused his sentence, trying to think more on the topic. He wondered how to answer the question, when the reasons weren't so clear cut.

Daniel frowned at the boy's silence; the sentence started, but unable to be finished "Is it his strength...?"

"No..."

"Determination...?"

"Maybe..."

"The smile...?"

"Maybe..." Killua considered the two possibilities, but something was missing, a connection and reason they mean something to him. Was the reason he liked Gon because it was Gon, or was there something hidden that he was struggling to point out.

"Well... I know I'm the worst for advice, considering I'm still trying to figure out feelings as well."

Killua nodded, face hidden in the book. His mind flashed back to the kiss, the warmth spreading through his cheeks; the hand holding him close...

Was there a time where he felt those when growing up, a time when he wanted to hold a family member close...?

The only one Killua could think about was his father, but the man didn't give off that presence. He felt more like he wanted to be that man, strong, a towering figure who was impossible to beat...

Did he see those features in Gon, and if so, why didn't he feel the same thing towards Daniel... the two of them had their moments, where there strength shined. Daniel showed abilities that were unconventional, but under the right circumstances, were an asset.

And then there was Bisky... She was strong, demanding...

She taught Killua advanced techniques, helped him grow in this dangerous game with freedom... but she demanded things... things he didn't want to say or do. He saw her as a great mentor, but not something that could substitute for his mother figure, at least not as he could see now...

Killua drew his attention to his two friends, comparing Gon and Daniel once again. What made those two different...? They both gave him freedom to be himself, they demanded very little in return. Both were prone to blame themselves first before others, and both had stepped in Killua's path to protect him. They both were curious about Killua, and Killua hadn't to stop to think why he likes one over the other.

Who was the real selfish member of the group, Killua... or his friends?

"Same..." Killua drifted his eyes to the sky, confusion settling into his stomach.

Daniel reached out, hand pressing against Killua's. The boy instantly pulled his hand back, looking down at Daniel who pressed his hand against his own.

He was met with a warm smile before the boy drew his eyes back to Gon, dropping into a sad expression his used to seeing. Why him...? Why couldn't it have been someone else?! He didn't want to be in this position...

Sometimes he wanted to feel that warmth again with Daniel, while others wish he could do the same with Gon... to hug the boy close.

Killua sat glumly, looking at Gon repeat the same steps in training. It was the same failed attempt, one after another. _This is going nowhere..._

"~"

It was the eleven day since the start of training, and had passed ten since Gon started Emitter training Level five. Gon had fallen over, grumbling something into his hand.

Killua took the opportune time to interrogate Bisky "He hasn't made any progress for ten days. Maybe you should have let him start from level two. We still have ten more days..."

"Only if Tsezgerra can deliver..." Killua murmured, looking over to Bisky who was walking away.

Daniel attempted to get up and follow them, but Killua held out a hand "We'll be back, don't worry. In hindsight, it wasn't a very good deal. If we give Team Tsezgerra..."

Daniel could no longer hear what the two were talking about, a plan being built behind the boy's back. But judging by Killua's flow of pattern, he was talking about the deal involving #75.

Daniel looked over to Gon, seeing the boy breathing in and out slowly as he caught his breath. He looked back over to check if Killua and Bisky were still in sight before closing the distance with Gon. Daniel pushed himself up, walking over to Gon "Still struggling?"

"Yeah... Bisky said to **see myself firing a water pistol. Build up aura within my body then shoot it from your palm...** It's too hard!" Gon groaned, rubbing his hands furiously between he's hair.

He got up, back to training as Daniel spoke "Can't help you there... Even though I touch on the Emitter class as well with my shadow Manipulation, I never fire it off... it's always so close... yet so far away..."

Gon hummed, firing off the aura between he's palm. Like the so many times before him, Gon barely levitated off the ground.

Daniel remained silent, watching the boy intently before speaking "I told Killua..."

Gon suddenly stopped, landing butt first on the ground as he scooted close. To Daniel, it looked like a dog who was about to earn their treat "REALLY?! What did he say?"

Daniel reeled back in surprise, the huge smile Gon was sporting the polar opposite of what Daniel was feeling.

Daniel's smile dropped, sadness showing "He rejected my feelings..." The boy couldn't say the reason why, the secret being shared with Killua unable to be revealed. But he shouldn't be thinking that's the only secret he has, there's the one his sharing about Sakura with Gon.

"Oh..." Gon's smile dropped, shame filling him from him being so hopeful "Is that why..."

"So you noticed..."

"Bisky-San has noticed too..."

Daniel chuckled for a moment, the laughter cheering the mood. But was soon he was frowning once again "Nothing gets past Sensei and Gon... What about you...?"

Gon tilted his head to the side, confusion settling in "About what?"

"Were you able to message a certain someone?"

"No..." Gon shook his head, a sadden expression showing for a moment. But soon he was smiling once again "But, I have a feeling I'll be able to talk to Sakura-Chan soon. I was wondering if he would come along with us on our next adventure after Greed Island... but I have no way to get in contact with him."

Daniel nodded, getting up as he dusted himself off "I've already taken enough of your time. Don't worry about me for the moment. I'll bounce back... you have enough on your plate already."

"If you every need to talk..." Gon pressed his body back into position, palm against the floor "I'm here as a friend."

"Thanks..." Daniel walked back over to his spot, sitting down against the rock. Bisky and Killua should be getting back soon. It would be wise for him to remain silent on the matter. Daniel quirked his head to the side, wondering what Killua and Bisky were talking about...

"~"

Killua smiled at the large rock Bisky created, a perfect size, for the perfect plan to take down at least Genthru. He'll have to work around a plan to take on his own opponent while Bisky figures out a way to beat hers.

Bisky looked at Killua's smile, a frown forming as she posed a question "What's going on with Daniel?"

"Huh?! Where did that come from...?"

"Tell me... His more moody than when I first met his father!"

"Speaking of which-"

"Oh no, not you're not diverting the topic! You're gonna tell me now what's wrong with that boy..."

Killua's eye twitched, forced to tell something he doesn't want to divulge to the old hag "What's it to you, old hag?"

"You... he's one of my students!"

Killua's eye continuously twitched, anger radiating off him. He didn't want her to get involved, especially his private life "I'm not telling you..."

"Oh..." Bisky's hand lightly touched Killua's shoulder, a tender grip before squeezing down "You're going to tell me..."

Killua flinched at the sudden squeeze, pulling his shoulder out before she could break it "It doesn't concern you!"

"He is a liability! You don't know what he could do if the hat drops."

"Oh, and you do?"

Bisky clenched her teeth together. She slowly leaned in close a finger held under the boy's nose "Do you...?"

Killua stepped back, trying to figure out what Daniel would do. Knowing the boy, and what he was most likely feeling at the moment, Daniel will probably step in to involve himself in Killua's fight.

The second option would be to run away and disappear from the game. Somehow Killua didn't see that as an option, and the possibility of Daniel getting himself killed while trying to help out was that possibility "I don't know..."

"Killua, what did I say about liars?"

Killua gave a nonchalant shrug, unable to recall the words so easily. Honestly, he couldn't be bothered listening to her.

" **There are liars who lie when there's a reason to, and there are liars who also lie without reason.** You are lying right now for a reason... what is that reason, Killua?"

Killua turned to look away, unable to tell the truth. That afternoon, when they shared a moment... it was embarrassing to recall. They both made a mistake, and now Daniel is beating himself up over it. Opening his mouth to speak, Killua told a fraction of the truth, that way she won't press any further "He still wants to help..."

It wasn't a total lie, but the truth wasn't something that anyone should be able to stick their nose into. If Daniel didn't tell her, he certainly wouldn't. They both agreed, to never breathe about what had happened, and Daniel was the one to make that deal first. But the deal was towards Gon, not Bisky...

So Bisky not knowing must be because Daniel doesn't want Gon to eventually find out, or because he doesn't trust Bisky to keep that secret.

Bisky held a finger to her chin, mulling the idea in her head. Something seemed off about the excuse... like it was half made up. She could see Daniel getting upset about it, but the fact is Daniel is in no position to fight... or help for that matter "I don't believe you, but... that would give an idea for why the boy is upset."

Bisky ran a few ideas in her head before muttering one out loud "If you don't trust Daniel to stay put, make him join... but as a last resort."

Killua blinked slowly, wondering how many screw just came loose "W... What?" Make Daniel help out, but as a last resort? The idea did sound useful, but at the same time... really risky "I'll think about it..."

Killua closed his eyes, secretly wishing he didn't have to think about this matter any longer than he should. No should mean 'no'... and he'll stick to that ideal, no matter if Daniel likes the deal or not.

"~"

Fifteen days had passed, and Killua wasn't going to let this continue on any longer. He had formulated a plan, and that plan meant Gon had to give up on his training, to start practicing for what needed to be done "Gon... Time's up. Your training's over."

Gon broke his stance, unable to believe Killua would suddenly say something like this. He hadn't wasted his time during training to come out with nothing... he still had a few more days to train "We still have five days!"

Killua pressed his hands against his side, head tilting to the side. He knew this would happen, but he wouldn't expect to hear Daniel argue against him "Gon's right. He still has five days, so nothing has changed in the plan."

Killua tilted his head, looking over to Daniel who was sitting down. The boy's shadows swirled around him, rippling from every finger twitch. Daniel had failed to look up when talking; he was completely invested in his own shadow's movements.

"I came up with a plan for defeating them."

"Gon, change of plans..." Daniel hummed, his argument lost in the wind as he twitched his fingers. He moves his shadow as if it had puppet strings, manipulating fractions of the shadows. What was Daniel doing by repeating these steps...? What was the end goal of that specific form of training?

Killua didn't remain interested for long, his eyes drawn back to Gon who was fuming.

"But... I... ah, think I've got it... almost, definitely have it!"

No matter what Gon said now, he had formulated a way to defeat Genthru and their team "No, it isn't happening..." Killua sighed at the roundabout way Gon was trying to direct the argument. The fact is Gon was nowhere near learning it, and with what possible time remaining, they couldn't waste anymore time now "And I can't use an unreliable technique in my plan... Give up."

Gon dropped his head in shame, disappointment in his eyes. He couldn't believe Killua had no faith in his technique, and was willing to go as far as calling his technique 'unreliable'.

"So the plan is...?" Daniel first asked, he's eyes were still glued to his shadows.

"This!" Bisky pulled out a card, forcing Daniel to look up. The card was a simple rock.

**Large Rock**

**25008 H - ∞**

**A simple rock. Quite hard and can be any size.**

Killua smiled widely, the confusing settling into Gon's eyes. Even Daniel had no clue how a simple rock was going to defeat Genthru "You'll have to learn this the hard way. Until you get it down to perfection..."

"~"

Daniel had taken over Killua's job, checking to see whether or not Tsezgerra was online or not. Sometime during Gon's training, Tsezgerra had logged out of the game. Daniel had no clue what Killua was making Gon do, but it involved something to do with using a stop watch.

Daniel checked his internal watch. It had been the tenth day since Tsezgerra hadn't log in. He decided to vocalize the issue, making sure the others knew as well "They haven't logged in."

Killua glanced in Daniel's direction "Again? Today is the tenth day..."

Bisky hummed in agreement "If they don't return, their data will be erased."

Killua hummed in agreement, a smile showing up as he stretched his limbs "Well, I guess we have to wait for Goreinu to contact us."

"Yes!" Gon cheered loudly, after a button was pressed. The boy held out the stop watch to Killua and the others "I got it! Look, I've got this down pat. Can I concentrate on Emitter training down?"

"No!" Bisky declared boldly, Killua joining in soon after in agreement "You might have it down, but you're still off by a tenth of a second."

"Your goal is to be within a hundredth of a second. Now start!"

Gon pouted, pressing the button again to start his training.

Gon hadn't met the standard of what Killua and Bisky was asking for, and whatever reason that was, Daniel wasn't sure. He'd been kept out of the loop by Killua and Bisky, both stopping him from asking Gon as well. The task he was assigned was also the main reason why he had been unable to ask Gon as well, besides the distraction.

A sound drew their attention, Killua's book beeping as it came out in a puff of smoke. **Another player has used Contact to reach you.**

"It's Goreinu. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Killua waited for Goreinu to finish before talking. He asked the question that was plaguing everyone's mind "What's going on?"

"Do you realize it'll soon have been 240 hours since Tsezgerra's team exited the game?"

"Yeah..."

"I can tell you now they won't be returning."

Killua was startled by Goreinu's statement "Why not?"

"Genthru's team is camping the starting point. We decided beforehand that they wouldn't return to the game until I sent an all clear signal."

Daniel nodded, the agreement sounding feasible. There was no point jumping back into the game if they were going to be jumped. But there was something dangerous about the situation, the fact their cards will be lost if they remain out of the game for any longer.

Bisky seemed to grasp the situation, asking about the cards "I understand. But their card data will disappear."

"I'm holding on to all the valuable cards."

Killua blinked, surprised by what the man was saying. Wouldn't Goreinu holding onto the real cards be a dead give away to who was working with Tsezgerra "Doesn't that betray that they have other allies? They'll notice if none of the four have any important cards!"

The boys could hear the smile in Goreinu's next few words "They're holding fakes..."

Everyone gasped in surprise, the plan being elaborate and well thought out in such a small time frame "Fake?!"

"Yeah, we switched about thirty of their ninety-six cards with fakes. I'm the one actually holding the ninety-six cards. For such a cautious man, this is the biggest gamble of Tsezgerra's life. So I want to make sure it pays off. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to help you face Genthru's crew."

Killua smiled widely, the plan being a great way to screw Genthru over. If they beat Genthru, Tsezgerra can still win "Understood. When do you want us to give you the card?"

"I'll wait until you've defeated Genthru. Good luck."

Each boy nodded no argument with that part of the deal. Daniel shifted his hand, holding it out to Gon "If we are going to do this the right way, hand over #75 and #2. Seeing as I won't be with you, they'll believe Gon has the cards. So worse comes to worse, we'll still have the cards... they'll just be-"

"They're on the move." Daniel and the boy's heads snapped back to the book, Goreinu suddenly yelling drew their attention; for what purpose was Genthru and their team on the move "Where are you right now?"

"Near Soufrabi..."

"They're heading toward Masadora. Once they're prepared, they'll come for you. Are you ready?"

Killua's expression widened, his smile spreading into a smirk "Absolutely. We have you guys to thank."

"Gon!" Bisky chimed in, looking at the boy sternly as she asked her question "Did you let our conversation distract you and lose track?"

Gon held up his hand, looking at the stop watch before smiling. He held it up to the others, showing the time. It was exactly 100 seconds in, whether it was off by a nano second or not, none of them cared.

Gon had completed his goal, and for what purpose, Daniel was yet to divulge. But if he couldn't help them, he'll lie and cheat his way through to at least helping them from the shadows. Daniel held out his hand again to Gon "#2 and #75. If you won't let me help you through normal means, at least let me help you this way."

Killua looked at Gon with perplexed feelings, another route which they could take which also minimises the damage. Even though, Gon had the Paladin's necklace, that doesn't mean Gon could lose the card through other means.

Gon soon smiled "I say we let him, Killua. You don't want him to help with the fight, so this could be his way of helping..."

Killua frowned at Gon's quick assumption. It wasn't that Killua didn't want Daniel to help; it was because he was too injured to do so. Daniel's whole left side of his body took a serious hit, and was in no position to take another "It's not..." Killua feint his true emotions, turning his nose upright away from the others "Fine... it's better than nothing."

He did want Daniel to help; sticking to what he does best and use his ability to help Gon from the sidelines. Genthru wouldn't know what hit him if he couldn't suddenly move right before Gon punched him. But that all went up in smokes the moment Daniel took that ball Razor threw...

And to make matters worse, the moment Daniel confessed to him also made him realize that plan wasn't a possibility. Daniel wouldn't want to help Gon; Daniel would want to help him...

Gon handed Daniel the cards, the boy putting them in his book before dispersing it. The last thing they would want is for Genthru to see Daniel's book out. Now all they had to do was wait for the enemy, and hope this plan pulls through.

Daniel drew his attention to Killua, posing one more question "Should I leave now or-"

An explosion occurred nearby, the Devils landing as the groups attention was drawn to them. They took one step back, preparing to run.

Genthru stood up alongside his two friends, smiling sinisterly at them "Long time no see..."


	73. Gon X Helping X Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So I was reviewing some of my older chapters, fixing grammar errors and spelling mistakes... In chapter 21, I called Nathaniel... National... That by far is one of the most dumbest mistakes I've made #0_0#
> 
> So far I've fixed up to chapter 32

Killua stared at the men through gritted teeth, playing the game he was so used to playing "What do you want?"

Daniel's eyes looked at Killua before facing the enemies in front of him. There were two new players accompanying Genthru.

The one on Genthru's left had his eyes closed and an orange, spiky afro. He wore brown shoes, really light blue pants with a purple shirt with the same symbol as is tattooed on his forehead. The symbol and tattoo looks like a heart with spears protruding out of the top humps.

The second one to Genthru's right had black eyes and long black hair which was parted to the side. He wore similar to the other guy, dark grey shoes, light grey pants and a black shirt with a symbol on it, which was identical to the one on his forehead. The symbol and tattoo however looked like a trident, when compared to his ally's.

Genthru's smile widened into a wicked expression "Don't be so hostile. We're here to propose a deal."

"A deal...?" Killua paused at the question, wondering how a deal with them would benefit anyone "We aren't interested!"

"It's not a bad deal. We have a good idea that Tsezgerra approved."

"Tsezgerra...?" Daniel acted confused, even caught off guard from having that name being used. He would imagine the Devils being devious, just not devious enough to use a fake lie "I'm actually curious now..."

"Interested now?"

When Genthru took a step forward, Gon stopped the man from proceeding further "Stop! Talk from where you are!"

Genthru stopped, his devious smile still showing. To the man this was nothing more than a game to him, a waste of time before completing the game "It's quite simple. We'll beat the game on everyone's behalf, then everyone returns to the real world. And we'll split Battera's reward."

Killua countered back, not believing any of the man's lies "I find that hard to believe."

"We've had a change of heart. And Tsezgerra has already left the game."

"But that doesn't prove he agreed to your offer."

Daniel added on something on top "How we don't know this isn't some elaborate lie? Did he hand you something to prove this?"

Genthru nodded at both boys' responses, his smile softening as he reached to push his glasses back "You have a valid point. Then, what now? Do you want to die?" The man let out his menacing aura flow freely, giving away all the lies he just told "Stop whining, and hand over your cards! Otherwise, we'll slaughter you!"

The boys and Bisky jumped back, creating distance as they summoned their books. As Daniel pulled out his **Accompany card** , Killua was the first to comment "You've revealed your true colours."

"Accompany on!" Daniel paused to consider his options, choosing the least likely of places even for him "To Aiai!"

As soon as they landed, the boys ran towards Aiai, hoping to create distance and hide in the town. However within a minute, Genthru's team appeared.

Gon reached into his book, pulling out one of the Accompany cards to head to another town. The steps were repeated another two times, Genthru following through with jumping to their location. They now had only one option left, the boys and Bisky pulling out their last remaining card "Return on! To Masadora!"

"~"

They landed, hiding in the bushes with _Zetsu_.

Genthru landed like last time, their group members looking around. It was deathly quiet, even when Daniel's heart was hammering in his chest. He was the one that would fail them, his _Zetsu_ being the worst at of him and his friends.

Daniel couldn't contain all of he's aura within, melding it within the shadows like his friends and Bisky could. A part of him always leaked out, seeking the comfort of being around others. It was as if he's own aura was afraid of being alone, hidden from the rest of the world.

He'd just have to hope that none of Genthru's team gets close enough to spot him.

The man with the trident tattoo was the first to speak, his eyes looking in every direction "They're not here."

The man with the love-heart, with spears protruding out of the top spoke next, agreeing with his ally "Are they hiding and concealing their presences?"

"Check at the store. We don't want to let them buy any spell cards." Genthru and his team ran to town, the group letting out a relieved sigh in unison.

Daniel felt the most relieved; he would've been the first to be spotted. He couldn't help but be the first to speak "Well, I guess this is where we part ways..."

Killua nodded, a hand placed on Daniel's shoulder "Stay here. We'll call you when it's safe."

Daniel watched the others head off, seeing them leave off in the distance. Daniel let out a wicked smile, lagging off behind the others. _I don't feel right leaving you to fight the team. While I can't let myself be felt by the others, I'll keep to the shadows and follow Killua. I won't let you fight alone... not ever!_

The air was thick and foggy, Daniel's _Zetsu_ being used to the best of his ability. He was sure none of them could sense him. And if they did, he'd hope they wouldn't give away his position, or tell him to go away.

He wanted to help at least one of them in the fight to come ahead, whether they accepted it or not.

Bisky felt him hiding, though didn't alerted the others. For a while now she could feel Daniel's presence, like a lingering shadow that couldn't be hidden in darkness. _I knew that idiot wouldn't stay behind. And Killua's lack of reaction is telling me he doesn't realise Daniel is doing so..._ She knew this would've happened, and that she should've stopped it. But the thought of stopping Daniel was lost in thought as Genthru landed.

She just hoped that no matter what... Daniel would never step in with his injuries.

Turning around to run, the others left as Daniel retreated further into the forest, keeping his distance even further now knowing Genthru's team was hot on his friend's trails. If he got caught, it would be over; his life would cease to exist.

Daniel focused on Killua's presence, trying to pin point where the boy was with his own aura. He could always feel his aura reaching out to him, ever since the Hunter's Exam. Though, back then he hadn't realised the reasons for doing so.

Travelling alongside his friends, and coming to terms with his feelings for Killua, he now knew why he did it. Back then he was inadvertently attracted to the boy, wanting to get close without realising it. But now after releasing those hidden feelings and being rejected by the boy, he no longer knew what he should be doing.

Hell, even now... he didn't know why he was staying in the game to follow them. He should've run, gotten away from his feelings. He was suffocating himself, chasing after a butterfly that was already long gone.

Asking for Gon to hand over the cards was an anchor for him, the reason why he wanted to secretly stay behind. He wondered for a second, if he never asked Gon for those cards, would he still stay behind? Would have he ran away from his feelings?

If so, how far would've he gotten?

Would he eventually stop, turn back to go after his friends?

Daniel clutched at his chest, stopping when he felt Killua's presence stop moving.

He was so far away, unable to hear what they were talking about. Daniel got closer, hidden far behind Genthru's team. He clutched his chest, staying low to listen.

"We'll never let you have them! If we have to hand over our cards, we'd rather fight!"

Daniel's heart dropped on Gon's words, now realising what the original plan was. They intended to fight without him, with the injuries they still had. Daniel wished for a second he never had taken the ball, at least waiting to take over the position Killua held during the volley Ball match.

He never wanted to see the boy suffer from those wounds. He wanted to take on all of Killua's pain, allowing his hands to be destroyed in his pace. But even then, he would have landed in this position again. Though at least in that instance, Killua's hands wouldn't have been damaged.

"Wait, Gon! Damn..." Killua called out, Daniel questioning his original guess. Gon intended to fight, but he couldn't tell if that was a part of the original plan. Killua suddenly calling out a line, made Daniel question his first guess. And the next line didn't help the situation "Bisky, run for it!"

"B- But..."

"Just run!"

Daniel peeked over, just in time to see Killua jump back and ran off, disappearing with the man in the purple shirt. _Shit..._ Daniel cursed in his head, hating how he was on the opposite side of Killua, closer to Bisky. He'd have to make a run for it in order to catch up to Killua.

Daniel looked for a good opportune time to follow after Killua, waiting in silence. "Hey, you aren't getting away." Daniel could hear the other man yelling, leaving himself, Gon and Genthru behind.

"You're up against me!" When Genthru jumped to attack Gon, Daniel took the chance to run after Killua. Genthru stopped and turned, Gon being surprised by the boy running "D-Daniel..."

Daniel however didn't stop to acknowledge the boy's question, focusing on his one and only goal at the moment, he needed to get to Killua. He hadn't realised Genthru was hot on his trail, right behind him until the last moment "Oh, crap..."

Gon stepped in, leg swinging up to kick Genthru in the face. However the man stopped short, avoiding Gon's attack and failing to reach Daniel in the provess.

"Thanks..." Daniel muttered, chasing after Killua again "I owe you two!"

"Just don't get hurt!"

"I can't promise anything..."

Gon's smile twitched, Genthru pissed from allowing one of the boys to get away. He held out a hand to Gon, allowing his malicious aura to seep through "You'll regret that."

"~"

Daniel stopped himself from exiting the forest, waiting in silence to see if Killua needed help. His eyes looked left and right, spotting the small village hunts suspended from the ground.

The man attacking Killua was distracted, eyes only focusing on the boy. Daniel left the protection of the forest to hide behind one of the hunts. The boy took a deep breath, stilling his emotions as he peeked around the corner.

Daniel caught the enemy land a strike on Killua, barely scraping the boy's face. The boy so badly wanted to step out from the shadows, but the situation didn't call for his help, at least not yet. So the boy remained watchful, keeping his eyes on Killua and the fight to come ahead.

Killua grit his teeth at the contact, distracted long enough for his enemy to throw a right hand straight punch. The boy threw up his arms at the last second, blocking the attack as the pain ricocheted through his arms, and then passing through to his head.

Killua stopped the momentum, landing safely on the ground. Standing up straight, Killua used an ability Daniel recognised. He hadn't seen that since the hunter's exam...

Killua seemingly multiplied each one no different than the other. The one in the middle moved forward first, the others scattering around the man. The spear-tipped love-heart man kicked at the one in front as he was throwing up his right hand to guard.

Daniel's eyes darted around, scanning the many copies to find the real one. However, the gesture was pointless when Killua came in from the man's right, palms coming out as if the boy was going to do an open palm strike "Wrong..."

Electricity extended between Killua's palms, licking the space between the boy and his hands pressing close to the enemy.

The electricity danced between the boy's palms, extending onto the man's chest. The force managed to push the enemy away. Daniel silently praised Killua, the attack was beyond cool. _That's cool... Looks like the shock even stunned that man. No pun intended... don't know why I thought to think that to myself..._

Daniel's eyes drew back to Killua, the boy already created distance between him and his attacker. It was hard to see from the boy's angle, but Killua looked as though he produced a Yo-Yo from his pocket, letting it dance and rotate along his arm. The Yo-Yo rolled along his arm, attaching to a string which extended from the ring around his arm.

It was a weird design for a Yo-Yo, usually attached to a string extending from a small ring from one's finger. Killua swung around his arm, the yo-yo swinging around front to allow Killua to catch it behind his back with his other hand.

Daniel saw Killua struggle to hold the Yo-Yo in his hand, the boy's hand shaking as he grasped it between his finger tips "Let's do this." Killua let go, whipping his arm to the side, which in-turn forced the yo-yo to come flying out, and arcing towards the enemy.

The man dodged the Yo-Yo, it sailing pass his head to rip through a tree before rounding back to Killua. Daniel was shocked, surprised to see the devastation left behind in the Yo-Yo's path.

Daniel had two serious questions. First, what was Killua's yo-yo made out of, and two, how did Killua managed to keep those away from prying eyes.

The man freaked out at the destruction, asking Killua for him when he turned to face said boy "What's that thing made of?"

Daniel looked back to Killua, the boy creating a small defence around himself. No one would dare come that close to Killua, not while the Yo-Yo was swinging around him "This is a superalloy Yo-Yo my brother ordered. It weighs around fifty kilograms, so it packs quite a punch!" Killua rotate the yo-yo one last time around his body, sending it flying towards the man.

The man dodged as Daniel asked himself another two serious questions. _Is that made out of_ _ **Resmian**_ _like my weapon? And two... how do your pants remain to stay on if it's in your pockets?! Or are those wrapped around your chest...? It's hard to tell from this angle..._

The Yo-Yo suddenly changed direction, heading towards the man. The man pulled up his arms in time, blocking the Yo-Yo from ramming into his face. The damage was still done, knocking him to the ground.

The heart-tattoo man got up, wiping away at the damage done to his chin. When Killua attempted the same attack pattern, the enemy threw a rock in Killua's direction. Killua dodged the attack, but the way his body moved, the Yo-Yo was sent flying off his arm.

 _That's not good!_ Daniel jumped out from behind the building running towards Killua as the man attacked Killua fist first.

Daniel swung out his hand, jumping up into the air so his shadow was casted at a longer range. The boy flicked out his fingers, allowing his presence to be known at the worst possible timing. A hand curled out of the ground, the man forced to jump back in surprise when it grasped at the empty air.

Killua grit his teeth at the man's reaction, and the shadow curling forward in front of him. He knew who this ability belonged to, and Daniel being here was the worst possible scenario. Not only had he have to put his plan into action, the boy now had to protect Daniel too "IDIOT?! What are you doing here...?"

"It takes one to know one... I'm not leaving you alone to fight the enemy!"

Killua's teeth clenched tight at the boy's words, Daniel's eye focusing only on the enemy. Daniel adjusted his hand, flicking out hand towards the man before adjusted his finger to point to the side. The ability roared back to life, hand moving to grasp the enemy.

The man jumped to the side, gritting his teeth. _Great, now I have to deal with two of them! I'll take out this kid first, then deal the one with the Yo-Yo next. I can't believe this kid runs into battle with a broken arm..._

Killua ran to pick up his Yo-Yo, adjusting the ring back around his arm. _Shit, he's going after Daniel first!_

Daniel blinked in surprise at the man heading to him first; Daniel jumped back releasing his ability as he shifted his hand behind his back. A wicked smile spread across his face, pulling his weapon out.

Daniel swung Wolfbane in front of him, forcing the man to jump back in surprise. The enemy's shocked expression allowed Killua to get in close with his Yo-Yo, forcing the man to back away even further from both boys.

Daniel kept his weapon in front to face the enemy, while Killua brought his Yo-Yo back into a spinning cycle, gaze directed in a pissed off manner at Daniel "What are you doing here?!"

"Helping..."

"You're only helping the enemy by being here!"

Daniel frowned at Killua's reaction, the words hitting him hard "So, what? I'm useless... weak...?"

"That's... That's not what I mean!"

"Then what do you mean by **'You're only helping the enemy by being here!'?** Because from my angle, it looked as though he was about to punch you..."

"I had everything under control..." Killua barely whispered, coming to terms with Daniel being here. He'd had to adjust, and ask for the boy's help. There was no way the enemy will let him go; Daniel was still a threat.

Killua ran multiple scenarios through his head, trying to figure out a way for Daniel to help, whether he liked it or not. Killua whipped the Yo-Yo into his other hand, grabbing and holding it for the moment "Daniel, I need you-"

"Oh, now you need me-"

"Look! Do you want to help?"

Daniel nodded in silence, shifting Wolfbane slightly in his hand. He was agitated with the boy earlier, but that didn't mean Killua deserved to be snapped back at. He was the one intruding... not Killua.

"Good..." Killua started to smile; Daniel was about to listened to his request. Daniel's skill set would work better in the forest, so he needed to give Daniel time to run into there to prepare himself "Daniel, I need you to run into the forest-"

"Wait, why?"

"I'll be right behind you. I'm going to distract this guy. While he's distracted, I need you to prepare your 'skill'... you'll only have maybe a five second start. As soon as I'm in the forest, we'll get him in a pincer attack. Got it?"

Daniel frowned slightly at the request. He felt guilty for not trusting Killua's judgment earlier, so this time he would need to "Alright, just promise me..."

Killua nodded without listening to the request "I know..." _I trying to do this to protect you..._ The boy's cheeks flared from the thought flowing in his mind, his teeth gritting at the possibilities from everything going wrong.

Killua adjusted his footing, swinging the Yo-Yo out to attack the enemy "Go!"

Daniel kicked off the floor, running towards the forest as the man darted to the side, running after Daniel. The man needed to take out the boy before he could set up the trap.

Killua tugged the string, forcing the Yo-Yo to arc back towards him, and swipe in the man's direction. Killua caught the Yo-Yo when it failed to attack the man. Hopefully by the time Killua reached the forest, Daniel will have managed to find a spot where he could attack from.

While it was dangerous for Killua to use his Yo-Yo in the forest, Daniel wouldn't suffer in here. He'd seen Daniel whip Wolfbane around corners countless times before in the past.

Killua stopped, skidding across the floor to swing his Yo-Yo close, protecting himself while looking out for a clue to Daniel's whereabouts. The forest was littered with several hundred blind spots, and Killua was surprised for Daniel's lack of presence. He was even surprised from it earlier; it lacked the improvement it was now showing with his _Zetsu_.

But something didn't sit well with him, earlier he could sense Daniel's presence while they were hiding in the bushes. It was always lingering, able to be detected. Why hadn't Genthru and his allies been able to find him?

The enemy was on edge, looking out for the other boy as well. He couldn't afford to be hit with the Yo-Yo or the other's weapon; it looked incredibly sharp with jagged edges. Then there was also the boy's ability involving the shadow hand... getting caught in that would be a disaster.

Killua spun out his Yo-Yo, whipping it out to attack the enemy. Killua knew, even if he lost this one, he still had the other one in his other pocket. He still had that ace up his sleeve.

The man jumped back, sliding across the floor to grab a rock. Unfortunately the sounds of a chain rattling in the distance made him drop it. Shackles ripping through a tree or trees caught his attention.

Before the man could spot the direction where the chain was coming from, Killua distracted him again with the Yo-Yo heading toward him.

The man duck, the Yo-Yo ripping through another tree to fly back in he's direction. The man stumbled forward, a hand curling out of the ground in front of him. The man shifted to the side, forced to duck again from the Yo-Yo.

Daniel hidden in the tree lines flicked his fingers out, adjusting them to have a space. The boy was surprised by his own circumstances, able to use his ability in a forest. While the trees didn't cast thick shadows which blocked off areas, it did force him to manoeuvre around more than he usually would have to.

Daniel spread his fingers apart, allowing his own shadow split into five separate one; each one reaching out to grab a part of the man. The heart-tattoo man managed to avoid four out of five, failing to dodge the one latching onto his leg. Killua took the chance, swinging his Yo-Yo back in his direction.

The man was hit in the back of the head, stumbling forwards as the other hands reach back to grab and hold him down.

Killua whistled in surprise, the man still clinging to consciousness "Wow, you're still conscious?"

"You only beat me, because you had extra help..." The man groaned, Killua frowning at the man's assumption. He didn't even know Daniel was following them until he attacked. So this was all new for him, him having to work side-by-side on the spur of the moment with his friend.

Daniel came out from the tree lines, hand still out with fingers spread "Actually, this was never a part of the plan..."

Killua nodded, bending his knees to crouch closer "Did you know that when you kicked me, you raise your guarding arm on the other side? You were creating your own blind spot."

Daniel blinked, surprised by the boy's comment. What did that have to do with the man being caught now in Daniel's trap?

"Then your defensive habit..."

"Nothing but a trap for you to fall in..." Killua's smile widened as Daniel could only blink, confused by the statement. What were they talking about? From his angle he couldn't see what they were talking about.

Killua frowned at the boy's reaction "I left my right side open so he would attack me, creating his blind spot in the process."

"You wanted him to attack you?"

"But you stepped in a ruined the situation..." Killua stood up reaching into his other pocket to pull out a second Yo-Yo to show both the man and the boy "I was going to attack you with this..."

The man couldn't help but ask another question "So, when you released your first  
Yo-Yo..."

Killua caught on, returning back to a crouching position "I knew you picked up something to throw at me."

The man grits his teeth, not believing a single word. There was no way this kid was thinking this far ahead, creating all these scenarios in such short time "I don't believe it... You set four traps during that brief exchange?"

Killua blinked slowly, surprised at the man's words. He was completely surprised by the man's added assumption "Four...?" Killua spun the two Yo-Yos attached to his arm in the air, letting them dangle in the air as he spoke "You must be joking! Even if Daniel hadn't stepped in, every move I made was a trap..." Killua swung the Yo-Yos down, slamming them into the man's head.

The boy thought seriously about his next plan of attack, wondering what he should do next. A Cheshire cat smile spread from cheek to cheek, wondering if his ability could work around Daniel's and his own Yo-Yos "Um, Daniel..."

Daniel looked at Killua with a hopeful smile "Can you be a part of an experiment?"

Before Daniel could respond, Killua funnelled he's electricity into the Yo-Yo strings. As the electricity funnelled into the man, Daniel pulling away seconds later when he felt a tingly sensation running through his body.

Even if his ability was in that form, he could still feel every little current running through his body. Killua smiled innocently, a cat-like expression showing "Did that tickle...?"

As Killua pressed another current of electricity through the man, Daniel fumed at the boy's reaction "You're evil!"

"Idiot, you're the one that helped me!"

"And you would have walked away after suffering a kick to the chest without my help!"

"I..." Killua blinked several times in surprise. Daniel was right, if Killua went through with his original plan, he would've been kicked in the side. Killua's cheeks flushed from the thoughts that followed along. He didn't like this over-caring side of Daniel anymore; it was embarrassing to listen to. Killua brought the Yo-Yo up again to slam it into the back of the man's head again "You're really embarrassing!"

Daniel crossed his arm around his chest, eyebrow raised from Killua's response "Uh... It's true... If I didn't step in, you would've hurt yourself in order to beat him." Daniel reached out, clasping a hand around Killua's.

The boy flinched in response, pulling away from the touch. Daniel tilted his head slightly to the side, wondering if he hurt the boy's hand. But when he thought how Killua pulled his hand way, he instead narrowed his eyes on Killua. Something was weird with Killua right now.

Choosing to ignore the situation, Daniel headed out to retrieve his weapon to wrap up the enemy nice and snugly.

"Now all we have to do is help Gon and Bisky..."

"Yeah..." Killua's eyes were unfocused, looking down at the enemy. It was as if the boy's brain had completely blanked, forgetting where he was. Killua however was over thinking, wondering why Daniel decided to step in to help. He had no reason to do so, and if anything, he only made the fight drawn out even longer than it should have.

"Killua, are you okay... you're acting weird and distant right now."

"I'm weird?!" Killua looked at Daniel in disbelief, confused by his friend's statement. "You're the one that weird... I asked you to stay put. I didn't need your help..."

Daniel bit his lip, remaining quiet on the situation. He wondered how he could approach the topic calmly... but all he could think to say was a blindingly obvious statement "Because I care about you. I didn't want to see you get hurt..."

Killua turned away at the words, looking deep into the forest "Why me..."

"Because you're cute, funny, and you do this weird thing when you smirk, looking as though you have a cat-like in expression."

Killua's cheeks tinged at the response, but Daniel expression and comment changed immediately "I'm kidding... I'll tell you when I figure it out." _All I know for now is every time I see you smile..._ Daniel smiled warmly in the boy's direction, even if Killua couldn't see it. _It makes me smile in response._ _Though, I do get insanely jealous when Gon makes you smile... but that's a whole different kettle of fish._

Daniel reached down, picking up the man to sling him over his shoulder. He started to walk somewhere in Gon's general direction before thinking to ask one final question. He had no clue where Gon was, and the plan Bisky and Killua put in play for the boy.

Looking over his shoulder, Daniel noticed the boy frowning, cheeks still tinted red. He couldn't tell if the boy was fuming, or just plain embarrassed. But whatever Killua was feeling now, Daniel was sure it was about to change "Where's Gon? I don't know where to go..."

Killua blinked once slowly, then twice, then a third time before responding. He walked past Daniel, grabbing the man off his shoulder along the way as he yelled something that the boy was sure to hear a lot more often now "Idiot..."

Daniel's expression softened as he follows after Killua, a warm smile directed at the boy's back. He wasn't sure if he'll break through Killua's walls one day... but if he did, he'd cherish Killua for the rest of his life.

But there were two problems with that thought...

Will Killua ever feel the same way for him as he did?

And will his feelings continue to stay this way until then?

The boy couldn't help but wonder, were these definite feelings... or were they bound to stagnate and break down eventually? Daniel's eyes remained on the boy's back, wondering if his original goal will continue to remain the same, or will they change for the worse?

The boy ran after Killua without a second thought, believing no matter what happens in the future, he was sure he'll make the right choice in the end... hopefully...

"~"

Everyone was destroyed when they first saw Gon; the boy was struggling to breath. Killua was the first to react, eyes shaking as he reached out to touch the boy. Even when they knew about the #17, Breath of Archangel... seeing Gon's missing hand, singed wrist, faded left eye and destroyed voice box, took a toll on the both of them.

Gon had completely knocked out Genthru, so it would be a while before the man woke up. Daniel could tell Killua was worried about Gon, even when he was demoralising the boy.

It was Gon's fault... He didn't stick to the plan...

Even when those words echoed in the boys' mind, they couldn't help but still worry. Gon didn't even have the strength, or the voice to apologize for their mistake.

They could only wait, until Bisky got back... and Genthru woke up.

"~"

Genthru eventually woke up, the defeated team lying side-by-side. Genthru slowly blinked the tiredness away as Killua address the man "Are you awake? Summon your binder."

Daniel so badly wanted to scream at the man to hand him #17, Breath of Archangel immediately. Gon had already suffered enough from waiting for so long, but not only Genthru would not be able to hand the card over... he probably wouldn't either.

Daniel chose to remain silent, taking a page from Killua's book. Killua was reasonably calm, able to access the situation, even when Bisky was yelling "We want you to return the cards you stole from the people you backstabbed."

Genthru open his mouth to speak, but closed it a second later. He wondered how he could ask such a question, after doing so much damage to one of the enemy's friends. The man finally found the right tone to use for his request "On one condition..." The man slowly turned to face his friend, the man with the trident tattoo "Use Archangel to heal Bara... We have a **Clone** card."

Killua remained indifferent at the request "Don't worry. That was always part of the plan."

Daniel summons his book, checking the names on his list as he couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't kept in the loop about this. They knew the dangers... Did Killua hope that Daniel would remain hidden long enough to not see any wounds the group suffered?

What if Killua suffered worst wounds than Gon...? Would the boy have reacted to the same injures Gon suffered if Killua suffered the same, or would he have broken down into tears, while taking on a more drastic approach measure...?

Bisky sighed right after Killua's statement "We brought seven copies of **Clone**."

Genthru's eyes widened at the information, and then slowly closed. They were prepared for the outcome of the fight, and were willing to even use the card to heal their enemies "Book..."

Daniel reached into the book, pulling out one of the many copies of #17, **Breath of Archangel**.

**Breath of Archangel**

**17 SS - 3**

**Severe damage or close to death, this angel will cure any injury and disease with one gulp (of air). It will only appear once.**

Daniel paused to look at the card for a second, taking in the cards appearance. It looked more like a fairy crossed with a wisp than an angel, blowing out a puff of air. Daniel eventually held it up, calling out the card's presence "Gain!"

The card exploded into a ball of light, conjuring a young, elegant fairy-wisp which looked down on them. Like all other NPC, she was voided of emotions "What is your wish?"

Daniel turned to look at Killua, knowing that the boy wanted to make the request more than anyone. He made the request, a huge smile following as he pointed at Gon "We need you to heal his hands and throat. Actually, can you just heal all his injuries?"

"Easily done... Then I shall heal his body." The 'angel' let out a breath off air on Gon, the wounds dissolving into nothing. It was like the boy hadn't suffered any injuries at all, even going as far to open and close the hand that was once lost in the last fight.

Everyone was taken back in surprise by the cards power, even awestruck by the no presence of markings left behind from the prior battle. Gon cheered, his fist along with his body raised high to the sky in triumphant after realising he had no wounds "I'm healed!"

Gon continuously jumped into the air with a huge smile, Killua going far as to match the boy's smile. Daniel wondered if Killua would be just as happy to have his wounds healed, and if Daniel's smile would be able to surpass Killua's.

Daniel hadn't realised the angel had left until Bisky pulled out another card from the book "Okay, here's the extra Archangel."

Gon used the next Archangel on Bara, Bisky picking up the last, and final card to use it "Next up is Daniel. Genthru, we're going to use your binder."

"Go ahead..."

Daniel looked down at his wound, wondering if he could wait longer. He so badly wanted to heal Killua before himself... even when the boy's wounds were nothing when compared to his own. Looking at Killua's wounds made his internals go to war, ripping apart each other from just looking at them.

He so badly wanted to heal them, even when Bisky was pulling out another copy of **Breath of the Archangel** alongside **Clone** " **Clone** on!"

**Breath of Archangel has reached its maximum card limit. Clone will be destroyed.**

Bisky freaked out when the card was destroyed, her hand grasping at the remaining fragments of the card scattering in the wind "W-W-Wait! What's going on?!" Bisky leaned in closer to Daniel, asking the boy for advice "Did I do something wrong?"

Daniel held up his hand to calm Bisky down "Calm down... someone else might have gotten the **Breath of Archangel**."

"Yup..." Killua injected, twirling a finger out for the rest of the group "Goreinu is behind this. He used **Clone** or **Transform** to increase the number of **Breath of Archangel** vouchers. So two of his vouchers became **Breath of Archangel** cards..." Killua reached into his book, pulling out one of his **Contact** cards. The boy hummed before nodding to the rest of the group "Might as well call him now, seeing as the fight is over. **Contact** on!"

"Yo, looks like you won... guess that means we should meet."


	74. Quiz X Ruler's Blessing X Dance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Fixed up to chapter 43 now :-D

Goreinu met the group, eyebrows furrowing when he looked down on the captured Bombers. They laid there side-by-side, unable to move a muscle. Even after seeing the three bounded, he didn't like what the others had planned.

Having the Bombers being healed after all the damage they did, the lives they destroyed; this is one thing he'll never agree to "I don't approve of this." Goreinu's gaze left the bombers to focus on the boys, eyes mainly focused on Killua who was the one to explain their intended goal "If you plan to use **Breath of Archangel** to heal these murderers, the trade is off!"

Daniel shifted his weight to one side, fuming that this wasn't going as intended. He wanted to at least have one more card to heal Killua, if not himself. He could survive 2 months with a broken arm. What he couldn't survive was looking at the painful reminder of Killua's hands for another day.

Killua frowned slightly, proposing a dilemma "You okay with using it on me?"

"Of course..."

Daniel grit his teeth together, knowing full well what the boy was about to say "I am an assassin."

"Ex assassin..." Daniel reminded the boy, sorrow being betrayed from his eyes.

Goreinu blinked, surprised by the boy's comment. He wasn't expecting Killua to say something like that, much less be confirmed and then denied by another friend, it had peaked the man interest.

Killua's eyebrows furrowed once again from Daniel's words, eyes narrowing on the boy in questioning. Even if that statement is true, Killua couldn't help but wonder why Daniel dismissed the past. It was a part of Killua's past... no matter how much it Daniel wanted to deny it. At least Gon didn't deny it as much as Daniel did so.

Killua returned his gaze back to Goreinu, addressing the man's questioning gaze "I've killed more people than these guys. Each player in this game risks their life one way or another. BUT, that doesn't make it okay to kill others..."

Killua stepped forward, walking past Goreinu to look down on the Bombers. The boy's eyes closed, speaking the rest of his mind "But all the people I've Killed were not nearly as prepared to die."

The boy remained silent for a second longer, letting the words sink in for everyone, including Daniel. Killua turned his gaze towards Goreinu "I'm worse than these guys."

Daniel grits his teeth at the boy's words. He didn't agree with them. Killua was forced into a world of killing by his parents, not circumstances... These people so badly wanted to beat the game and obtain the reward; they were willing to kill others just to do so. Daniel would never compare Killua with the Bombers, he just couldn't...

But Killua past was still real, no matter how much Daniel wanted to deny it in his head. Though he'll never admit to how biased his thoughts were.

Goreinu disagreed with Killua "No, you aren't like them. I like you, but hate their guts!"

Killua looked baffled at Goreinu for a moment, coming to terms with the man's reasoning. It sounds like something Gon would say, except in reverse "That isn't a valid reason!"

"I don't need a reason..."

Daniel objected, eyes drawn to Genthru as he spoke "You do... Otherwise you end up with a state of mind which makes you question all your motives later on..." Daniel continued to look forward, his eyes betraying his distant thoughts.

Goreinu quirks an eyebrow at Daniel's distant eyes, wondering what made the boy think that way "What counts is how I feel. Aren't you guys the same way?"

_What if you feel later on you made a mistake and you wish to go back and correct it..._ Daniel thought about Goreinu's response, but felt like he couldn't say his thoughts. He made a mistake, and now he can't reverse it. All he could do now is move forward, hoping to make up for his grave mistake.

Bisky stepped in, drawing Daniel's attention "But we don't think it's right to let them die because we hate them. In battle, both sides risk their lives, and are prepared to kill. But that doesn't apply once the fight is over."

Daniel thought about Bisky's words, applying them to his situation. _I don't think it's right to **run away** because **Killua rejected** **me**. **When it comes to feelings** , both sides risk their **mutual respect** , and are **risking change**. But..._ Daniel shook his head at the remaining thoughts. _What would have happened if Killua accepted them? Would they remain the same...? Stayed as strong, and well into the future...?_

Daniel wondered about the possibility as Gon spoke "I haven't forgiven Genthru for killing all those players... But the three of us, sorry Daniel... agreed before the fight that we'd bring seven **Clone** cards. I don't remember why we decided that, but it wasn't based on logic or reason..."

_Definitely secrets as well!_

"It was just the decision that came naturally to us. Once the fight was over we'd obtained **Breath of Archangel** , we planned to heal everyone. All three of us made the decision so we wanted to stick to it. But I understand how you feel, and we can't change your mind."

Gon turned to face Daniel, apologising to the boy first "Sorry, Daniel... for keeping you away from the truth, and from being unable to heal you." Once the boy had apologised he turned to face Killua next "Sorry, Killua... Could you two wait a little longer?"

Daniel didn't know why, but he could no longer remain mad at Gon, Killua and Bisky. Yes, they kept him out of the loop. But it was for he's own protection "Apology accepted..." He couldn't help but smile in the end, especially after seeing Killua's smile and response "No problem. I'll recover on my own in a while."

Gon smiled at both boys' responses before looking over to Genthru and their team. He walked over to them with determination, though he would have wished the plan didn't have to end this way. Gon held out a hand, offering the last **Breath of Archangel** to its original owners "The situation's changed, so we can't use **Clone** anymore. There's only one **Breath of Archangel** left."

Goreinu was caught off guard by Gon's last statement, unable to believe the boy is thinking of doing what he believes he's doing "Only one? Isn't that the original?"

Daniel hummed, letting the man know his right. Gon was going to use the last **Breath of Archangel** on Genthru's team. After all... it was _their_ last card.

"Use it on Genthru. I'm fine..." The man with the heart tattoo spoke first, stopping an argument from happening.

Daniel ran his finger along his open book, searching for Bara's name. Upon finding his name, he found the unknown tattoo man's name, Sub. _Sub... huh? So that's your name..._

Daniel drew his attention back to Gon, waiting for the boy to make a choice. He could either listen to Sub and heal Genthru, or heal Sub instead. Gon however did listen to the man's plea, healing Genthru with the last card.

Killua drew his friends' and allies attention, a smile accompanying his face "Okay, let's use Accompany to go to Masadora."

"Yeah!" Gon agreed first, followed by Daniel smiling soon after "We got nothing better to do... might as well continue on with the game."

Goreinu however stopped the group from proceeding with their plan, hands waving as if that would stop them from leaving "Hey, wait up..." Goreinu stomped all the way up to the boys, hands still out but this time the man was sweating as if he just made a fatal mistake "Fine, you can have **Breath of Archangel**."

Everyone turned their head sideways at Goreinu, lost for words. It wasn't until a second later Gon was checking to make sure he wasn't hearing things "Wait? You want us to take your **Breath of Archangel**? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, actually... Before you told me all this, I planned to give it to you."

Daniel flicked out his hand, grabbing and pulling Goreinu closer to his face "You're telling me... NOT ONLY DID I, but Killua as well have to suffer in agony from our wounds, while you were pulling our leg with a lie?! You were going to give us **Breath of Archangel** long before Gon had to open his mouth?!"

Goreinu fretted as he continued to elaborate "Not just Archangel, but all of our cards."

Everyone freaked out as Daniel blinked once, then twice before letting go of Goreinu "Someone pinch me..." The boy immediately freaked out when he felt nails digging into his skin. He looked around to see the culprit. Eyes locked with Killua's, a mischievous smile etched into the boy's face.

This had to be punishment for earlier "Killua..." Daniel pulled his arm away as he massaged it on the side of his ribs "That hurt!"

"You said pinch me..."

"That's right..." Daniel huffed as he looked away "Not rip an inch of my skin off."

"Baby..."

Daniel rolled his eyes at his friends bemused expression "Cheeky..."

Goreinu sighed before continuing "Tsezgerra, his team, and I all agreed. We've decided to give up on the game."

Goreinu grabbed one of his **Breath of Archangel** handing it to Gon. Gon summon the card like before. Daniel was triggered by an unknown force, requesting someone to be healed well bore any of his friends could do the same "Heal each, and every one of Killua's wounds!"

Killua stared at Daniel in disbelief, unable to come with the boy's request. Here Daniel was standing with a broken arm and ribs, and he wanted Killua healed before himself. Killua's cheeks tinged, remembering Daniel's pained expression when he spoke about his hands.

Daniel looked as though he was frustrated with himself for Killua's wounds, and not Gon, the person who originally inflicted them. Killua had seen it, for the briefest of seconds when looked into Daniel's eyes. But ever since then, he has constantly asked himself **why me?**

He didn't like Daniel cared for him, an Ex-Assassin, but the same rule applied to Gon as well. They had been friends for so long, ignoring Killua's killer past. Why should he get any attention, he didn't deserve it...

Even when Killua felt the pain absolving into nothing, his hands reached out to Daniel, grabbing and holding the boy's shirt tightly "Why me...?"

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, hand reaching out to hold onto Killua's shoulder. As the boy's shoulder relaxed, Daniel's smile extended "Because-"

Daniel felt Killua's grip get tighter all of a sudden, his legs lifting off the ground before he felt the boy shaking him like a rag doll "You're the idiot with a broken arm! You should have been healed first!"

Daniel couldn't help but continued to smile, even when Killua shook him like crazy; the light red tinge gracing Killua's cheeks were a dead giveaway, to what he was really feeling. He just hoped Killua would stop once he was healed.

"~"

Gon's group was left with many questions by Goreinu's words. Battera had pulled out of the contract after losing someone special to him.

Daniel was already healed, but Killua still chastising the boy, words going in one ear and straight out the other. Daniel never once stopped Killua while he trained his ears to Bisky, Gon and Goreinu's conversation.

"Oh, so Mr. Battera..." Gon asked, however his words lost in thought. Hearing about Mr. Battera losing someone special to him, hit Gon hard.

Goreinu smiled, already moved on from Mr. Battera's dilemma "Yeah, he paid Tsezgerra and his team for breaking his promise. I got five billion out of it."

Bisky freaked out from the large sum of money Goreinu just casually blurted out about, her hair freezing in mid air as if all her aura focused on that one point "Five Billion?! Hey..." The girl scooted in closer to the man, lightly pummelling the man's shoulder like she was a child who was just told she could not have something "Share some of the wealth!"

The man freaked out, pulling back a little so she doesn't smack him in the face "Wh- What are you talking about? Each of the five of us gets one billion!"

It was at this point everyone freaked out, lost for words. No one could say anything, except for a single, unison sound of shock.

The man shook his head in disbelief, point a thumb towards himself as he continued to explain "It's only fair... I couldn't have done this on my own. It was only possible because I teamed up with you guys."

Bisky's eyes widened, tears forming as she just heard the saddest story of her life. It was as if she had just achieved her life goal suddenly "I can't believe it..." Bisky leaped up onto the man's shoulder, grasping and holding his arm tightly against her chest. She couldn't stop smiling through the tears of joy "You're such a nice guy!"

Bisky continued to snuggle against the man's arm for a few more minutes before finally letting go.

Goreinu sighed in relief once she let go "Anyway, you can take all the cards. On one condition!" The man raised his finger to the sky, eyes narrowing down on the boys "You must be the first players to beat the game."

Gon agree to the demands, a huge smile growing on the boy's face.

"Not a problem..." Killua agreed after Gon, followed by Daniel "Consider it done."

"That gives you ninety-nine restricted slot cards. Leaving only #0."

Daniel looked towards his friends, wondering how they were taking this. Killua was smiling, although he seemed distant from how he was looking forward.

Gon's reaction was the opposite of Killua, he seemed more determined, even focused than Killua "One card to go..."

"Yeah..." Killua agreed, though his words sounded lost in the distance.

"~"

Gon got to work, putting every card in his book slowly, one after another. The boy counted every card as he put them in, stopping only to look at the very last card "Nine-nine..." Gon slot in the last card, #99.

**Maid Panda**

**99 S - 6**

**A species on the verge of extinction. Tidy, love to cook, and some individuals enjoy western clothing and gardening. Excellent at taking care of human children.**

Daniel hummed at the last card being put in, surprise to see every card in place. He saw every card being placed in the book, but **#7, Pregnancy Stones** threw him completely off guard. There was no way Greed Island was designed without this intent... to help couples of all types start a relationship, and possibly even a family in one way or another. **#7 Pregnancy Stones** , **#33 Hormone Cookies** , **#64 Witch's Love Potion** , **#68 Doyen's Virility Pills** , **#71 Mad Scientist's Pheromones** , **#75 Wild Luck Alexandrite** , **#77 Beauty Magnet Emerald** and even **#79 Rainbow Diamond** , all these cards could be used to help build a relationship, through either deceits, lies or hope.

Hell, even **#18 Imp's wink** was designed with that objective, able to cause someone to experience the most amazing ecstasy.

Why there were so many cards designed with these objects, Daniel didn't know, but he questioned them. Each one was torturous to look at, and a painful reminder to what he failed to achieve.

There was a long pause before an announcement was made through every book, echoing in every player's mind.

**This announcement is for all players. A player has collected ninety-nine restricted slot cards. Ten minutes from now, in honour of this event, there will be a quiz contest for all _Greed Island_ players. There will be one hundred total questions dealing with restricted slot cards. The player who has the most correct answers will receive #0 Ruler's Blessing as a prize. Please wait with your binders open.**

Gon spoke after the announcement finally finished "Questions about restricted slot cards, huh?"

"Yeah..." Daniel crossed his arms, while constantly tapping one finger on his right arm "I think they designed the game like this so that people who mainly stole cards had no clue as to how the card was originally obtained..."

"Agree-" Killua stopped mid word, eyes looking up towards the sky "Someone's coming!"

"Gon, Killua... prepare yourself... we may need to defend our cards."

Bisky pointed towards the sky in another direction "Wait, more over here!"

Five groups of people, a total of eight people had surrounded the group, each looking directly at Gon. Daniel had his hand placed behind his back, ready to draw his weapon at a moment's notice.

Eventually one of the surrounding players spoke "Don't worry. We aren't here to get in your way." The man speaking was wearing a navy-blue jumpsuit, and had a red bowl haircut.

The person accompanying the man agreed "In fact, you could say we're here to help." He had huge eyes, no nose and wore a cyan overall over a white shirt and cyan Barrett.

Gon paused to consider the young man's words "Help...?"

The man with the red bowl cut started to speak again "If we can get the top score on the quiz and win the card, we want to sell it to you for 2.5 billion. That's only five percent of your reward. It's a reasonable price, yeah?"

Daniel let go of his weapon, pausing to consider the situation. _More like half... no, more than 80% there's no way_ we would agree to those terms.

Daniel looked between Gon and Killua, hoping they'll turn down the deal. Killua looked towards Gon, smiling at the boy before give Daniel a wicked grin. It looked as though the boy was planning something evil. "Sure..." Killua looked back towards the men "if you get the top score."

Killua looked in the direction of the other players "Everyone else is here for the chance to sell us the final card, too?"

Bisky hummed at the boy's words, agreeing with his assumption "With the game ending, they're all hoping to share in the reward. It looks like they're going to take the quiz in teams. What should we do?" Bisky faced her younger companions, interested to know what they plan to do.

Gon's smile grew as he looked towards Daniel and Killua with determination, a challenge etched into the boy's features "What? We should do it by ourselves."

"Yeah..." Killua agreed, his smile growing wickedly "Whoever scores the highest, gets to penalize the others."

"Okay, I'm in!"

Daniel smiled at the boy's challenge "Prepare to get robbed blind... I bet you I know the most answers!"

"Baka, you'll be lucky to know even one of the answers..."

Daniel summoned his book with an intense stare in Killua's direction "I bet... you know what! I won't bet anything... except for a request."

Killua's raised curious eyebrow was only met with a smile from Daniel "I'll only tell you if I win... I got something prepared on my mind for Gon as well."

Gon was fired up at that comment "It's on!"

The boys sat down, preparing for the match to come ahead.

"~"

Daniel got to work, memories every detail he knew about the cards in his time limit. When the announcement was made, Daniel stopped memorising to prepare for the quiz.

**Then I will now start the quiz. Question one. What is the name of the elder who gives an important hint about #1, Patch of Forest?**

  1. **Hira.**
  2. **Hida.**
  3. **Hiso.**
  4. **Mayu.**
  5. **Hima.**



Killua freaked out over all the answers provided for the first question, hands racking though his hair as if he was trying to jog his memory "Damn! I'm stumped on the first one! Five choices?"

Daniel chuckled at the boy's response, choosing option 'D' for his answer "You have a 20% chance of getting the question right. If you don't know, pick the one you think is right."

Another announcement was made after a minute of silence. **What is the condition to obtain #17, Breath of Archangel?** Daniel listened to the answers provided, choosing to select 'C. Obtain all forty spell cards'.

# **84, Paladin's Necklace, is offered as a prize in a monthly tournament of what?**

Daniel looked through all the answers before choosing option 'A. Steal the Sash' he remembered gaining that card alongside Killua. Like capture the flag, the event required him and Killua to steal everyone's sash, while making sure they still had theirs.

Gon smiled with determination, selecting most likely the same option as Daniel "Yes! I remember what you and Killua did!"

Killua hummed in agreement "Finally, a question I know the answer to."

The quiz continued on for almost two hours, every question given a minute to answer. Eventually it came down to the final question. **And now for the final question... What is the name of card #0?**

  1. **Ruler's Banquet.**
  2. **Ruler's Invitation.**
  3. **Ruler's Reception.**
  4. **Ruler's Welcome**
  5. **Ruler's Blessing**



Daniel selected option 'E. Ruler's Blessing' finding that to be the most reasonable option. The boy let out a groan of relief as Killua one out of agony. It sounded as though Killua didn't know more than half the answers.

**The quiz is over. I will now announce the player with the top score.** There was almost another one minute long pause before the announcement continued. **With a score of 88 out of 100 points, our top scoring player... is** **Darkscryer** **.**

Daniel blinked once, then twice before freaking out "Wait, I got that?!" Gon and Killua got up, cheering as well "Yes!"

Killua cheered with just as much enthusiasm as Gon "We have all one hundred!"

"You did it..." The man with the cyan Barrett stepped up close to the boys, along with his partner with the red hair whom was agreeing "I hate to say it, but you beat us... Congratulations."

Gon smiled at the two members "Thanks. But..." Gon's smile shifted into a cheeky grin "That means Killua gets penalized." Killua glared at Gon, a smirk rivalling the boy's own "Baka, you too are getting penalized!"

Gon blinked in surprise before murmuring out loud "Oh, yeah..." Poking his tongue out at Killua in a cheeky manner, Daniel allowed his own smile to grow at his friends' reactions "I'm gonna enjoy this..." the boy allowed himself to smile evilly at his friends.

Killua turned away, horrified for what Daniel has planned for him. He could hear an impish chuckle start to escape his friend's lips as he pulled out his book "Crap... This is unfair! How many points did I get?"

A bird squawking in the distance stopped Daniel mid chuckle, his eyes looking up to the sky to see what was coming; it looked as though an owl was flying by.

The bird dropped something. Daniel caught the object, holding it in his hand as he looked it over. It was a tiny envelop, containing a letter and card. Daniel gave the letter for Gon to read as Daniel looked at the card.

The card contained a picture of an envelope with a seal. **  
**

**Ruler's Invitation**

**110 SS - 1**

**An invitation from this island's ruler. The envelope contains a map that shows the castle and a badge. Player must have badge to enter the castle.**

Daniel hummed out loud the name of the card " **Ruler's Invitation**..."

Killua hummed at the card's details "Looks like only one with the badge is invited."

Daniel hummed in agreement to Killua's words, eyes looking at the boy as he spoke "It's good that it's not bound to me."

Gon was invested with the letter, eyes scanning the words. Eventually the boy spoke aloud "So **Limeiro** is the capital? The holder of the badge has to go alone?"

Killua smiled, regardless of the now changed situation "It's all good. We'll wait for you by the castle."

The eerier whistling sound of **Accompany** being used of them, alerted the boys of an incoming person or group. Daniel turned towards the yellow orb, seeing two people he hadn't seen for a long time. He remembered them entering the game under Mr. Battera's contract.

They looked as though to be brothers or really close friends. The tall slender man with an afro was being accompanied by a trollish looking, shorter one, whom was fatter when compared to his friend.

As the smaller partner giggled to himself, the man with the afro stroked his chin "Hey, he really got it. That kid really collected all the cards."

The troll looking shorter one spoke for his group "Hey, let's have a contest with all your cards at stake."

"Sorry, but you-"

"Hold this!" Daniel threw the card towards Gon before the man could even finish. Before the men or Daniel's friends could contest the situation, Daniel swept past the tall slender one, kicking him in the back of the knee.

The shorter one slowly turned around to face Daniel but was to slow in doing so. Daniel kicked up on one hand, swinging his whole body into a roundhouse kick. The impact hit the tall man in the face, and followed through by knocking him into his friend like a domino.

Both were knocked out in an instant, unable to retaliate at all.

Daniel hummed in disappointment as Gon smiled at the card "Then I'll take an **Accompany** card."

As Gon's hand was reaching out to grab an **Accompany** card, Killua stopped the boy "Wait, that won't work. We haven't been to Limeiro before."

Daniel summoned his book, flipping through his card "I guess that calls for a **Drift** card instead then..."

Bisky agreed with the boy's quick deduction "That will work. We've already been to the other cities before."

Daniel pulled out the card, looking at the lone traveller traversing the endless desert picture. He focused on the card one final time.

**Drift**

**1016 F - 200**

**Transports you to a previously unvisited city. (If all cities have been visited, Drift is used, without transporting player.)**

**[SR][NORM]**

The boy held out the card as Killua offered to take it from the boy "I'll use **Drift** to go to Limeiro, and then come back for you guys."

Gon smiled at the idea " **Accompany** will work after that."

"~"

Gon parted the group after reaching Limeiro, as the remainder of the group stayed behind, watching the boy leave for the castle.

Bisky hummed as she watched Gon's silhouette become a distant image "I wonder what he's feeling."

"What he's feeling...?" Killua paused to ask himself the question. He did wonder what was going through the boy's mind, what he was feeling. Killua wanted to know those things, to know more about Gon than he was really letting on.

Daniel's words were now getting to him, making the boy really consider his feelings for his best-friend.

His thoughts however, were blocked from thinking further on the topic when Bisky continued "He might meet Ging, after all. The father he's been searching for all this time."

Killua looked in Gon's direction one more time, a smile creeping slowly along his face.

Daniel saw his friend smiling at Gon's long forgotten silhouette, wishing he could somehow direct it towards himself. Daniel could tell the boy was genuinely smiling in his best-friend's direction, and it wasn't forced in any way. It hurt to see Killua looking at someone else with those eyes.

But if he had to put those thoughts aside, and think on Bisky's question. The answer could be anything... None of them would truly know what Gon would be feeling the moment he lays eyes on Ging for the first time. It could be a cluster of multiple feelings all collided into one, or tears of joy...

"~"

Daniel enjoyed the games ending. He enjoyed waving to the crowd as he watched his friends' wave and smile, along the endless fireworks in the background. He enjoyed every moment; eating along with his friends at the banquette, the dancing, bad singing... everything the event had prepared for the winners of the game.

Daniel had walked outside, taking in the night's fresh air as he relaxed his hearing. Between the music and Gon's singing, he couldn't survive another sound effect. But even from outside, he could still hear the quiet waltz of music still emanating inside.

The boy took in a deep calm breath, smiling at the fireworks still going off. It littered the sky in an endless barrage of whistles and colours, of all shapes and sizes.

Daniel shifted his weight on his feet, a sigh escaping his lips as he traced his finger on the balcony to the music coming from inside. A few hums were made before the boy eventually stopped, a sad expression showing when he looked back towards the sky.

He remembered Killua's smile from earlier, and the way he did so towards Gon. Now that it's the end of the Greed Island adventure, he wondered if he should still stay. Did he deserve to still travel along with his friends... with Killua, knowing his harbouring feelings for a boy that may not come true?

Now that he had time to think it over, the answer resonated with an astoundingly loud 'no'. But even then, a part of him still said 'yes', no matter how quiet that sound was. It hurt him, knowing that 'no' was louder than the 'yes'... but it made sense to him. Killua had grown attached to his green geared Hunter, best-friend.

Daniel had been subconsciously pushing Killua away with all the teasing; he only stepped in to help when he thought Killua was in danger. Gon had helped all the time, never once requesting Killua to return the favour, and he rarely did he give the boy an option to do so.

The only time he could think where Gon requested something from Killua, was to go with his on the spur plans.

Daniel requested Killua to like or fall for him as soon as he expressed his feelings, but was met with the complete opposite response. He should have seen it coming, knowing that Killua would never like him the same way he does for the boy.

Daniel hadn't seen Killua standing outside, looking at him intently, until he coughed to alert the boy to his presence.

The boy slowly turned, looking at Killua. As his vision began to blur, Daniel closed his eyes, hoping Killua didn't notice him crying again. Twice it has happened now, his feelings colliding and crushing the boy under its intense pressure. It wasn't until Daniel faced away from the boy; he could suddenly address his friend's presence "Hey, Killua..."

"Hey..."

Silence loomed between them, thick and clingy, stopping the conversation from proceeding further. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later Killua eventually addressed the plaguing question "I wanted to get away from the music..."

Daniel hummed, a finger brought back to the balcony to trace one of the cracks "I find it tranquilizing... when it's not loud, and ringing in your ears..." Daniel eventually stopped tracing, wondering how he could continue the conversation. It wasn't as though the friendship between him and Killua were broken, it was just his feelings trying to push and draw Killua closer.

He wanted more than anything to be closer to Killua, to just revel in the comfort he felt when in the boy's mere presence. But instead, all he felt was feeling alone, even when Killua was watching the fireworks with him.

Daniel felt the music come to an abrupt stop, and then slowly built back up into a tranquil waltz. It was a rhythm the boy could get into. The boy shifted his weight, pushing himself away from the balcony as he kept his eyes closed, shifting his body only to the rhythm.

Killua slowly turned to face Daniel when he saw his friend push away from the balcony, wondering what was going through the boy's mind. The boy had remained silent, never once asking the question Killua thought the boy would bring up.

He watched Daniel dance alone to the music coming from inside. Seeing the boy this relaxed made him crack a smile. This was one of the rare few times he really enjoyed Daniel's presence, not when he compliment him... helping him... when he was relaxed, and going with the flow rather than questioning everything around him.

Even when Killua could tell Daniel was sad, the smile his friend was unconsciously projecting made him smile softly. If Gon's smiles were contagious, forcing everyone alongside him to smile... it was this smile that made everything seems perfect, without flaw.

It wasn't that Killua felt Daniel's current smile was perfect; it was the only trade mark smile Killua could join in with... besides the cheeky one Daniel would do from time to time, where a single tooth would jut out between the cracks of his lips.

When Killua caught himself staring for too long at Daniel, the boy turned away with an apparent blush. He started to feel butterflies in his stomach, trying to eat their way out and let themselves be known to the world.

Every since Daniel's confession, and his questioning thoughts towards Gon, he has felt nothing but confusion; he pondered his feelings for so long, he no longer knew what he should _'feel'_ towards either friend. Perhaps he was in-love with Gon... or perhaps they were childish, innocent feelings...

Killua was drawn out of his thoughts when Daniel decided to speak "Hey, Killua... may I have this dance?"

Killua openly stared, flabbergasted by Daniel's request "Wh... what?"

"You know... when you move your feet and body, typically to music with a partner?"

"I kn-know what _dancing_ is! I mean why do you want to dance with me...?"

Daniel looked towards the sky, saddened by the boy's question "Because I want to..."

Killua tilted his head slightly at Daniel's response, mouth a gap as he thought the scenario over. He wondered for a mere second if he would revel in the moment, or die from embarrassment. Eventually the boy answered; he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the outcome later "Sure..."

He felt his cheeks flair when Daniel walked up to him, roping one hand around Killua's back while the other intertwined their fingers. Daniel didn't say anything, just kept his eyes closed as he moved them to the music.

Killua continued to seriously think about this moment. He felt as though he was lying to himself when he internally wished every day could be like this, relaxing, ignorant of what was happening in the world around them.

Could he fool himself into thinking every day could be like this if he accepted Daniel's feelings, or was this very moment a lucid dream, one that never really happened.

When Killua saw Daniel smile, his eyes still remaining closed, Killua thought something for a split second. _Maybe I could really enjoy this..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, I really hope that Killua isn't out of character for that fluff scene... I really enjoyed writing it!


	75. Rewards X Pregnancy Stone? X Ging?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Fixed up to chapter 53 now :-D
> 
>  **A/N2:** So, recently I moved... My room looks like a cyclone and two tornados hit it. But apart from that, sorry for the long ass delay to uploading this chapter.
> 
> I replied to your comments laster chapter **MSN** and **Nara Chikage**.

Gon had started a conversation, showing his two best-friends and Bisky the reward for completing the game. It was a small blue container, able to hold three cards only. And from what Gon was explaining, it could only be three different restricted card slots.

Killua's eyes sparkled; the choices on what they could take were endless.

Daniel watched Killua, smiling softly in the boy's direction. He still felt perplexed ever since he danced with his friend, but at least now he knows what he wants. Staying by Killua's side, being around him... doing things with him makes him happy, regardless of the circumstances.

As long as Daniel was near Killua, nothing had to change. Everything felt good the way it was...

Daniel's head perked up, looking towards Gon when the boy got to the climax of the topic "Once I've chosen the three cards, I'm supposed to go to the port." Gon was smiling widely, while looking over his own cards.

Bisky held out a finger, prodding Gon for more than he was letting on "Did they tell you about your father?"

"Yeah..." the boy raised his head, now smiling in his teacher's direction "but they don't know where he is right now."

"Oh..." Bisky whined, fuming like a child whom just found out they won't be getting candy. She was disappointed that Gon was not able to find a lead to his father "So I guess the game didn't have any clues."

Killua rolled his eyes at the two's responses before looking towards Gon with his head resting on his hand "Well, that's what the starting message said."

Daniel held out a finger to Gon "Considering we only had a ring and a memory card to go on, we're lucky to be able to access _Greed Island_."

"Yeah, that's true..." Gon's eyes diverted back to the book, before rising back up to look at Daniel as he continued "Though, it's probably Gon's father's cryptic way of teaching his son something..."

Killua made a noise of agreement, leaving Bisky to sigh at the assumption. It wasn't too long before she was smiling once again in Gon's direction. She prop her hands on her knees, leaning forward in excitement from the possibilities of what could happen next "So, what will you do for the three cards?"

Killua opened his eyes to look in Daniel's direction "How are we going to do this? There are four of us, and only three slots... we can't just each pick a card."

Gon and Bisky sighed. Killua was right, but Daniel held his hand out, stopping Killua from continuing to think like that "I'm actually fine with getting nothing from the game. As long as..." Daniel paused, considering his next thoughts. What he really wanted to say was **'As long as I get to stay by Killua's side'** , but his mind wouldn't let him say it out loud.

Daniel pondered the thought for a second longer before speaking "What I got from this game was more than I could ever want. But if I had to choose... **#79,** **Rainbow Diamond** or **#64,** **Witch's Love Potion**."

Killua's cheeks flared at the possible reasoning behind Daniel's choice, but when he looked at Daniel for confirmation, the boy's eyes were closed, as if he was still thinking about it. Killua gulped "Which one if you had to choose...?"

" **#79,** **Rainbow Diamond**..."

Bisky's smile widened "A boy after my own heart!" Daniel's eyes opened, looking towards the girl confused. Bisky was rummaging through Gon's book before producing a card "I want **Blue Planet**!"

Daniel blinked slowly, peaking over as he recalled the card. It was a small blue gem, radiating colours like Killua's eyes. _Maybe I should have chosen that one instead... they're like Killua's eyes. Blue, endless... and probably wonderful gradients glimmering in-between..._ Daniel held out a finger to Bisky "Why that one?"

Bisky fumed at Daniel's response, cheek rubbing against the card as she continuously glared at the boy "BECAUSE! It's the best card in this game..."

"No..." Daniel purred as he pointed out other cards "Any of the Fledging cards, so #37 to #45. And #51..."

Killua flipped through Gon's book, trying to figure out what #51 was. Killua's eyes landed on #51, it was a picture of a small dragon being held in one's palm.

**Miniature Dragon**

**51 S - 10**

**A dragon small enough to fit in your hand. It will obey your commands, and will eventually learn to talk if raised with love.**

Killua snickered at the selection "Really, **Miniature Dragon**?"

"It's adorable... and useful... plus who wouldn't want a palm sized dragon?!"

"You, apparently...! Seeing as your first choice was between #64 and #79."

Daniel's eyes lowered, looking directly into his friend's, the person of whom his heart desire's eyes. But in the end he couldn't think of something witty to say, he just agreed with the boy "I stand corrected..."

Bisky stopped caring when she saw Daniel and Killua were bickering between each other. She instead held Blue Planet even closer "I just can't wait to see the real thing... Which one do you want, Killua?"

Killua flicked his eyes towards Bisky, staring at her in an uninterested manner "I'm still thinking..." Killua let out a long sigh, slowly rolling his eyes in Gon's direction, focusing his attention on his best-friend "What about you? Have you decided, Gon?"

Gon nodded his head "Yeah, I think so."

Killua suddenly became interested in the topic, smiling widely as he stared Gon in the eyes "Really? Which one...?"

Gon searched his book slowly "Let's see..." the boy drew his finger towards the card, pointing out an **Accompany** card "This one."

Bisky had become confused at the selection, wondering why Gon was choosing that card out of all the others "Wait, why this one?"

Daniel was surprised to see the selection, but he had no clue as to why he would select that one. The moment it clicked, was the same Killua had his 'ah ha' moment. Gon had planned to use the card to teleport them to Ging. There was only one problem with the card, it wasn't a restricted card.

"I get it! That makes sense. You're only allowed to take restricted slot cards..." Killua thought about it before nodding with a huge smile "Yep, that sounds fun! When did you have the idea?"

Gon hummed, eyes drawing towards his book. Gon flicked his hand out, pointing towards **Paladin's Necklace** "The moment I saw this card..."

Daniel held out a hand to point out **Transform** "You're going to need this one, and..." Daniel drew his finger across the pages, pointing towards **#7, Pregnancy Stone** "this one!"

**Pregnancy Stone**

**7 S - 10**

**Carry a stone (weighing 7lb. each) for one month and you will get pregnant, even if you're a male. You may choose the sex of the baby by the female or male stone.**

Killua freaked out from Daniel's choice, eyes bewildered as he locked eyes with his friend. Daniel held a cheeky, wolfish smile at his selection "What?! Why that one...?"

"I wanna know their reaction!"

Killua flipped a few pages, pointing out **#1, Patch of Shore** "This one would be better!"

**Patch of Shore**

**2 SS - 3**

**The entrance to a cave called "Poseidon's Cavern." The cave changes its path at each visit, confusing intruders.**

Daniel frowned at Killua's choice. He didn't like the idea that Killua would choose a more useless card, but then again... he did originally choose a joke "Why that one... wouldn't **Breath of Archangel** be better?"

Killua waved off the boy's question with an eye roll "Sure, if you want them to figure out something's up... Next I'll see you recommending..." Killua flicked out his finger to point out **#68, Doyen's Virility Pills**.

**Doyen's Virility Pills**

**68 A - 20**

**A certain part of your atomy will get very frisky. Both endurance and frequency are enhanced. One vial contains 500 pills.**

Daniel blushed at the boy's selection, internally freaking out from Killua's choice. That's the last card he'll ever want to pick, he'd hate turning into a sex maniac, especially seeing as he is:

One, he's not involved with anyone.

And two, has no desire whatsoever to use them with the person he cares for.

God knows what would happen to him, or how powerful those pills actually were "HUH?! Only you would use them...!" Daniel shut his mouth closed, but unfortunately, what he said was already too late.

Killua's cheeks flared from Daniel's words, internally slapping himself for choosing _that_ card. Why couldn't he have chosen something better? Killua immediately scrounged through Gon's book, trying to find a replacement for his first choice.

But it was far too late, and impossible to find something that could outweigh the decision " **Levitation Stone**...?"

Daniel didn't want to know about that card, he was far to disgusted in himself for making such a quick assumption. Granted, he did watch porn with Killua while at Yorknew, but this... this is just stepping over the boundaries.

Trust Gon to step in, dismissing the argument as if everything that transpired, never happened at all "Hmm, I like Daniel's second choice **#51, Miniature Dragon**. I think that would look the least suspicious."

"Y- Yeah..." Killua agree, next pointing towards the **Transform** card "We'll definitely need this one as well..."

Bisky blinked, eyes going wide in confusion, she blankly stared at the other boys, hoping one of them would stop to explain the situation. But neither of them stopped, continuing on with the argument as if everyone else didn't matter.

 Gon stopped the topic, posing a question to his friends "Do you think it will work?"

"Yeah..." was Killua's immediate response, followed by Daniel who was somewhat removed from the conversation "It should... I don't see why not..."

Killua agreed, a blush still showing from his earlier choice with Daniel "And this is the only way to do it!"

"Wait, what is this?"

Bisky's statement was unheard as Daniel continued "Definitely the only way... I don't see any other way, we could take that card."

"What are you talking about?"

Killua turned to face Bisky, too distracted in order to hear her last two questions "You're okay with Blue Planet, Bisky?"

Bisky's mood suddenly shifted, her features darkening, filled with rage. She flicked her hand out, smacking each and every boy's head in before they knew what was coming. She had timed the smacks perfectly with her words "Let me..." Bisky smacked Gon first, and then followed it through to Killua next "in on..."

Bisky's hand landed on Daniel last, hitting him harder than the others seeing as she was making a more demanding point "this!"

The boys groaned in unison, rubbing the spot Bisky had smacked.

"~"

Daniel at the vast open sea alongside Killua, wondering what happens now. Even with his earlier decision, he still had two choices, three if Bisky decides to split from the group as well.

One, stay with Killua and Gon...

Two, finally go home to visit his family...

Three, continue following Bisky, and train endlessly until he's strong enough to protect his friends. But then again... he could do the same thing if he went home as well.

Daniel tapped his chin, wondering which one is the best option for now... If he truly focused, one had the least amount of cons, in his opinion. Daniel let out a long meaningful sigh, which in turn drew Killua's attention "What?"

"I'm just thinking about the future..."

"Gon's plan...? I thought you were on board with it as well."

"No, not Gon's plan... I mean..." Daniel paused, unable to say the words out loud, seeing as Bisky was within ear shot of the conversation "I mean... for me. Is it better I depart, find my own path... or continue alongside Gon," Daniel drew his complete focus to his friend, giving Killua the best sincere smile he could muster "and you...?"

Killua turned his gaze away; he knew exactly what Daniel was thinking. Daniel was thinking about everything, including what he has planned for the future. Was it right for the boy to join them, or find himself a path he could adapt and learn from?

The boy focused for a second, his cheeks tinting from the thought of thinking too long about Daniel. He wanted him to stay, as much as the teasing got out of hand. He liked having Daniel around... If he asked the question when they were on Whale Island, without a doubt he would have said **'find your own path!'**

Now... he wasn't so sure. Daniel should do what he wants, but at the same time... was it wrong of Killua to say 'stay'?

Killua shifted his gaze back to Daniel, the boy's attention directed back out to sea, the same smile never once fading. Killua opened his mouth to speak, but Gon teleporting to them drew his attention.

Bisky had turned as well, smiling in Gon's direction "Welcome back!"

Gon stood up straight, confused at his surroundings. Had the boy been in the game for so long, he could no longer tell the difference between reality and virtual reality. Given the reveal during Razor's fight, he shouldn't be stumped.

Gon turned to face Bisky as he stood up "Yeah. We're back in the real world now?"

Daniel shook his head at the response "We never left..."

"I can't tell."

"That's because Greed Island..." Daniel turned to give Gon his undivided attention "and the real world is two of the same."

Killua chuckled when Gon looked about ready to fizzle out of confusion "The game is a part of the real world, Gon."

Bisky couldn't wait a second longer, bringing her hands to her face as she gave the boy the biggest smile she could muster "Hey, hurry up! Bring out your binder..."

Gon nodded, a smile gracing his lips as he raised his ring hand forward "Book."

The small case Gon had shown them back on Greed Island appeared in front of him instead of the normal book, opening up when the boy brought it down to his eye level height.

Bisky was already at Gon's side, grabbing the **Blue Planet** to summon the card before anyone could stop her, not that any of them would get in her way.

Killua, Gon and Daniel squirmed on the spot as soon as Bisky started yelling in glee. She held the gem close to her cheek, rubbing it into her face as if she was trying to merge with the rock's 'prettiness'. "This is it! This is what I wanted! The **Blue Planet** I've dreamed of for so long! I'm so happy! What should I name it? Pla-Chan? Maybe Blue-Chan? Planet-Chan? Yep, I'll go with Planet-Chan!"

The boys continued to stare at her, unblinking as she rattled of some random names for her newest treasure. Daniel so badly wanted to scream out **'I'm not with crazy!'** but the thought of what Bisky would do after hearing that frightened the boy. What would her reaction be after being called _crazy_?

Bisky eventually made a 'subtle' cough, alerting the boys that her rant towards naming an inanimate objected a _cute_ name was now over. She turned her head slightly away, pretending as if nothing happened "So, are you sure about the two you picked?"

Killua nod in affirmation, a cheeky smile spreading across the boy's face "Yeah, these are the best ones, right?"

When Killua looked towards Gon, the boy returned a smile "Yep!"

"Then let's give it a go!"

Daniel crossed his arms, constantly tapping one arm as he watched Gon's every move.

Gon picked up **#84, Paladin's Necklace** as Killua held **#51, Miniature Dragon**. Gon summoned the necklace first, the chain instantly wrapping around his neck before Killua handed him the next card. It was the moment of anticipation, the card that either breaks or makes their next plan a reality.

The moment Gon held #51 in his hand was when the necklace started to glow. Smoke was emitted off #51, slowly changing into an **Accompany** card. Gon jumped into the air, cheering loudly after the plan worked "Yes! It worked!" **Miniature Dragon** was successfully swapped out with an **Accompany** card.

Daniel smiled when Killua praised Gon's plan, but soon the boy's smile faltered. _What now...?_ He still had the three options available to him, _which_ one offers the best choice?

Daniel shifted his gaze to Bisky, wanting to ask her for her unbiased opinion. But as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he immediately closed it.

Bisky's attention was focused elsewhere "I see."

Her attention was focused on Gon and Killua, a glint in her eyes from having all the pieces of the puzzle falling in place "You used **Transform** to make **Accompany** a restricted slot card, then used **Paladin's Necklace** to revert it. That's clever thinking... But I'm surprised you'd do all that for an **Accompany** , rather than choose a restricted slot card."

"Yeah..." Gon looked towards Bisky; his expression softening from what he was about to say "Well, if I hadn't been the first one of us to enter the game, I probably wouldn't have noticed."

Bisky stared dumb-folded at the boy, blinking several times in confusion; she had no idea what Gon was talking about, or forgotten what the boy was referencing.

The noise Bisky made, made Killua open one eye, and look in her direction "Remember when we played rock-paper-scissors here?"

"Rock-paper-scissors...?" Bisky blinked several more times before Daniel answered "What order we entered the game was decided by rock-paper-scissors..."

"Yeah," Gon beamed at Daniel's explanation "I was the first to enter the game. And while I was waiting for Killua and Daniel, no one else was around. Which means the first person I met in the game should have been the second one to go in, Goreinu-San. But when I checked my binder, there was someone I met before him, Nigg. Ging is spelled  
G-i-n-g."

Daniel blinked several times at Gon's reasoning, finding that being too easy to have been figured out "The reason you wanted an **Accompany** card was to visit Nigg, or in this case Ging? You believe that **Accompany** should theoretically transport you to Ging..."

Gon nodded in confirmation "My guess is that when I was a baby, I came here with Ging. He was probably trying to tell me this: **If I'm ready to give up everything to find him, I have to get strong enough to clear the game...** "

Bisky gave the boy a warm smile "Your dedication is really something. Well? What will you do once you find Ging?"

"Actually..." Daniel uncrossed his arms, holding them out before continuing "Why take **Accompany**...? Couldn't you do the same with **Magnetic Force**?" Daniel felt he already knew the answer, but secretly wanted to hear the reasoning from the horse's mouth.

Killua was completely shocked by Daniel's statement. Something even seemed wrong about Daniel when he looked at his friend. But he couldn't exactly tell what about the boy seemed off.

Gon looked towards Daniel in surprised, but as soon as their eyes connected, he knew something was up. Even with the curious gaze, the smile... Daniel was hiding what was truly feeling. He looked as though deep inside, he was destroyed, or at least crying about something. There were several reasoning's why Daniel would ask such a question, but the one that stood out the most was who he standing the furthest way from.

Killua...

Gon didn't realise it until now that Daniel was hanging far away from Killua. Gon's smile soon softened, saying what Daniel needed to hear most "I... I don't want us to part just yet. I want to introduce my two best-friends in the whole world to Ging! Killua and Daniel!"

Daniel soon started to smile for real, even when his expression was unchanging. However, Killua was completely caught off guard by Gon's bold statement. Did Gon never feel shame, or bashful at all? _Why out of all the people of the world I had to become friends with, I picked the one that had no shame whatsoever? Wait... Daniel's equally just as bad!_

Killua turned to face Gon, cheeks rosy red "Stupid! Cut that out! You too..." the boy shifted his body to point at Daniel in an accusing manner.

Daniel blinked once in surprise before throwing his arms up in defence "What did I do?!"

"The same thing Gon does... Say things in an embarrassing manner..." Killua turned his head away in embarrassment, refusing to look either boy in the face.

Daniel could only smile at his friend as Gon laughed at the same boy's reaction. Killua immediately turned to face the boy who was laughing, poking him furiously until Gon stopped.

Gon didn't stop until Bisky was crying loudly, words being spoken between each sob "Stop it... I can't take this!"

Killua was the first to shift his gaze towards Bisky, a frown mixed with confusion from Bisky's reaction. Gon speaking his mind was nothing to cry over... it was just really embarrassing to hear.

Gon and Daniel quirked their head to the side, unsure why Bisky was crying; however the main difference between the boy's facial expressions was that Daniel had a poker face while Gon had a soft smile, mixed with a fraction of curiosity.

Bisky blew here nose a few times into a hanky she seemingly pulled out of nowhere; it wasn't like her dress had any noticeable pockets "It must be age..." The woman blew her nose again before wailing once again through sobs of tears "It doesn't take much to make me cry..."

Killua awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as Daniel thought about the things that would leave Bisky devastated. What would make the woman unable to pick herself up from all the sobbing? Daniel rubbed his chin to seriously think about the topic.

Gon asked his mentor a question "Hey, wanna come with us to see Ging?"

It was as if the question itself stopped Bisky from sobbing. Her tears almost instantly dried up from the question, but neither could the boys tell because Bisky's back was turned towards them "No, I'll pass... I'm not interested in men who already have kids."

Daniel smiled, cracking a joke from the situation "Then you'll never want to meet any of my parents!"

Killua let out a huff of annoyance "I'm definitely never fulfilling that man's prophecy!"

Daniel allowed himself to laugh at Killua's comment. Daniel was pretty sure he'll never want Killua to meet his parents, but the thought of introducing Killua made him pause in mid thought. What would he say if he had to introduce Killua?

**Best-friend...**

**_Lover..._ **

How would he introduce Killua if he ran into his parents?

Gon turned to face Killua and Daniel, a smile ensuing from the mild change of situation "Okay. Are you coming Daniel?"

Daniel paused to ask himself the question one final time. Will he join them... or stay? As much as he wanted to stay and become stronger through his own means, his true desires stopped him. A huge smile spread across his face, a tooth barely peaking out through his lips "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Deep down, that's how the boy truly felt amongst his friends... his best-friends. No matter how strong his feelings for Killua were, there was something that was irreplaceable if he left now. It was a friendship to last a lifetime...

What Gon and Killua offered through friendship, nothing could replace it; no amount of training, deserts or Killua's favourite chocolate, could replace the void that would be lost after he stopped adventuring beside them.

Killua diverted his attention away from his friends, there's no way Daniel said what he just said without a hint of embarrassment! Did Daniel have no shame, admitting Killua and Gon were more important than **the world**?

Gon smiled at Daniel's response before looking to face Killua with the same question. Killua nodded, eyes diverted. For a split second, Gon thought he saw Killua blushing again "Well, take care..." the boy turned to face Bisky one final time "Bisky."

Bisky finally turned around at Gon's words, addressing the boy's comment with a soft smile, no tears to be seen in sight "Yeah. You, too..."

Gon threw out his arms, a slight bow in respect towards his now departing master "Thank you very much!"

Killua repeated Gon's pose, the same statement being agree to "Osu!"

Daniel for some reason felt like doing something different. The boy pressed both feet together, bowing with one arm behind his back while the other was being held out like an offering. If he thought about everything Bisky helped guide them with, nothing, could be offered more as thanks than this pose. No words were said, but the boy held the pose before straightening up.

They all stood there, smiling for what felt like an eternity. Bisky eventually nodded at the boy's poses and determination, to allow the ball to get rolling once again, and new adventure to start all over again.

Gon held up the card, yelling the words out they were used to hearing so many times " ** _Accompany_** _on!_ Nigg!"

What was awaiting the boys now, neither of them knew. But a new adventure was bound to start once they met Ging. What the man would show them, or offer was something they could never dream to replace.

Ging after all... was the most obscure, and hard to find Hunter after all. If the 'obscure' Hunter was to offer anything, it was a treasure hunt neither of the boys would ever give up on.


	76. Kite X Ging X Ants?

The area the boys landed in was barren, except for the large cherry tree overlooking a pond, possibly even a river. Everyone looked around for Ging. It was foggy, hard to tell if anyone was nearby, but after using Accompany so many times before, they had to be within a twenty five meter distance of 'Nigg'.

The fog started to slowly clear, allowing the boys to search the area more easily.

A lone man sat at the base of the cheery tree, hidden by the fog and tree, a rod in his hands. Petals from the tree continuously fell, the man having no idea he was being watched.

Daniel stared at the man's back, wondering if he was playing dumb, or he actually didn't know they were standing there. But there was no way he didn't hear them landing.

Gon eventually spoke, muttering the name everyone was thinking of out loud "G... Ging?" Gon took a step forward, the ground crunching from the foot step.

If the man didn't know they were there, he did now. Between Gon muttering his name and ground crunching, the man turned slowly, an eye peeking out from between his large hat at jacket.

Without warning, the man got up, dropping his fishing rod. Within a second, long before the rod could even hit the floor, he was already in front of them, swinging his hand out at them to knock them aside.

Daniel barely caught a glimpse of the man knocking him and his friends aside. He had long white hair and eyes narrowing down on Daniel and his friends.

The man moved so quickly, leaving no time for any of the boys to react. His hand curled out, calling a small object with a clown's face, a question mark on the clown's hat. It also had comically large hands, feet and mouth.

The clown like object spoke "I got a slot machine in my mouth! It goes from one to nine. Each number summons a different weapon. This is my **_Crazy Slots_**! Give me something good..."

Daniel was startled by the clown making a large gargling sound, numbers flashing by like an endless film of numbers. The boy didn't know how to react, between getting swatted aside like flies and the obnoxiously loud clown _Nen_ like object, he had no idea how he should be reacting "W... WHAT THE HELL?!"

Only more questions were brought to the boy's mind when the clown yelled a number "Four!" Aura extended from the clown's feet, creating a long stock that connected to a handgun with a large pipe attached to the gun's muzzle.

The man finally spoke, putting a voice to the man's face "Damn, bad roll..." He sounded annoyed at the clown's random selection, pointing his gun at Gon.

The clown was annoyed at his owner's statement, and reacted in a negative manner to the words "Shut up! You should be grateful, you idiot!"

Daniel had to move fast or watch his friend get shot at, pumped with an endless barrage of holes. The boy placed his hands on the ground, aura forcing his shadows to ripple out. It was a blur for the next few seconds.

The moment the first shot was fired, Killua had already pushed Gon out of the way. The shadowed  hands curled out, attacking the man. Eyes reacted in surprise, but he easily dodged the attack, unloading an endless barrage of _Nen_ bullets into the ground where Gon once was.

Rather than being angry with the man, Daniel was left with only more questions. The man had destroyed an ant's nest, and the only reason Daniel knew it was an ant's nest was because of Killua's reaction, and statement of confusion "An ant?"

Daniel turned to face his friends to pose a question, the man had already put out his own first "Are you hurt?"

They were all stunned at the man's question, unable to answer him.

When he removed his cape, Gon's surprise faltered into a sad expression. It wasn't Ging. He looked nothing like Ging. Nigg wasn't an anagram for Ging, it was this man's actual name "That isn't Ging..."

Killua and Daniel was surprised at the same time. The man wasn't Ging like Gon hoped, it was another dead end. This man was Nigg, someone Gon may have met before when he was a baby back on Greed Island.

Killua didn't like the new situation they were thrusted into. His own words mixed with the irritation in his voice "Hey... What was that about? First you push us down, then you fire at us! Enough fooling around!"

The man's eyes widened slightly at the boy's words, but he sounded more confused that concerned "Fooling around...?" Each step the man took towards the boys only further irritated Killua and Daniel, and left Gon more confused "I was being dead serious. If I hadn't opened fire, you would have been attacked."

"By what?!" Killua's voice was being straining, barely hiding the anger between each word "The ant you shot?" Killua stood up to stomp on one of the mutilated ants, but the one the boy was about to stomp on looked as though it came back to life, attacking the boy instead.

"Ow! What is this?"

Daniel rushed to Killua's side when the boy yelped in surprise. The boy instinctually reached for the ant at the same time as Killua. But instead of pulling it off, he was pushed away by the man again, and barely saw the same man hitting Killua hard in the chest, knocking said boy to the ground.

"Idiot!" Daniel's rage fuelled to life, but was left only more confused by the man's words and reaction at swatting the ant away with a hat. The man caught his gun after just placing his hat on, shooting the remainder of the mutilated ant into much tinier pieces "That's no ordinary ant. It's a _Chimera_ Ant."

Killua asked a question, unsure of what a Chimera Ant was "A Chimera Ant?"

"An aggressive, carnivorous insect, currently under class-1 quarantine. From time to time, they even attack humans. You were standing right in front of their nest. Had I not fired, a Chimera Ant army would have consumed you by now."

The man faced the nest back in irritation, Gon's words leaving only more questions unanswered "I feel like this has happened before..."

Daniel got up to his feet, unconcerned by Gon's question, more focused on the wound Killua got. The boy was surprised the ant was able to pierce Killua's skin, and was worried about the blood trickling down the boy's leg "Killua, you're bleeding?!"

Killua's cheeks tinted at the concern radiating out of Daniel, and was about to chastise the said boy for being concerned about him. But the man's sigh leaving his lips only added more to the scenario "Don't worry, it's not serious."

The man produced a gourd for Killua to take "Apply this. It's an antibiotic." Daniel took it instead, applying some to his fingers before pressing them into Killua's wound.

Killua winced at the sudden touch, but rather than the boy being annoyed, the clown like _Nen_ object was instead "What? That's it? Let's go nuts, man!"

"Shut up... Go away." The _Nen_ clown left in a puff of smoke.

Daniel paused to question the man's ability. He seemed irritated at the ability's usefulness. Even though the summoned object was random, there were nine chances, and nine different objects to be used. Who knows what the other eight are, and whether or not 'four' was his least favourite.

Standing up, the man let out another sigh, though this one was more calmer than irritating "You should leave, as well. Damn..." The man let out a groan, turning around to walk away from the boys "Because of this interruption, I'll need to start over. But the nest was destroyed. Man, forced to take another life..."

Gon made a noise of surprise at the man's statement "Ah!"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Gon's reaction "What...?"

Killua reaction to Gon's noise also made the man stop, wondering what one of the boys were surprised about. Instead of Gon answering Daniel's question and Killua's surprise, the boy posed another question "Are you..." Gon held a hand to his left cheek, as if the cheek held a memory of its own "Are you the one who saved me back then?"

The man stopped, confused by the boy's question. What did he mean by **'Back then?'** He didn't remember bumping into this boy, or at least to his own memory "Back then...?"

Gon curled his legs back, sitting on his legs as he placed both hands on his knees "On Whale Island, after I stumbled into the territory of a Foxbear with its cub."

"Whale Island...?" The man was even more surprised by Gon's words, still unsure what the boy was talking about.

"That time, too, you had to kill, in order to protect me."

The man continuously stared at Gon before suddenly smiling. It was something from long ago, back when this boy was way younger than he was now "Oh, yes. I remember now." Looking away, the man allowed himself to smile softly "I never expected to run into you again here. You've grown..."

The man shifted his gaze back to Gon, smiling at the boy this time "Gon."

Every boy reacted to the man's quick guess. The fact that he knew the boy's name without having to make a second guess, gave away the secret that he was someone Gon knew well.

Gon however, showed no signs to knowing who this man was "How do you know my name?"

"I heard it from your dad, Ging-San..."

The boys' eyes open widely. They were not expecting that being the reason for how he knew who Gon was. Whoever Nigg was, they had to be very close to Ging. He was possibly a work colleague, friend, student, or could even be prior lover "Ging?!"

Daniel grit his teeth. He had to know what kind of connections this man had to Ging, and why he referred to Ging as Ging-San. But Gon was faster at asking than Daniel was "Old man, you know Ging?"

The man's eyes darkened, hidden by his hat. He was surprised by Gon's quick assumption "Old..." Turning away, the man regained his lost pride, adjusting his hat as if he was trying to act unfazed. It was a few seconds before he was focusing on the boys once again "Yeah, my name is Kite."

_Kite..._

Kite was the name of the man who had a close connection to Ging. Whether it was because he was a previous work colleague, friend, student or more... Daniel wanted to know "How do you know Ging so intimately?"

"Hmmm...?" Kite turned to face Daniel "Ging-San was my master."

This had to be some seriously blind luck. They went from playing a game Ging made with his friends, to a student of Ging's with a single card. The boys were surprised by the information, but Gon wasn't so surprised for long. Soon he was smiling widely "Tell me more!"

"~"

The fire crackled well into the night, serving as a light to illuminate the darkness and cook their food.

Kite had listen to the boys talk for many hours, a soft smile escaping his lips every so often. They talked about many stories, detailing their life up until their point of meeting Kite.

After Daniel had even listen to their own story, he couldn't help but smile about how much had changed between them, and how far in life they had come.

Kite eventually addressed one of their earlier statements "So you're now pro Hunters"

"Yup!" Gon offered the biggest smile he could before speaking again "Are you one too, Kite-San?"

Kite's frowned slightly at the boy's words "Just call me Kite. It's awkward being addressed formally by my master's son."

"Okay. Then, you're one too, Kite?"

"Yeah," Kite's smile soon returned at Gon's change of tune "Ging-San was the one who made me a top-class Hunter. He was my teacher and benefactor. If I hadn't met Ging-San, I'd have died long ago, in the alley of a slum..."

Kite soon feel silent, staring off into the open flame.

Daniel compared Kite's scenario with his sister, Zaikaria's. They sounded almost identical, their life turned upside down after meeting a Hunter who became special to them. Daniel vaguely remembered his sister detailing her own story when he was old enough to hear.

He remembered being annoyed, even angry to hear they thought of her as a monster. She lived her life on the streets, scrounging around for the next meal, or the occasional passers-bys' wallet.

Kite had many partners in crime, animals that he shared his life with. Zaikaria... had no one.

But that all changed when she got caught red handed, stealing from the worst possible type of people... a gang member. She didn't even know they were gang members, until it was too late.

What she said next made the boy want to vomit. The gang members, monsters beat her like she was nothing more than a rag doll, a punching bag to get their frustrations out on. But that day, she was so damn lucky. Whether it was by blind luck or not, Vastorie crossed paths with her.

The thugs stopped, running away with their figurative tails between their legs. The boy knowing what he now knows, his father, Vastorie must have used _Ren_ at some point. Zaikaria was scared to trust Vastorie, but she's glad she took the man's hand.

He showed her a world of comfort, breathing life into what Zaikaria thought was only a dead, untrusting world. That part of the story made him smile, but soon frown afterwards. He never saw that side of Vastorie, _NEVER_...

His dad was always the complete opposite around him, teasing him, making jokes... he never saw the side Zaikaria brought up in that story. Maybe somewhere down the line he changed, or maybe he just didn't show that side of him around Daniel.

For whatever reason he didn't show it, he was sure he'll eventually find out.

Daniel hadn't notice he was staring at Killua until Gon continued the conversation along, somehow listen to Kite made Daniel stare off into Killua's direction while Gon brought his back "That was how you met Ging?"

Daniel blinked several times in confusion before drawing his concentration back to Kite. The boy had barely listened to Kite's story, the more he thought about it. But he did remember Kite mention how he met Ging, vaguely. Ging was surrounded by animals.

"Yeah..." Kite hummed, letting the boy know everything he said truly happened. "Ging-San said that good Hunters are well-liked by animals. He said I had potential, so I got interested."

"Interesting..." Daniel held out a finger "So animals are attracted to Hunters." _Gon's going to be the best Hunter then... animals flock to him like magnets... including the human animals..._ The boy cracked a smile at Gon, hoping that his last thought ends at Hisoka.

Killua mildly agreed with Daniel "And then you became his student?"

"I wish..." Kite groaned aloud, holding out his hand in a lazy manner "I had to force him to teach me. He hated dealing with any kind of hassle... So I was never his student officially. But I was a stubborn one... I kept bugging him."

Daniel chuckled at Kite's scenario "He's my dad's polar opposite, he deals with nothing but hassles..." _And he's a hassle to others as well, me included..._

Gon hummed at the idea, smiling widely at the positive point out towards his friends own father, while Killua rolled his eyes at Daniel, wishing for a split second he could've swapped lives with Daniel.

Kite smiled at the boys conversing, speaking once the silence started to settle in "Eventually, I started to develop my _Nen_ , and he began teaching me to hunt." Kite noticed the fish had already cooked during his story, so he handed one each to the boys as he continued along with his story "As a result, I was able to pass the Hunter Exam with little difficulty. But before Ging-San was satisfied, I had to clear another hurdle."

Kite handed one to Daniel last, the boy thanking him as he received his fish. As the man sat down, grabbing the last one for himself, he posed the question "Can you guess what it was?"

Gon's fingers tightened on the stick skewered through his fish, ideas forming into his head. The could be only one situation the boy could think of, and it was the same scenario he was in... to find Ging "I think I might know..."

Kite's smile widened "Oh...?"

"No, I definitely know."

Daniel hummed in agreement, interjecting before Gon could say "A game of hide and seek."

Gon smiled at Daniel, and it only widened further when he turned to face Kite "Ging would have said... **Try and catch me.** "

Kite had remained silent, expressionless until Gon said his piece. Those were the exact words Ging said to him long ago, a game which forced the man to chase after a shadowless person. It took him a long time to catch his master, following only dead ends, non-existent leads for a long time before meeting him "Exactly. You're right."

Killua and Daniel were surprised Gon got the exact words right, or at least he did considering Kite didn't object.

Gon smile widened further, which made Daniel wonder how the boy's cheeks weren't hurting at this point. "I knew it! I figured that was it!"

"But as far as I knew, he was the world's greatest Hunter. It was going to be the most difficult hunt ever. There were no clues or leads to begin from. And I didn't hear word of a single sighting. He managed to completely erase his existence from this world."

Daniel chuckled "So he's worse than the invisible man! Gon, we have a long way ahead of us before we find Ging..." the boy popped the fish into his mouth, chewing down on the fish as he waiting for Gon's reaction.

"Huh huh!" Gon agreed with the boy, his eyes drawing back to Kite after smiling in Daniel's direction "So... So what happened in the end?"

"I was struggling, and grasping for a single clue, so I went to his home. To Whale Island. That was when I met you, Gon..." Gon was surprised by the man's words, unable to fathom why that was a key point in Kite's story. "But back then, I didn't realize that you were Ging-San's son. I didn't learn that until I'd found Ging-San and told him about what had happened on Whale Island."

Kite got quiet all of a sudden, the chewing of Daniel and Killua and the fire crackling being the only sounds heard. It was a minute before Kite started to speak "Ging said... **_That was my kid... His name is Gon. Thanks for hitting him. It's common sense to avoid Foxbear territory when they're raising young._** "

As Gon was awestruck from the story Ging's student told, Daniel frowned "I didn't know that... but then again, I don't live on an island surrounded by a forest... I live in small or medium sized cottage surrounded by a forest I never explored. I was too busy training and playing games to go exploring..."

Kite chuckled at the boy's after thoughts "For someone who grew up in the forest, it's something you must know or at least learn. Although, Ging wasn't surprised that I went to Whale Island or that I met you, Gon, there. It was almost as though he'd expected it. Looking back, it may be that everything's gone according to Ging-San's plans."

Daniel held his fist to his chin, thinking of those words carefully. That meant Ging was a manipulator, or at least close to being one. For a man to think that far ahead, even planning how Gon and Kite carried themselves, and planned well into future... it took serious chain events to occur.

That meant Kite meeting Gon when he was young wasn't just a coincident, it was planned without making any serious moves. Did that mean no matter what Gon did, it will always end in a checkmate, his father always winning.

If so, was this intervention between Kite and Gon also another one of Ging's well placed moves? As Daniel mulled the thoughts over, it seemed as though Killua was thinking the same thing "Are you saying he set this up?"

"I was thinking the same thing, Killua..." Daniel turned to look at his friend, addressing the question "That means he's a skilled Manipulator... I don't even think my father could plan this far into the future...

Kite spoke after Daniel, addressing both of the boys' concerns "Well, I can't prove it..."

Gon quirked his head, eyebrows knitting together as if he was thinking hard on Kite's words "You might be right..."

Killua and Daniel looked towards the boy, curious to know why he thought that. Gon thinking about his father setting him up for constant trials, that's a serious allegation. There was a pulling feeling, something running in the background of their lives, guiding them to their next goal. But, was Ging's plan for Gon to meet Killua, or even Daniel along the way, to travel alongside his friends as they too join in Gon's trials...?

It was hard to say, because there was no way for a single human to plan that far ahead without collateral damage...

Gon however made a point, something that seemed to like Kite's meeting with another's "Razor was waiting for me. And Dwun and List."

"Razor...?" Kite curiously as he quirked an eyebrow "Dwun...?"

Killua hummed at Kite's question, answering it in his own words "Yeah, in a game called _Greed Island_... It's a long story."

Daniel smiled "I'll shorten it then. Basically, it's a game about collecting cards... and one of the cards allowed us to get to you, because your name 'Nigg' was recorded in it."

Gon nodded, smiling at the words before continuing off Daniel's words "Yeah! In the game, a guy named Razor was waiting for me, at Ging's request." The boy recalled the situation of what Razor said during his meeting with Ging " **My son will come here one day. When that happens, give him a good beating...** "

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Gon's memories "Your father is evil..."

Gon shook his head at his friends words, a smile returning as he continued along "Dwun and List were among Ging's ten friends who helped him create _Greed Island_. Oh, Razor was also one of them... Anyway, those three were waiting for me.

"When I learned that, I realized something." Gon's smile soon faltered, eyes drawn to the fire crackling in front of him. "If Ging planned for me to go to _Greed Island_ and meet his friends, meeting Bisky and the others may have been another part of his plan."

"That's a crazy allegation!" Daniel freaked out in disbelief, finding no connection between meeting Ging's friends and the others. It was crazy to think that somehow Ging made Bisky want to join Greed Island in order to get a single gem made only in that game.

Killua slightly objected to Daniel and Gon's scenario, picking neither side on that matter "In that case, it's possible that Ging also planned that you'd meet Kite here."

"Huh...?"

Daniel objected again "But, then Ging also planned for Gon to meet Kurapika, Leorio, you and even myself... that's pretty farfetched..."

Killua hummed, cheeks tinting at the possible chance of Ging forcing the three of them to meet "Sure, I guess so..."

"Then there's also that _thing_ , Ging couldn't have planned that..."

"Thing...?" Gon curiously asked, Killua dismissing the situation with rosy cheeks "AH, that doesn't count. Sure he couldn't plan for that _thing_ , but it doesn't mean he isn't dictating where Gon goes next, and who's he going to..."

Gon pondered the words for a second, wondering if his father did plan for him to meet Killua and Daniel. But the words soon fell on deaf ears when Gon looked towards Kite for his input. Instead the boy remembered an earlier point "Oh, that's right! Daniel, didn't you mention before about Nigg?"

"Yeah..."

Kite looked up, curious to know about what Gon was thinking of, and whom this Nigg fellow was. He vaguely remembered Daniel calling him Nigg earlier, and a remark about how the boys got to him with a card.

Gon beamed at the earlier statement "Kite, you must have been to _Greed Island_ before."

"Me...?" Kite paused, considering Gon's words.

"Yea, did you register under the name **Nigg**?"

"Nigg...?" There's another boy, saying the name he didn't recognise. He couldn't recall the name 'Nigg' being mentioned anywhere in his life. "No, I don't recall that name. Wait... I do remember Ging-San taking me inside a game..."

"I knew it!"

" _Greed Island_..." Kite considered the boy's words carefully, trying to recall the name of the game Ging took him into "yeah, I believe that was its title. But I can't remember if I used an alias..."

"That must be it... Ging must had you use the name Nigg." Gon accused the man, which Daniel objected "Ging might have changed Kite's name. He is after all one of the game masters... So when Kite entered the game, he might have named himself 'Kite', but then Ging later changed his name to 'Nigg'... but that still didn't explain how Kite's alias appeared in your book... The only way I can think of is Ging was wearing a newly generated ring with Kite's name being the only name on his book."

Gon let out a long wail of groans "No way! Damn! He tricked me!"

Killua chuckled at Gon's immediate response "You were so sure you'd meet him, huh?"

Daniel crossed his arms at Killua's words "Still... that's evil to get Gon's hopes up. But that still brings us back to square one..."

"Yeah..." Killua hummed in agreement as Gon soon quieted down. Gon still could believe his father once again lead him to a dead end.

Now that the situation was established, Gon continued on, explaining about what had transpired during _Greed Island_. There was nothing else the boys could think to talk about, so what had happened during the game was a great topic to talk about.

"~"

Kite eventually spoke, addressing the boys' concerns once again after listening to Gon's story "I understand. So the game _Greed Island_ was created to train you boys."

"Only Gon, really..." Killua objected, which Daniel agreed to disagree "But we did benefit of the training as well."

"True... I- we, just ended up tagging along for the ride." Killua hummed, eyes drawn back to the fire crackling beneath him.

Gon looked over towards his friends, smiling warmly at them. He didn't seem to think so. In fact, he believed that meeting his friends was also something his father predicted "I think that may have been part of Ging's plan, too."

"What...?" Killua raised his head to look at Gon curiously "Even us? Nah, I agree with Daniel here. There is no way, Ging predicted us two tagging along! It's impossible!"

"However," Kite interjected back into the conversation, drawing the boys' gazes back to himself "it appears that our meeting here wasn't coincidence."

"Yeah..." Killua spoke up, agreeing with Kite "that, I can agree with. There must be a deeper meaning to this."

Gon considered Killua's words, accessing the situation while simultaneously asking Killua the unknown answer to the question "Meaning...?"

Daniel stepped in, thinking he knew what Killua had to say "Well, Razor played the part of making you stronger. Without him, or _Greed Island_ , you would have never gotten those challenges."

Killua nodded at Daniels words before looking towards Kite "That means Kite must have some role to play. And the question is what does Ging, think that is..."

Kite hummed the thought out loud "A role..."

The silence was thick in the air, leaving everyone to come up with their own scenarios. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later Killua decided to ask another question "Your final test was finding Ging, right?"

"Yeah...?"

"That sounds like a daunting task. The best Hunters in this world are masters of not only hunting, but concealing themselves as well. Yet you were able to find him."

"Oh..." Gon joined in as well, agreeing with Killua's statement. Ging has been hard to find a single clue to, so the question is how did Kite find him so easily "Yeah, that's true."

Killua continued along, seeing as Daniel didn't interject like last time "Once you cleared your final test, Ging must have decided you were worthy of handling this."

"Handling this...?" Gon curiously asked his best-friend, unsure what Killua was insinuating here "Handling what?"

"Handling what?" Killua paused to ask himself the question. What is Kite handling here "Basically..." the boy was lost for words, unsure where he was heading with that idea. He didn't know what Kite was supposed to _handle_.

Daniel tapped his chin, wondering the same. What is Kite's role in all of this? If Razor was to help train Gon, was Kite's to do the same, at a more advanced level...? Or was it to provide an end goal to something Gon desired?

Kite eventually spoke after the seemingly endless sound of crackling fire, his gaze turned to Gon to pose a question. He was looking at the boy in a serious manner, questioning the said boy "Say, Gon..." the man made sure the boy was focusing on him when he posed the question "Want me to tell you Ging-San's current whereabouts?"

Ideally, Daniel agreed that was the best question. Kite definitely had to know where Ging was. Gon's father was Kite's master after all, so it would be fitting he knew where he was. But the question was...

Did Gon want the help...?

Or did Gon want to do it all on his own, with only his friends to join in and help...?

It wasn't long before Gon's questioning gaze turned into a small smirk "No, I'll find him on my own."

Kite's questioning gaze turn into a smile at Gon's words "A good response."

Killua cracked a smile at Gon's words, unaware his smile seemed almost envious of Gon's waiting endeavours.

Daniel felt slightly jealous from the way Killua was looking at Gon, but the boy _did_ admit to having slightly confused feeling towards his best-friend. But he was still unsure whether or not Killua was questioning his own feelings like Daniel was.

BUT, he did feel envious, wanting to be able to read Killua's every thought. At times he would feel jealous, but at the same time, knowing what he was feeling would help the boy to gauge his thought process, and maybe direct Killua to express his feelings more often.

Killua didn't seem to live in a household where feelings were expressed, whereas Daniel did. So maybe he could help Killua in some way figure out his feelings more easily if he had a idea where to direct Killua.

Killua's gaze lingered a second longer on Gon before he was looking back towards the fire. He couldn't help but continue to smile. Gon had an idea, a goal to find his father. And he didn't want a single clue which would lead him to his end goal.

Gon didn't exactly want to leave his friends behind from a single clue, he wanted to travel beside them until they reached that end goal. It for some reason made him question his lingering feelings for the boy. He liked helping Gon reach his end goal. But the question was, was it because he was Gon's best-friend, or was there something more... Something that eventually ended where Killua was side-by-side with Gon?

Gon's smirk turned into a smile, his gaze directed toward Kite's own "Anyway, tell me about Ging. Tell me everything you know!"

Kite's smile winded at the question "Okay!"

The night continued on, Kite telling stories about his history with Ging. It went well into the night, Gon unable to stop smiling at the stores, which in turn made neither Killua or Daniel's smile fade.

Gon was an adventure, and these stories were just fillers before the adventure started up again.


	77. Kite X Questions X Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Fixed up to chapter 57 now :-D

Kite branched off Ging's stories, slowly leading into the topic of achievements. While they were vast, they had their own strange sense of charm. From what Kite detailed, the man sounded close to a Beast Hunter at this point. But many of his stories linked to other departments, ranging from strange... to strangest...

Gon blinked from Kite's latest story, intrigued, interested to know more "How to help two-headed wolves breed? Ging is involved in that stuff?"

To Daniel, that had to be one of the strangest requirements to fulfil. He had the birds and bees talk from Vastorie, but this... how does one do that...

Or better yet...

How does a two headed wolf even walk around. Does the left head control the left while the right head control the right...

And if so, how does the single organs work? When one needs to pee, does the other need to do so also...? If a two-headed wolf has two different brain patterns do they also have different requests?

This was all strange to him, questions he so badly wanted to ask, but was too afraid too do so... As much as he wanted to find out how a two-headed wolf worked, those finer details may _scar_ him for life...

"Sure," Kite's face lit up, a soft smile escaping his lips from Gon's question "Ging-San is involved with a wide range of Hunter activities. He's never formally applied because he doesn't want to expend the energy, but he's as qualified as a Triple Star Hunter."

"Triple Star?" Gon paused Kite's story to question the man on the topic. Daniel however answered "It's probably a ranking system of some kind... The more stars, the better your ranking."

"Not exactly..." Kite cut in, a finger lifted up. He paused to take a sip of his tea before continuing "Stars are awarded to Hunters who perform extraordinary tasks. Those responsible for historical discoveries or global achievements receive three stars. There are fewer than ten of these Hunters in the world. The title **_Triple Star Hunter_** is reserved for the very best."

Gon cooed in awe as Daniel posed a rhetorical question to himself "I wonder how many stars my parents have..."

"So Ging is as good as the best!"

"He's probably better than the best, Gon..." Daniel objected to Gon's original thought.

"Probably..." Killua agreed soon after, sipping his drink as his eyes focused on Kite.

Daniel flashed Killua a smile, but the boy was too focused elsewhere to notice. Turning his gaze back to Kite, he continued to listen to the man "Ging-San is also famous for discovering the Lurka Ruins and the Kongo gold Vein."

"Oh!" Gon made a noise, notifying Kite and the others he had heard of the achievement "I've heard of the Lurka Ruins!"

Many stories continuously flowed by, the night turning to day as it got lighter around them from the hours flowing by. Kite and the three boys were so interested with Ging's stories, neither of them noticed the night had gone by, and the morning had already aroused.

Or maybe they did... they just didn't care.

Daniel was surprised in himself, surprised that he wasn't dead tired, zombiefied from the lack of sleep. Usually if he stayed up for this long, he would be groaning in agony, or acting different. Nothing had changed at all...

Maybe it was from all those brutal hours of Bisky's training, that helped him overcome this weakness. The boy shifted in his seat, smiling ever so softly in Killua's direction. He broached the topic with the boy, wanting to find out his input while Gon continuously probed Kite "Hey, Killua... isn't this interesting?"

"Hmm...?" Killua took the last sip of his cold drink before placing the empty cup on the floor "What do you mean?"

"Well... we finding out so much about Ging, after struggling to get a pin point location on the man..."

Killua listened to Gon's conversation with the Kite before answering Daniel's with a smile "It is... It's better than knowing nothing at all."

Daniel's jaw dropped, the light contrasting Killua's eyes wonderfully. He stopped, pausing his mid thought so he could stare into Killua's eyes. How many times has the boy considered those eyes to be beautiful? Like a large open sea, ready to swallow someone whole.

Ten...

Twenty...

He no longer knew how many times that thought crossed his mind. He so badly wanted to say those world out loud, letting his friend know how entrancing those eyes were, especially accompanied by the boy's smile.

It pulled at his heart string, forcing him to say something so he wasn't staring for too long "It is..." Daniel's smile soften a little, words escaping his lips in a soft tone so no one could over hear him "They are beautiful..."

Killua however overheard the boy whisper, readily opening his mouth to ask Daniel what he meant, but the boy's eyes were focused elsewhere. He continuously stared, hoping Daniel would say something, but his mind already clicked to the situation.

Daniel wasn't talking about the situation. Killua's cheeks tinted at the afterthought, trying to figure out what Daniel was referring to. If this was before Daniel's confession, he would have blushed at the compliment, but now... he really had to think it through.

Hearing confessions like this, it would make Killua's heart beat slightly increase, and a have slight desire to find out what ran in the back of his mind. Part of his mind wanted to find out why he was 'beautiful' in Daniel's mind while the other part wanted to drop the situation, and instead focus on someone else.

The part that was ignoring Daniel's attempts of _flirtation_ , wanted to hear the same come out of Gon's lips. Did Gon know about Daniel's feelings, or was he oblivious to them? Gon had to know! Killua remembered something Daniel vaguely mentioned...

**_I can lie and say I confessed to you. And then you rejected me..._ **

Those were the words his friend vaguely mentioned after the failed confession. But, just because he knew, didn't mean he was also not oblivious to them... Maybe he too felt the same as Daniel did, wanting to hold Killua close, to travel endlessly with the boy...?

If so, Gon already knew and was hiding _his_ feelings for Killua so that Daniel was free to express his own without competition?

Who liked who in this scenario, and was there a way everyone could end up happy? Or was that thought just wishful thinking... a happy ever after where everyone was free to be themselves. Killua opened his mouth again to speak, but soon closed it.

 _What if happy ever after never existed...?_ The thought lingered in the back of Killua's mind, whispered in his older brother's, Illumi's voice. If his darkness was never to be satisfied, did that mean all friendships ended eventually?

Killua closed that thought off in the back of his mind, instead focusing on one of the two people who mattered to him right now, Gon.

"Hey, what kind of work do you do, Kite?"

Even Daniel's attention was drawn to Gon's question. They knew so much about Ging, and so little about Ging's apprentice in front of them. Maybe it was about time they knew more about the story teller in front of them, rather than the ghost they were chasing.

"Biological Surveying. I focus on discovering and researching new species."

Gon was intrigued, while Killua and Daniel stared dumbfounded at him... as if they were still unsure what he was talking about. "Oh, have you heard of the **Camp Tiger**?"

If they weren't lost before, they definitely were now. Camp Tiger was an animal they never heard of, and were unsure where they would even find one. Killua muttered the name out loud, as if saying the name to himself would jog his mind "Camp Tiger...?"

"They can use fire." Kite rummaged through his bag as he spoke, producing a small Hunter-sized laptop as he continued along, sifting through the files to produce a video or even a picture to show the boys "They use branches that have been ignited by lightning as live kindle."

When Kite found the video he opened it up, hitting replay and then play before handing it over to Gon whom eagerly took it.

The video clip detailed a yellow, black-striped tiger with a horn, standing a little from a fire, head tilted downward so his horn with whatever it was cooking roasted in the fire. It was an interesting video to watch, a tiger with a horn cooking food on a campfire like any other human would do out in the wild.

When Kite started to speak again, another tiger came out from the sides, repeating the same steps as his or her partner in crime "Other than certain Magical beasts that walk on two legs, they're the first of their kind: animals that eat their meat cooked, not raw."

Gon's smile grew as he watched while Killua was the one to speak his mind "Wow, they're really cooking it."

Even though Daniel was watching the same video as his friends, a part of his mind wanted to crack a joke at the scenario "Gourmet Hunters are going to be upset that there is no seasoning..."

Killua playful pushed his friend, earning another smile from the boy "Maybe they do off set!"

Gon agreed "Yeah! But even if they don't, it's still cool they are using the fire to cook their food! Hey," Gon looked up, interested to find out more about what Kite has discovered "What else is there?"

"Actually..." Killua stopped Kite from proceeding down that line of thought, directing him instead to a similar topic "Earlier you said the thing that attacked me was a Chimera Ant?"

Kite notice one of Daniel's fist getting tighter at the topic, a subtle, yet very informative gesture. The same thing happened when he was about to attack the ants nest, the same boy attacking him, thinking as though he was attacking his friends.

Something was going on between the boys, something that intrigued him to remember to question about it later "Yes, a Chimera Ant. Under a class-1 quarantine. Normally, no one would be allowed near such a dangerous insect."

Kite paused at the end of his comment, staring at the destroyed nest.

"Did you discover them?"

Kite drew back his attention to Gon, and same-said boy's question "No, I specialize in larger creatures. But currently..." Kite's attention was drawn back to the nest again, which in turn also drew the others "I'm investigating these insects. Something has been bothering me..."

Kite paused for a long time, giving Daniel time to process the words. He wondered what exactly was bothering the man. Ants that could bypass _Ten_ was a threat, but they were small... so only a large army of Chimera ants could be dangerous...

But there were plenty of weapons, non _Nen_ made weapons which could take out these ants.

"But it appears that now, I'll have to move to different location. I must make a call, but I'm not getting any reception here."

Daniel quirked up an eyebrow, wondering why a Hunter would have a phone that doesn't work in most of the world. Surely their beetle 07 would be able to get reception. The boy checked his phone as Gon posed a question "A call?"

Kite put away his phone after checking it "I'm working with others. Seven of us are working as a team. I guess I must wait for their arrival. Once they're here, I'll introduce you. They're amateurs, but they're still skilled Hunters."

"Well..." Daniel posed a question "Do you want to use my phone? I have reception..."

Kite was about to say 'yes', but was instead stopped by a voice echoing from far away. The others and Kite looked towards the person the voice belonged to "Ah, speak of the devil."

The voice belong to a large man, with animal features. He looked like a koala with white puffy hair, tiny black eyes and a brown button nose. However his skin could still be seen, pinkish in colour while the white fully hair surround the top of his head and ended in mutton-chop side burns. He wore a dark green shirt with brown jeans and held a large brown backpack as big as his body.

The Koala-bear man was also surrounded by three others.

To the man's left was a small petite girl, short pink hair, wearing a blue overall over a large puffy yellow shirt.

To the koala-bear's right was another petite girl, however she was slightly taller than the other girl. She looked as though to be chewing gum. She wore greyish jeans, a dark purple shirt, and a yellow and brown checker hat tilted to the side of her face. Her long purplish-pink hair extended past her shoulders and really brought out her vibrant blue eyes.

To that girl's right, was another man, skinny in frame wearing a blue and white shirt and purplish-dark brown flared jeans with yellow square patterns on the side. His eyes were closed, however his hair drew their attention away, making everyone focus more on his large brown afro hair, which made Daniel wonder how he managed to keep it in a perfect spherical shape.

Kite stood up, ready to introduce everyone to his friends, and his friends to Gon and his friends.

Daniel, Gon and Killua stood up, standing off to Kite's side, ready to introduce themselves if needed.

The girl with the checker hat inquired the situation first "Kite, who are these kids?"

Kite held up his hands to the boys, barely introducing them "My friends. They dropped by for a visit on their travels."

"Literally..." Daniel added with a smile.

"Oh," the same girl murmured, coming to terms that Kite had more friends they hadn't come across yet "it's a pleasure to meet you all the way out here. I'm Spinner Clow. Call me Spin! Nice to meet you." The woman blew a bubble as she offered her hand out to the Gon.

"I'm Gon Freecss." Gon smiled widely at the gesture, holding out his hand to shake hers "Nice to meet you, spin."

Spinner Clow stood there, her bubble blowing in her face. It was as if Gon's name had frozen her in space and time, while the others just stood there dumb-folded. It was a minute before Spinner could say anything, much less the boy's name surname "Freecss..."

The woman held up her hand, pointing at Gon like everything had finally clicked in place "Wait, is this..."

"Yes, Ging-San's son."

Everyone except for the man with the afro freaked out. He was more interest in interrogating the boy, making sure Gon was who he really was "Really?!"

"Yes..." Daniel quietly mutter, barely loud enough for everyone to hear. _Gon's father must be really famous around Kite and his friends..._ The man with the afro interrogated Daniel first, seeing as he was the one who spoke with affirmation "And you? Not you, too?"

"No... and neither is Killua. My name is Daniel Darkscryer..."

"Oh..." the man with the afro sounded slightly disappointed as Spinner Clow stared at the said boy.

Daniel turned to look at Spinner, raising a questioning eyebrow at the person in question "What?"

"You look..."

"Like someone you've seen before? I get that a lot..."

The koala-bear man bent slightly down, looking Daniel over as he questioned Spinner "Now that you mention it... We walked past a man who looked similar..."

"That would be one of my fathers, Vastorie... I get that a lot."

"Oh..." the man with the afro stated again, before freaking out once again "Wait, one of them?! You mean you have more...?"

"Yes, two fathers... it's a long story..."

Turning to face the third boy, the man with the afro freaked out "Wait, are you Daniel's brother?!"

"No..." Killua dead-panned, as if the thought offended him. The last thing he would want is to be considered having a brother complex, considering Daniel liked him as more than friends "Definitely, not me..." after Killua's slightly faltered expression, the boy smiled widely "My name is Killua Zoldyck."

The group freaked out at Killua's surname, pulling back slightly, away from the young boy. Again, it was the afro man whom spoke for the group "Zoldyck..."

Daniel frowned at their reaction, arguing for Killua "He's reformed, OR... not part of the family business..."

The girl with the short pink hair let out a breath of relief, still otherwise mixed with a tinge of fear "I was going to ask..."

"Killua, is not that type of person... he cares for his friends."

Killua felt abashed, shocked and even mortified at Daniel pointing out that fact that so calmly. He turned away quickly, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to calm his cheeks down. Never would he expected Daniel to say that without feeling ashamed. Gon, sure... But Daniel... never...

Gon smiled widely, chuckling at the boy's reaction "Killua, you should be happy..."

"NEVER!"

Daniel fumed while the group burst into laughter at Killua's embarrassment. Kite calmed down from his laughter the quickest, pointing out another fact of the three boys standing in front of his friends "Additionally, all three of them are pro Hunters. So you should show them some respect."

Kite's friends gawked in surprised. They were completely stunned, barely coming to terms with the information provided "Wow!"

The bear man took off his backpack, placing it down as everyone sat down in a circle. It was no surprised when the man with the afro continued along, he must have been the main talker of the group "Man, that was a shock!"

Spinner agreed before continuing off her friends words "We've been conducting biological surveys with Kite for three years, but this is the most incredible organism we've ever seen!"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Spinner was referring to them, or something else they were yet to reveal. While Daniel and his friends seemed 'unordinary', he highly doubted they were seen as _incredible organisms_... then again, they might be if another creature or race were comparing them with other humans.

The koala man chuckled at his friend's perspective "Yeah, no kidding..." he paused for a moment, remembering something he had forgotten "I don't think we finished our introductions. I'm Monta Yuras. But call me Mon..." Monta motioned his thumb towards himself as he offered a shorten version of his name.

"Nice to meet you, Mon."

"Same here, Mon..." Though, Daniel was still fine calling him Monta, it wasn't like his name was that much easier to pronounce the way the man suggested.

The man with the afro went next, a hand held against his chest "I'm Stick Dinner. I handle the cooking. Know why? Because my name is Dinner."

Gon laughed alongside Stick Dinner, whom was laughing at his own terrible joke.

Daniel turned to the side, wondering why Killua wasn't laughing, even though he wasn't laughing either. The boy's face showed slight confusion, as if he was wondering whether or not to laugh at the man's terrible joke.

Daniel turned back to look at Stick Dinner, his face hiding all emotions, while also voiding all expression in his voice "Ok..." He was expecting something a little more... reasonable for having the name 'Dinner', not because he cooks. Would that mean Daniel's name would be Daniel 'Charcoal' Darkscryer, because he couldn't cook for peanuts...? He seriously hoped not...

Gon's expression didn't change, the smile still showing during his laughter alongside the man "Nice to meet you."

Last, but not least important, the girl with short pink hair introduced herself "My name is Banana Kavaro. Good to meet you." A dog's head popped out the top or her backpack, surprising Daniel. He was not expecting a dog to be in there, much less bark in annoyance for not also being introduced.

The dog continued to jump out of her back, running towards Gon as it barked happily at the boy it was running towards. Killua smiled at the dog, even as it jumped into his best-friends hands.

Daniel was surprised the dog was sniffing Gon, rather than licking the boy's face like a lollipop. Though, truth be told it was still adorable to watch. Although, still not as adorable as Killua blushing.

Kite held out a hand, smiling at the dog whom was smelling the adventure off Gon "We have two others on our team." Turning to his friends, Kite posed a question "Where are Podungo and Lin?"

So there weren't just four, there were six friends in total Kite had, all whom had their own quirks. Daniel wasn't sure how the six of them had met, but seeing them together reminded the boy of his own friendships, specifically the ones made alongside Gon. Most of them had nothing in common, expect for Gon and Killua being roughly the same age as the boy.

And maybe that's what made friendships good, the fact when you have virtually nothing in common, you could somehow learn to work together. Maybe that's what Kite and his friends in common, they were working in the same area of expertise, and that's what had helped them build their friendship.

If the boy put that in the context of his feelings, do the same rules apply there? Later down the track, you start to develop feelings for someone you've been close to all this time. Now that he thought about it, that's exactly what happened to him. After travelling alongside Killua for so long, somewhere down the line he developed feelings for said boy.

Even though he has been constantly thinking about this, now, this sudden realisation has brought light to his confusion. Somewhere down the line, he developed feelings... life changes ever so slowly, like a river tide flowing down the banks.

Killua must be going through the same scenario, following life at his own pace...

Daniel turned to look at his friend, wondering one simple thought... _Where in life is Killua at now...?_

Killua tentatively watched Gon with a soft smile, the dog never once stopping from smelling the boy's best-friend. It was nice to watch, the cute, soft smile gracing the Gon's lips as the dog continued to sniff him. The boy secretly thought about Daniel's words to him back on Greed Island, the question about when did he start develop feelings for his best-friend.

When exactly did they start to change...?

Now, while life had slowed down, introducing the smaller, non-threatening things to the start of the adventure, he wondered about the question Daniel posed. Honestly, he still wasn't sure... but looking at Gon, did he really need an answer to that question, in his head he said 'no'.

But that still didn't stop him thinking about other concerns, like why sometimes he'd get the same butterflies in his stomach from things Daniel did. He felt them build up in his chest from what Daniel said...

**_Killua, is not that type of person... he cares for his friends._ **

Originally, he felt abashed, shocked and even mortified. But deep down, he also felt those butterflies, and embarrassment creep up slowly behind him, like a stalking feeling hiding in the shadows of his own mind. Out loud, he denied those feelings, but when Gon told him **_'he should be happy'_** , he did... he secretly did feel happy to an extent.

Would he say it was a lovely felling... maybe, maybe not. But he felt like that even when Gon did it. When someone defended him, speak about the things they liked about him, he secretly liked those feelings. But he couldn't honestly say he 'loved' them...

Now that Killua thought about it, could he honestly love anyone... Was he able to express that feeling, or would he only be able to lie about it, much like his family did when they expressed their own form of distorted love towards him.

Killua felt a nagging feeling in the back of his own mind, like he was forgetting someone else important to him. One that may be able to shed light on what it felt to love someone... But something stopped him, like a wall that failed to crumble from the repeated pounding.

It was a wall built up in the boy's mind, stopping him from understanding his 'feelings', and the constant nagging of failing to remember _something_... or someone else _important_ to him... What was it...?

Before Killua could dig any further into his mind, he was forced back into the topic by Kite's friends, specifically Monta "They're both headed towards the area of the sighting."

Killua quirked an eyebrow at the statement, wondering what that _area_ and _something_ was.

Kite groaned aloud from the information provided "They always move so fast."

Monta didn't stop there however, the man-koala reached into his bag, rummaging through it as he spoke "Oh, and you were right, Kite..." Producing a small jar, Monta held out a claw, possibly tooth contained within the glass jar.

Killua's eyes narrowed towards the jar while Daniel too joined in, staring at the object.

"This looks just like the claw of a Chimera Ant queen."

Killua, Gon and Daniel's face turned to shock. Just how big was the Chimera Ant the claw belonged to. Killua's glared at the object, now completely tuned into the topic at hand.

Kite made no noise, just continuously stared at the object Monta held in his hand. This was a serious threat, especially if the queen was still alive. The problem was whether or not he should raise the concern with the others, especially seeing how much of a threat a Chimera Ant queen could be.

The man continuously listened for any other information his friend, Monta provided "We ran computer analyses and the results was a 99% match."

Killua got up, decreasing the space between him and Monta as he held out a hand "Can I see it?"

"Sure..." While Monta held out the jar to Killua, the boy took the offering as he looked it over.

Daniel posed a question "What's wrong?"

Killua tilted the jar in his hand, staring at the object as he answered his friends concern "I'm just curious... So, this is a Chimera Ant claw...? It's as big a human finger."

Gon put the dog down, getting up to get a closer look at the claw "Does that mean there are huge ants?"

Daniel got up, staring at the claw as he made a joke "No Gon... there's just a tiny ants out there missing a huge claw..."

Kite however cut through Daniel's sarcasm "We don't know..."

Killua stopped looking at the claw, turning towards Kite as he posed a curious question "Maybe one mutated and grew really big?" This was a threat, especially seeing as there was a claw this big. While Killua didn't know the anatomy of a Chimera Ant, one could only make assumptions from how big the creature was, from whom the claw originally belonged to.

"That's possible, though it may also belong to a completely different species. Regardless, we just don't know right now. That's why we're investigating."

Spinner spoke up after Kite "It all started with the wonkiest little thing..."

"His name was Won!" Dinner joked, yet somehow Daniel didn't think the name was a joke... and boy was the boy right "He was a Kakin Official." Dinner laughed loudly, as if everything he just said was a joke.

Gon looked towards Dinner, confused "What's Kakin?"

Daniel held out a hand, towards Gon "I believe it's somewhere on the Azian Continent, though I can't remember where about on the Azian continent it is."

"Actually..." Monta interrupted the boy "It's right here... It's this wild land, in the middle of the Azian continent."

Daniel's attention was drawn to Monta when the man spoke, and once he finished explaining, the boy turned his attention back to Gon "Well, I guess we were closer than I imagined. That card came in real handy..."

"Card...?" Dinner spoke in a confused tone before reverting to laughter "I never heard of a card that helps you get to the Azian continent."

"It's a long story..."

Banana spoke up after Stick Dinner's burst of laughter "We had just completed a biological survey they requested when... Won-san told a story about a piece of the unknown insect being sold at the Southern piece Auction. We checked it out, and managed to get two sample pieces, one of which you're now holding..."

Daniel drew his attention back to the claw, deep in thought. _weren't we just at the southern piece auction a couple of months ago... Actually, what month are we in now, since leaving Greed Island. I've lost track... Hopefully, our birthday hasn't slipped through our fingers. If so... I got to look into what to give my friends for a gift, for such a great adventure... maybe a memento of some kind... Hmm..._

Daniel massaged his chin as he turned his attention to Killua, whom was now muttering something out loud "Chimera Ant..." the boy watched as Killua looked down at his leg, the spot where the ant bit him. Daniel felt a tinge of guilt, too slow to the stop the originally thought dead ant attacking the boy's leg.

He may have tended to it, where Killua liked it or not... but stopping it from happening would have been a better option. Maybe next time he could stop it...

Kite drew his attention back to his friends after a moment of silence "Where did Lin and Podungo go?"

"Somewhere south of Yorknew City." Spinner was the one to answer Kite's question, followed by Banana "The person who found the insect leg apparently lives in a city by the ocean."

Having heard that, Kite got up "Sorry you won't be able to catch your breath, but we should hurry after them."

Gon spoke up after Kite, opting to join the man and his friends, following a new kind of adventure "Hey, can we come with you?" Since they had no more leads to follow on Ging, it was best if they follow Kite for now. Although, the possibility of finding a Chimera Ant hundreds of times larger than the one they originally saw intrigued Gon.

Kite's attention was drawn to Gon, a questioning sound followed by the answer Gon wanted to hear "Sure."

"Yes!"

Daniel chuckled at Gon's enthusiasm "Well, looks like we're going back to square one. We started at Yorknew, then went to Greed Island... now we're in Kakin, going back to Yorknew..."

Monta smiled at the boys' offer to help out "Glad to have you."

Spinner even agreed "Having three pro Hunters with us is reassuring."

Banana followed through after her friend "And this is not only Ging-San's son, but a Darkscryer and one of the Zoldyck family! Oh, sorry..."

"What, don't I get a cool title...?" Daniel dead panned, getting a chuckle out of Killua "Would you rather have Bisky's reaction? Oh, and no problem..." Killua walked up to Banana, while offering the specimen back to Monta "It's no big deal."

"Maybe... she did compare him to an emo..."

"~"

The new adventure was about to start, the mystery to finding out to whom the claw belongs to. Daniel felt slightly giddy, the adventure being another, entirely different category to what they were last doing.

Monta at some stage posed a question to the boys now following them "Anyway, you kids are already pros at your age?"

Dinner hummed in agreement, though he also put himself and his friends also down in the process "We weren't born with the talent... Talent, talent... Guess I have a talent for saying 'talent', huh?"

The man laughed at his own terrible joke again, Gon following soon after to join the man. Daniel rolled his eyes at the man's joke, thinking of a terrible pun he could be making in the process. Nothing came to mind, which could make him top Stick Dinner's own terrible pun.

Then again, why did the boy need to think of a way to top it...? He had plenty of moments to make terrible puns, and he was glad, for once in his life he didn't follow with the feeling of leaving to do his own thing. He liked being by his friends... best-friends sides. And this type of adventure was sure to give him of opportunities to improve himself, and his relationship with his friends...


	78. Kite X Searching X Lost Ants

Daniel looked outside the window, watching the endless myriad of mountains drift by. He had been trying to focus more on the landscape, rather than the boy pressed up against him.

Killua's leg was touching Daniel's, each boy able to tell the differences in heat between each other. And it didn't help that on the other side, Gon was also pressed up against Killua.

Then again, Gon was pressed up against Killua because Monta was right next to him. It's a good thing Spinner and Banana was up in front with Dinner and Kite, and not in the back along with the young boys and Monta.

Daniel was so close to unbuckling, and forcing Killua to just sit on top of him. At least then, he wouldn't be going as crazy. But then again... that would probably make the boy get a more severe reaction, one that may make him either blush, or feel other parts of his himself rub up against Killua.

And nothing's more severe, than bringing his father's words to reality. The part about lust... something about his body reacting, without feelings attached... or was it the wrong feelings attached? He wasn't too sure...

Sometimes, although rarely, would the lower half of his body jump, possibly _rise_ to the occasion... He tried to shut the thoughts out, but his body, demanded so much more than he possibly knew about.

Daniel shifted in his seat, moving so he could at least give himself some breathing space from Killua and shift his eyes so he could focus on Gon and Killua, hopefully gauging whether or not they too felt uncomfortable being pressed up against each other.

Daniel had no clue what his friends were talking about, he was too mesmerised by Killua's lips opening and closing, the memory of their kiss dancing around in the boy's mind, as if it was on permanent replay. It must be the desert heat getting to him as well...

Kite sighed, head tilted so it lay against the window "It's been days... No, it's been months since it last rained here. The weather is unusual this year. It's possible that this is affecting the wildlife in some way...."

 _They aren't the only ones affected right now..._ Daniel thought to himself as he relayed different words to the people in front "Can you bump up the air-con', I'm dying of sweat..." _and other things..._

"Sure..." Spinner murmured as she reached for the dial, clicking it one more step towards 'freezing'.

Killua raised an eyebrow in concern, but his friend shrugged it off, though his cheeks were more flustered than usual. Killua reached his arms around the back of his head, tuning just in time for Spinner to pose a question "So the insect with the large leg could have been a mutation influence by those conditions."

Banana seemed to disagree with her friend's theory "But why would it have grown larger?"

Monta spoke next, adding to Kite partial, and Spinner's theory "In order to survive, right? If it's bigger, it'd have a better chance of securing food."

Banana hummed at the theory, though something didn't sound right with that explanation. She dismissed Monta's idea, a false explanation towards quelling not only hers, but the group's curiosity as well towards why insects would attempt to grow that large "But that would mean it'd need more, as well. Being larger doesn't always aid survival. I believe that this is related to the Chimera Ant's unique nature, not to the environment." She offered, a finger held up in a pointing out gesture.

Daniel drew his eyes closed, mulling over the girls explanation and Spinner seemed to agree with that idea more "I agree. Because they reproduce in a way not found in any other organism..."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, slowly looking towards Spinner to ask what she means by that statement, but Gon was already asking the question "What do you mean?"

Kite turned around; answering the boy's question "They reproduce through a special process known as **Phagogenesis**."

"Phagogenesis...?" Gon asked again, which was followed by Daniel's question "Is that like **Photogenesis**?"

Kite shook his head at Daniel's question "No... When a Chimera Ant queen eats other organisms, she is able to pass traits on from those organisms to the next generation. And she can eat multiple species to pass on a mix of genes to her offspring. With each feeding, she lays one to five eggs. The first generation of births has no reproductive capability, so they become worker or soldier ants. They work in service to the queen and her eventual successors."

Kite paused at that moment, sitting in a more comfortable position so he could continue to focus on the boys "Those successors are the king and queen of the next generation. The queen is thus always looking to consume the genes of strong organisms, so she can pass them to her offspring. And she may consume any species she particularly likes to extinction."

Gon freaked out "To extinction?!"

Daniel mulled the thought over before responding "So, Phagogenesis is kinda like a garbage disposal gene, only like Transmuters they transmute the junk they eat into specific genes to pass on..."

"Correct..." Kite hummed as he turned back around to face the window.

Spinner took the opportunity to answer Gon's question, turning around so she could look at the boy "Her voracious appetite can drive her to consume her own weight many times over, in a single day. That's why Chimera Ants are under a Class-1 quarantine."

Daniel freaked out "Wait, so if that claw does belong to a mutated Chimera ant... that means she could be anywhere between 80 kg to 200 kg. And she could probably eat thousands of Kilograms a day..."

Killua nodded "Yeah... and it also means if she sets her eyes on you, you're finished..." Killua's eyes narrowed slightly, addressing other concerns Daniel forgot to point out "Judging from the size of that claw, her length is at least two meters."

Kite's head turned slightly, eyes glancing in Killua's direction just in time to hear the last comment "That thing could devour a human in no time."

Everyone in the truck grimaced at the boy's words, especially Daniel. And here the boy thought he'll be able to avoid serious dangers. He went from a game full of dangers, to reality full of dangers.

Kite eventually spoke through the dead silence "Yes, you are correct."

Hopefully Killua was wrong about the idea, and that no Chimera Ant that large really existed...

"~"

The group reached the end of their destination, stopping at a pier that cut through the ocean. This was where the last two members of Kite's friends were, hoping to gain more information about the arm the person found. Somewhere along the pier were Podungo and Lin.

The group found them near the start of the pier, as if they were already waiting for the group's arrival. The two of them were tiny in comparison to the boys.

The two members were already quizzing the three new members as soon as their gazes met. Kite addressed the quizzical gazes "They're the ones I mentioned on the phone, Gon, Killua and Daniel."

The man or young boy with mole teeth went first, stuttering like he was either really embarrassed or has been caught off guard, and was scared in the process "Oh, I'm Lin Koshi. N-Nice to meet you..."

Lin was a whole head taller than second girl, but at the same time didn't even manage to reach up to Killua's hair line. His hair was combed over, perfectly well groomed and wore a plain short sleeved shirt, and jeans. He also had large round glasses that covered most of his face and buck teeth similar to a mole, or Melody the more he thought about it.

The short girl with the top knot, the last one of Kite's friends introduced herself "My name's Podungo Lapoy. Glad to have you on board."

Podungo was really short, barely reaching chest height. Her hair was trimmed really short and kept tied up in a top knot with turquoise beads. She is dark skinned and wears a dark blue, possibly navy coat with white fur trim and matching pants.

Gon smile at the last of Kite's friends "Glad to be here, Lin-san, Podungo-san."

"Hey." Killua went second followed by Daniel "Glad to meet you."

Now that everyone had been introduced, it was time to get back on the road, finding out what everyone knows or what has been missed "Let's get down to business."

_To~ defeat, the Huns... DAMN IT BRAIN, no! VASTORIE!_

"Where was the leg discovered?"

Podungo pointed off the side of the pier, in the general direction towards the beach "On the beach over there."

Lin immediately continued off Podungo, stuttering randomly "A-According to the locals, it washed up on sh-shore."

"~"

The beach was vast, empty, no trace of the creature in sight. Daniel held a hand up above his eyes, peering endlessly off into the distant ocean. While there were no signs of the creature out at sea, he couldn't help but stare at the colour of the sea, and yet somehow only think of one thing... or one person, actually.

Shifting his gaze away from the sparkling water, Daniel drew his own towards Gon in hopes of training his mind to stop thinking about a certain someone. Sadly, his attention was drawn to the one boy he wanted to think less about.

"There's a forest right behind us..."

"And a sea out in front..."

Killua looked incredulously at Daniel, only to find the boy shrugging back in return "I thought we were pointing out the obvious..."

Killua allowed himself to sigh, but showed no signs of his mood changing. Though, in the end, a smirk still managed to eventually show at his friend's lame joke "Do Chimera ants even swim...?"

Kite quirked an eyebrow at the question "Through Phagogenesis, it's possible one of the future ants may be able to swim."

The boy hummed in response to Kite's words, eyebrows furrowing at the idea of an ant learning how to swim.

Banana sighed before eventually speaking "Whether out at sea or in the forest, it's going to be difficult to find." Turning to look at the forest, she continued to mumble under her breath "It's going to be difficult to find the Chimera Ant in _that_ forest..."

Spinner popped the bubble gum before sucking it back in her mouth to continue chewing later "We can't be certain that it's still alive."

"We would have seen a body by now if that was the case..." Daniel objected, which was revoked by the same girl "That's _if_ the sea creatures didn't eat it first."

"True..." Daniel mumbled under his breath, saddened that he lost at a simple argument. The chimera ant could have been eaten out at sea.

Dinner turned to his friends, adding another possible layer "It could have ended up drifting to another island... We don't even know if it even landed here along with its leg."

Banana smiled at the statement "Let's find out, then." The dog in Banana's backpack poked its head out, whining in delight at its master's request. The dog jumped out, followed by Banana dropping down to the dog's height level along with a jar containing the creature's nail "Here, remember this scent."

Gon smiled widely, hand up to the sky "I'll help, too!"

Daniel snickered at Gon's words, remembering about how easily the boy could resemble a puppy at times. All he needed was the ears and a wagging tail, and he'd be set to resemble a dog.

Banana freaked out when Gon got close, sniffing the claw for its unique aroma. She continued to stare, wondering if she started dreaming at some point.

Daniel took the opportunity to explain Gon's bizarre behaviour "Gon is a well trained hunter. He's able to smell a man's cologne for miles."

"Yup..." Killua chuckled at Daniel's explanation "What Daniel said. Gon's nose is on par with a dog's."

Daniel held the laughter in as Gon followed behind the dog, sniffing to see if the animal was missing any other trails.

Killua allowed a soft smile to spread, but contained in the laughter, not wanting to laugh at the fact Gon was on all fours, smelling the same trail as the dog.

Gon and the dog continued to follow the trail, slowly branching out in two different directions. The dog eventually stopped at the tree-line before marking his territory. Failing to pick up a scent, the dog returned without a noise, followed by Banana's hopeful expression fading into defeat "He can't find anything..."

"We still got Gon..."

Gon returned a few seconds later, shaking his head in defeat "I couldn't pick up anything..."

Spinner adjusted her weight to one side before making a remark "The scent may have disappeared. It was raining."

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows at the situation, wondering what the next step is from here. If neither Gon, nor the dog could pick up the scent that could mean only two possibilities:

Reason one, the Chimera Ant is not here.

Reason two, the scent was gone, leaving a trail of musk and wet sand in the wake of the rain.

Monta pointed out one of Daniel's original thoughts "That means the Chimera Ant isn't here."

"Or it is..." Daniel pointed out, a finger held up to the sky "And the rain has made it that much harder to trace..."

"Hmm..." Kite took his hand to his chin, mulling the scenarios over as he looked out to the sea. It wasn't long before Kite said his own piece "Maybe... or it may have washed ashore elsewhere. In which direction do the currents flow here?"

The man looked towards his friends, wondering if any of them knew. Daniel had no idea on where to even begin when deciphering the flow of the beach. It looked serene, nowhere near sending massive tidal waves upon unsuspecting victims. But just because the beach looked like this now, doesn't mean it didn't look like that days ago.

Lin responded first, surprisingly without stuttering once "It's complicated... The direction is reversed between day and night."

Podungo agreed with the man, before adding something else to the mix "And it also changes with the seasons. I've even heard it's different on certain days."

Daniel sighed "So we are looking at a _chicken scratch_ when it comes to finding out the waves' patterns."

Spinner agreed, though not before bursting her bubble gum "Agreed. It's going to be tough to pinpoint a location..."

Gon smiled at the situation. He closed the distance between himself and Spinner "It's too early to give up."

"Agreed, you don't get to complain until you try searching for a ghost, who may or may not exist within a fifty mile radius..."

Gon fumed at Daniel's response, disliking the fact that the boy pointed out their own dilemma with ease. Killua covered his mouth, taming the laughter that wanted to come bellowing out. Though he didn't do the same with his eyes, they were smiling.

"Let's split up and search."

Spinner smiled at Gon's idea "You're right."

"~"

The group split up into several smaller ones, trying to track down the missing creature. Daniel was travelling along Gon and Killua, his eyes peering from left to right as they scanned the area for a single clue linking to the creature's whereabouts.

As Daniel was scanning the area, he posed a question "If we find the six foot seven inches ant, what are we going to even do with the thing. We can't exactly squash it with our foot... Maybe a clown's foot could..."

Gon blinked in disbelief at the question "I suppose we could capture and take it to Kite, he'll know what to do..."

Killua laughed at Gon's response to Daniel's question "We could... but what if it resists?"

"Hmm..." Gon hummed, thinking it over as Daniel sarcastically responded "It's not like there's a **_NEN_** user who manipulates shadows to trap targets nearby..."

Killua tapped his chin, thinking Daniel's words over carefully. That could help, but the problem is they don't know enough about the creature they are searching for "I already thought of that..." Killua dryly commented, which gave Daniel pause. What does Killua exactly mean about that?

Daniel didn't ask, he just waited for Killua to continue "Well, it bit me... meaning they are strong. So if it's strong enough to bypass _Ten_ , who's to say our _Hatsu_ will work on them. They might be strong enough to break out of your hold, shrug off my electricity, or even withstand one of Gon's _Nen_ filled attacks..."

Gon purse his lips, the gears turning in his head to produce a small stream of smoke. The boy was over thinking, and Killua had to stop him before he passed out "Ahh! Gon, don't worry about it! I'll think of something as we look. We still have to find them..."

The stream of smoke stopped, followed by Gon smiling at his friends "Thanks Killua, I don't know what I would do without you."

Killua's blushed, cheeks painted red like cherries "J-Just continue looking... and smelling!"

Gon nodded, turning around to continue on his merry way, a small humming tune following by.

Daniel took the opportunity to lean over towards his blushing friend "Someone's a little embarrassed by their secret love interest~"

"Like your one to talk!" Killua hurried along, Daniel blinking at his escaping friend's backside. Did Killua secretly accept Daniel's feelings towards him without a second thought? If so, did that mean Daniel had a chance... or his did his friend just try to shovel off all the embarrassment onto Daniel?

Running to chase after his friend, Daniel yelled loud enough for everyone in the forest to hear "Wait, did you just..." His words trailed off in his head, wondering if he should be pointing out something so casually for the world to hear right now.

It wasn't like they were an _item_ , or at least Daniel wished he could be with Killua. He'll just have to wait until his close enough to whisper, and not yell to the world the question: **did you just accept my feelings?**

Daniel posed the question to his friend when he got close enough.

Killua's eyes widened in shock at the question; he was unable to look at the boy. He thought he discussed this with Daniel, his feelings unable to choose one out of the two. Though, back then he only stated he had feelings for Gon.

Shouldn't that have stopped the boy from proceeding further, making it that much harder for his mind to choose out of the two. He liked them both, but could only love one... or could he love more than one. He had no idea, considering his family failed to teach him the meaning, and that only _darkness_ could make him feel anything.

But it didn't... it wasn't the only thing that made him feel anything. Cheeks red, Killua shifted his gaze towards an expectant friend, one whom wanted to know his answer.

He couldn't... No matter how much he wanted to say yes, or not yet... he just couldn't.

Killua shifted his gaze back to who was in front of him, Gon, the boy who happily bounced with each step, uncaring of the discussion happening behind him.

"No..." _Not yet..._ Killua blushed at his thoughts, never once looking towards Daniel. He liked him, just not now. Or more like, still not now.

Daniel hummed in understanding, walking a fraction faster towards Gon. Killua slowed his steps down, staring at the boy's in front, each one walking at their own pace. If they were to suddenly split like a snakes tongue, who would he follow...?

Who should he follow...?

Only time could tell, hopefully... and hopefully that time was soon.

"~"

The sun was setting, no clues towards finding the elusive Chimera Ant queen, if she even exists. Everyone was fuming the day long gone with no clues as to where the creature is or has gone.

Gon left the first wail escape when he sees the others standing around and waiting for them "No luck..."

Kite crossed his arms, expression remaining blank. Neither one knew if he was angry, sad or happy to find nothing at all through his expression. Shifting his weight to one leg, Kite allowed a frown to escape his otherwise usual blank expression "Continuing to search blindly is pointless. Let's return to Yorknew City." Kite allowed a smile to crack at the last part of his speech "We may be able to find a new lead."

"~"

Night had come by, the bus trip back to Yorknew being a long journey to come. Daniel had remained awake, along with Kite and the driver, Dinner Stick. It was hard for the boy to sleep, his crush being so close to him. He should've switched seats with Gon, but the boy wanted to sit close to Kite.

Daniel shifted in his seat, getting more comfortable, only to have Killua shift in his sleep. His friend was now pressing his head against Daniel's shoulder, snoring ever so softly. The boy tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself.

He wrapped one arm around Killua's head, trying desperately hard to not wake the boy as he pulled him closer. Like always, Killua produced a nice calming aroma, one that goes against his past nature.

Daniel caught himself running his fingers through Killua's hair, but he was unable to stop himself. To anyone else, this would have been a creepy gesture, and Kite just happened to notice Daniel's unusual moment's at the wrong time "You're still awake?"

Daniel's arms shot away from Killua's hair, remaining at the boy's side as to not wake the sleeping boy "Y-Yeah... couldn't sleep."

Dinner cracked a joke "Try counting sheep... works for me."

The man was laughing quietly at his own joke. However, neither Kite nor Daniel laughed at it. Kite remained impassive, looking quietly at the boy who was becoming more uncomfortable with the situation he was in.

It took a while before Kite pointed forward, gesturing Dinner to remain staring at the long empty road "I have a question for you, Daniel."

"Shoot..." Daniel replied, slowly removing his arm around from Killua in a way so he didn't disturb the boy's sleep.

"What do Killua and Gon mean to you?"

Daniel blinked, staring at the man in disbelief. He had to be hearing things, even though this was a question everyone asked once they realised Daniel's bad _Nen_ habits. Was it a trick question, one he should answer with deceit? The boy shifted once more before responding "They are my friends, best-friends... Why...?"

"Hmmm..." Kite hummed, addressing the same question in a round-about way "You have a weird way of showing it, not that Gon or Killua fairs any better. I noticed..."

Daniel gulped, preparing for the question he was used to hearing, but now afraid to answer without Killua's permission.

"You react more with Killua... Not that Gon's been in a similar situation, yet. But you... get closer to Killua. Like now..."

Daniel bit his lip, keeping his mouth closed tight. He looked towards Dinner, hoping the man wasn't listening in. Even though the man's eyes remained on the road, anyone could tell he was listening in without a word. He was intrigued with the topic, curious to know why Kite was pursuing it.

Daniel shifted one more time in his seat "You saw...?"

Kite nodded without a response, though he could tell the boy was being hesitant for some odd reason. It seemed unusual, considering he's seen the same boy say things without hesitance before.

The concern when Killua was bit by the Chimera ant...

The clenched fist when the story was mentioned...

None of those, or similar reactions happened with Gon...

Then it hit Kite, the man snapped his head towards Daniel activating _Gyo_ to focus in his eyes. The boy had a speckle of aura leaking out towards Killua, as if wrapping the boy in an invisible blanket. It was dangerous to have that much aura leaking out...

"Idiot..."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Kite, the word he muttered drawing the boy in "What you mean?"

"It's dangerous what you're doing."

"With...?"

"The aura, leaking out..."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, but was only confused for a couple of seconds. He knew exactly what Kite was talking about, and it only served to embarrass the boy. Here he was the second person Daniel's met to point out his _bad_ habit. Or was it... the boy had completely forgotten whether or not Bisky had point it out as well.

Daniel dashed the thought out of his head before addressing the situation, as calmly as he could "Sure... I do, do that... unintentional..."

"It's stupid! Anyone with a brain would think it's a weakness they could exploit! You show no signs of holding back, and that the _person_ means something important to you..."

Daniel clenched his fists at the man's words, but said nothing back in return. Ultimately, Kite was right. It was both dangerous and stupid to let his feelings be known. But he has no ideas on how to stop it... or how he has been doing it all this time. Was it a _Hatsu_ , or an advanced _Nen_ technique he was yet to learn? If it was an advanced technique, was there a way for him to learn how to control it, or at least learn a form of _Zetsu_ in order to hide it...

It was as if Kite was reading the boy's mind " _Zetsu_..."

"I'm terrible at _Zetsu_..." Daniel clenched his fists even tighter, wanting to so desperately hide in a dark corner so no one could ever find him.

The man made a noise of complaint, a click of his tongue in the very same tone " _En_ 's so annoying..."

"... _En_?"

"You'll learn soon enough..."

Daniel frowned, but soon enough he was yawning after the discussion. He thought he'd never sleep, but maybe something was lifted off his shoulders, draining the remaining energy that kept him awake.

Even though he had a few more questions, the boy slowly closed his eyes, head resting against Killua's shoulder. The last thing he remembered was the scent of copper barely hiding amongst the sweetest smell of lavender.

He remembered that was the first scent he drew from Killua when he was pressed up against the boy, but between then and now... the smell of copper had drastically decreased.

All that remained between then and now was the relaxing aroma the ex-assassin gave off...


	79. Kite X Searching X NGL

 

The night had passed, nothing note-worthy occurring during the morning. It wasn't until the afternoon when everything began to change. Daniel sat across the room on the couch, staring at Killua's back, remembering Kite's words from the night before.

_Idiot..._

Even though the context of the 'word' belonged to was mean, it did give the boy a reason to pause and consider the man's statement. He left a paper trail, one that other _Nen_ users could trace. What's stopping a _Nen_ user from _not_ attacking Killua?

And why was it taking so long until now for someone to say something. Daniel drew his eyes shut, sighing before looking to the man whom drew his attention to the bad habit... Kite.

What Kite said was a real concern, but the problem is how to overcome his bad habit. Or at least switch it so it no longer is a concern and more... like a protective charm rather than a beacon to Daniel's weakness.

Kite eventually turned his head, eyes narrowing on Daniel before turning to focus on the entire group. Kite’s words were weighing heavily on Daniel, the man could see it, spiking in the boy's aura, fluctuating like an uneven ground. It's time the boy focused elsewhere, rather than worrying about the _thing_ he has no clue on how to fix "A Chimera Ant queen moves repeatedly until she finds a place she likes. As she does, she births more and more soldier ants to build her own army. Once she has chosen a location, she births a large number of carpenter ants, which construct her castle with incredible speed. From then on, the queen remains within the castle until death. So..."

Kite turned to Spinner, pointing a fact out as she was typing away on the computer "If a Queen grew to two meters tall and were to set her sights on humans, there should be entire villages or towns of missing people."

Spinner finished typing; the sound of her gum popping back into her mouth followed by a sigh "I don't see anything... I just checked the past six months, and the largest group only numbered ten."

Killua's eyes were on Gon, watching the boy say something a little... useless "Say, can we look up missing people individually?"

"Don't be ridiculous..." Spinner cried out as she looked to Gon in disbelief for even putting out the idea "You know how many hundreds of thousands of people go missing worldwide?"

"True, but... we should be able to see which areas have the highest concentrations."

As Spinner looked around the website, Daniel hummed, eyes otherwise never leaving Killua's back. _Sounds a little better than Gon's original plan... But... it's still a stretch._

"No good..." Spinner sighed in frustration, leaning back in the chair to look at Kite "The data's two years old."

"Perhaps we should check for sightings."

"No good!" Daniel argued, finally drawing his attention to the boy in question "Gon, if there were sightings, it would have been all over the news by now."

"Agreed!" Killua pouted, cheeks puffed up in a comical manner as he poked Gon "There's no way a fuss wouldn't be made after seeing a two-meter insect roaming around."

"But... we tried that, of course." Spinner argued after having already gone down that path "WE couldn't find anything..."

Daniel hummed; he tried thinking of another route the group hasn't gone down yet. Sometimes the simplest answers require the most difficult, complex, unravelling. Even as he listened to the others argue back and forth, his mind stayed focus on the topic.

"Maybe we're getting worked up over nothing..."

“Yeah…” Spinner agreed with a nonchalant sigh, eyes still drawn to the inactive computer screen in front of her.

Then it clicked to Daniel, the perfect idea. There was something they hadn’t visited yet, and it might help them out with tracking down the elusive two-meter Chimera Ant, whether the creature exists or not.

“There’s something we could do…”

Kite raised a curious eyebrow, eyes drawn to the boy in question. He didn’t raise his voice, only merely listened to the boy’s revelation.

“We talked about the tides working in a wonky manner, correct? What if by some miracle the ant got knocked back and forth through tides endlessly, and drowned out at sea?”

Kite turned around, pressing a hand into the chair “Or the Ant got moved to a place no one would expect… Spinner, bring up the tidal data from the day the arm was found.”

Spinner moved in her seat, clicking on a section of the screen already prepared. It was a blown up image of the map of the area. She then moved her hand, putting a marker on screen where the arm was found “The arm was discovered here…”

Kite leaned closer, inspecting the map more closely “Now go back ten days.” As Spinner typed away, the man relentlessly gave more orders “Locate any currents that may have carried the arm to that location in time.”

Daniel stared stunned at the screen, curious to know why Kite went for that exact amount of days. Did he think the amount of days it would take would be the same amount for the arm to be dismembered and washed up ashore?

“What do you mean?” She questioned, stopping to look at her friend in a curious manner.

“It’s possible the arm was severed after the Chimera Ant made landfall.”

“Or that…” Daniel sarcastically responded back, really hoping that wasn’t the case. He really didn’t want to be thrusted into another life or death situation after being in three already. Couldn’t this be the one time of their life where they didn’t chased after something that isn’t a life or death situation?

However from what the boy gathered from Spinner’s tone, no one was phased by Daniel’s ‘I don’t want to really do this’ tone “That makes sense.” After a few seconds of checking, she hummed at the clues facts left behind in the currents data “It could have come from any of the Balsa Islands…”

Killua crossed his arms, staring intently at the data provided. He had clue about those islands, but something deep down told him he isn’t going to like the end result. Then again… from Daniel’s tone, he could tell the boy was getting agitated, like the boy somehow was already feeling like this mission was a death sentence.

Kite pointed to another Island hidden amongst the Balsa Islands “Including the Mitene Union.”

Dinner cocked his huge afro head at his friend “The Mitene Union…”

Daniel too cocked his head at the man’s response. Did he too not know of the region? The boy had no clue about that area, or even the Balsa Islands too. But then again, he never paid much attention to Vastorie’s History and Geography classes.

Banana hummed before making a sudden sound of realisation. She knew where Kite was referring to “Oh, where the NGL Autonomous Region is.”

“Oh…” Kite confirmed Banana’s suspicion, but added to the list of locations mentioned so far “Yes, as well as East Gorteau. There’s no getting information out of those two countries.”

Daniel noticed Kite turn in his general direction, walking towards him. But the man was distracted, trying to figure out a way of how he could gather the information. “Kite, so what exactly is East Gorteau and NGL Autonomous mouthful…?”

Instead of getting a response from the man, Banana answered the boy’s question “An acronym, standing for Neo-Green Life.”

Dinner continued off his friend, a cheerful bounce in his voice “It’s a country founded by people who wanted to live in nature, away from machine civilization.”

“So, basically it’s a tree loving country, minus all the cool gadgets and game. Got it…”

Spinner shifter through the internet; she produced an image of the world, and then zoomed in on the country, and its location. Daniel got off the back wall, joining the group to see what the fuss was about.

Mitene Union was a small island, broken up into five different sections:

NGL Autonomous Region

Republic of Rokario

Hass Republic

Republic of West Gorteau

Republic of East Gorteau

The boy found it strange that West and East Gorteau was so close to each other while the other sections lagged behind West Gorteau. Uncrossing his arms, Daniel continuously listened to what Spinner had to say.

“They primarily communicate by letter. Primary means of transportation is by horse. Anyone knowingly bringing in technology into the country is subject to execution. In ’87, a three-man TV crew was caught trying to enter the country to get a story. One was executed, and the other two remain in prison. Of its 2.17 million population, 99% belong to the Neo-Green Life Party, with the rest being support volunteers.”

Daniel swallowed the information, while being surprised that Gon didn’t overload from it. It was a lot to mentally note, especially seeing as he was four at the time the three-man Camera crew attempted to video tape the country.

Kite stepped in, adding even more information to the mix, explaining the difficulty from their dilemma “If the Chimera Ant washed ashore there, how would the NGL Citizenry react?” The man hummed, thinking about the answer to his own question “They probably wouldn’t do anything. When a deadly epidemic spread throughout the area, they let nature run its course, refusing to admit international doctors. And even if they tried to contact the outside, it would be too late by the time word arrived.”

Daniel brought a finger to his chin, eyebrows knitting together while a slight rage showed on his forehead. To let so many people die over your ideals, that was a harsh, cruel place. If there was a plague effecting Killua, he didn’t care if he was in that country, he’d force the nearest professional doctor to come to his aid; even if he died for those ideals…

The boy mentally slapped himself, shaking his head so he could cool down his cheeks. Even if it was embarrassing… he didn’t know what he would do if he lost Killua to a curable disease.

Kite turned his head slightly back in everyone’s direction, eyes narrowing on his friends “If that arm belonged to the Chimera Ant Queen, she may have already begun to build her nest.”

Daniel adjusted his body after Spinner’s words, waltzing over towards the wall. The boy pressed his back up the wall, wondering what happens now. If they can’t ring up and ask if the people have noticed a two-meter Chimera Ant, their best bet is to search for it themselves. Though, after finding out the area they are searching has a condition where outside help wasn’t allowed, even in dire situations made the situation, way more horrible than it should have been.

Why would anyone allow their citizens to suffer… to let nature run its course, when a simple phone call could save hundreds, no… hundreds of thousands of lives?

“~”

Everyone move to their own beat watching one another or doing their own thing. For the first time of the day, Killua was openly staring in Daniel’s direction, the boy was unusually quiet. By now, Daniel would have voiced his concern in one way or another… or at he should’ve been. What Killua saw instead, was a boy with eyebrows knitted together deep in thought.

The thought process was normal, but the faces the boy was making were unusual, yet somehow funny at the same time. The way his eyes would suddenly widen, as if the boy was having an epiphany, only to readjust into a stoic the next minute.

Something bit back in the boy’s mind, wonder why Daniel wasn’t talking to anyone. Was he over thinking again? Thinking about the past, present and future? Or was he thinking about himself, the boy who was openly staring in his direction?

Whatever Daniel was thinking about, Killua thought now was as good time as ever to engage the boy’s current thought process, while the group was busy doing their own thing.

Daniel had been mulling the situation in his head for hours, stuck in his own bubble for so long, he didn’t notice Killua resting up against the wall alongside him “What’s got you upset… or better yet, agitated?”

Daniel tensed at the words, but however continued to remain silent. How could he say what he really felt to Killua, when even himself felt conflicted at the moment. The boy shifted, speaking after figuring out his own feelings “It just hurts… Well, it doesn’t help what I’m thinking makes it hurt…”

Killua hummed in understanding, but continuously waited until Daniel continued. He kinda knew where Daniel was heading, but a part of him also knew Daniel wouldn’t openly admit it.

“I thought about us…”

Maybe Killua was wrong…

“What if… we were living there…? You, me and Gon… Within a heartbeat, I’ll grab the nearest phone to call someone to save you… or even Gon. No one should really suffer a plague when there’s already a cure.”

Killua’s cheeks flushed at the idea of Daniel going that far to think ahead for his  
best-friends, but now was not the time to think about that. They had to focus on the possibility of living two-meter Chimera Ant walking around and birthing her army. “D… Daniel, I think we have a bigger threat than a plague that occurred decades ago…”

“The Chimera Ant…”

“Yes…”

“Couldn’t we go one adventure without being thrown into a life or death situation?” Killua blinked once, then twice before laughing. Daniel however didn’t find his own statement to be a joke “What’s so funny…”

“YOU’RE deep in thought because of that… It’s better if I protect _you_.” Killua quickly covered his mouth, however it was too late.

Daniel had heard, and his mouth was agape at the sudden remark “You…” Daniel turned his head away, and this time Killua could have sworn he saw his friend blush for a split second. It was unusual to see the boy doing so, and usually it was him who was always in the _‘hot seat’_ , cheeks stained red, hot to the point they scorched the skin.

“For once… let me protect you.”

Daniel was barely audible, but Killua still heard him under his breath. The boy turned away, willing his cheeks to at least calm down a bit. _How on earth are YOU going to protect me, when I’m the one who’s stronger…?_ Though the words were originally his own thoughts, Killua’s cheeks still managed to intensify. For once of his life, can he go a day without being complimented, or told by someone else they wanted to protect him… or was it just way too hard for someone to not do either?

Even with all the confusion roaming around the boy’s mind, a part of him dwelled on that thought. What would he be doing if Daniel was stronger…? Or better yet, what if Daniel was stronger?

Would Daniel tempt fate, jumping in front of Killua to withstand all the blows…? Or would he destroy the boy’s enemies long before they lay a hand on him. Even with those questions, he noticed a part of his mind focusing on one thing with Daniel… strength.

Gon didn’t seem to suffer in that department; he was like a vat of seemingly endless strength waiting to boil over. When Gon tapped into that strength, he was able to knock enemies off their feet.

Killua wondered for the first moment in his life, if Daniel had that strength, that endless vat of strength Gon seemed to contain… would the two of them be even closer, one person split into two?

Is strength a requirement to draw Killua’s affections, if he was capable of expressing those feelings? He didn’t seem to agree with the thought, that Zoldycks had the capabilities to show affections… Or, maybe they did, they just showed it in a weird way or saw no reason to do so.

 ** _Darkness_** was what he was taught that he should most desire, but Gon was a form of light the illuminated that darkness, creating a new path for Killua to follow. The boy then used the same example on Daniel, but found the boy’s methods unusual…

Daniel’s ability used shadows, but he never expressed it in any form.

He didn’t keep secrets…

His feelings were now, always known…

He didn’t hide his background…

He was a shadow, which resided in the light…

The boy in an unaware state cracked a smile towards the boy. Maybe Killua was wrong to think Daniel and Gon were different in a sense. They may have been two different people, but the two of them expressed themselves in a similar way. Though more often than not, Daniel was making more logical arguments than Gon did.

Killua didn’t see himself smile in Daniel’s general direction, but Gon did. For only the briefest of seconds, Gon was confused. But after coming to the realisation, then he started to smile, wishing for Daniel to look in Killua’s direction; to see that smile.

But the boy never did, he was too late… possible always too late.

Gon wondered the possibility that Killua was starting to like Daniel as more than a friend, though the boy in question assumed otherwise. Thinking to himself, the boy wondered something else… if something could occur in the future. He thought about Sakura, Daniel, Killua and even himself feelings, wondering if they could all intermingle with each other. But as Gon thought about it, he could feel the pull of an overloading thought process.

Something snapped his attention; he wondered when the last time he messaged, or even called Sakura was. Gon pulled out his phone, checking for the last text… it had been months since last time. It didn’t even occur to Gon he could message Sakura while they were on Greed Island after finding out the truth.

The boy tapped away, posing a question and story to Sakura.

**Sorry Sakura, for taking so long to message you. This adventure I’m having has been great. I found so much about Ging, the adventures his been on… the friends his made. And right now, I’m with someone who was Ging’s apprentice.**

**\- Gon 12:42**

Gon didn’t have to wait long before receiving a response, a soft smile mixed with warm eyes as he read the text.

 **Hey Gon!** **J** **It’s been so long since we last talked. It’s great to hear you’ve found out so much about your dad! I’m sure you’ll get to see him one day. And I’m sure he’ll be a great father, and have even more stories to tell you.**

**I wish I could have joined you…**

**But then I would’ve never gotten to see a Golden Lillinut!**

**\- Sakura 12:51**

Gon was only confused, unable to recall what a Golden Lillinut is, or if he’s ever seen one. Though he didn’t have to voice his concern, a picture was sent to him containing a tiny field of Golden Lillinuts.

They were tiny flowers, golden in colour and shaped like little hearts drooping off the top of the stem, towards the ground. Gon wondered why he had never seen one in a flower shop, or even come across them. They were beautiful, contrasting well with the luxurious green fields surrounding them.

He felt his heart warming at the idea of taking someone special to such a field.

**Aren’t they beautiful? Though at the same time they are pretty rare, and only grow in tiny fields surrounded by massive fields… It would’ve been nice to have you here to see them as well.**

**\- Sakura 12:58**

**They are! No wonder I’ve never seen them sold in shops, if I had choice between buying someone special a Golden Lillinut, Rose and Forget-me-nots, I would chose those. It would be like giving your heart away for someone.**

**\- Gon 1:08**

The two continued to go back and fought, telling stories of their rare findings and people they’ve met. Gon’s smile never faded, but the prospect of finding another way to confess his feelings gave him pause. The boy so far has loved each and every one of his closest friends, and he can’t choose one over all of them.

Kurapika…

Leorio…

Sakura…

Killua…

And even Daniel, were friends, best-friends he loved. Though none of them stood out Like Daniel saw in Killua. Was there something wrong with him? Something that disabled him from showering a single person with affection, like Daniel wanted to do with Killua?

Gon drew his attention once more to Killua and Daniel; the two of them were talking, fixated only on each other only. Gon processed the question one more time, only to soon crack a warm smile.

As greedy as the idea sounded in his head, he would rather choose all, than one… And even if it was wrong to do so, he still loves all his friends, and he would **NEVER** give them up for the world.

“~”

“I brought tickets to Mitene Union.” Spinner suddenly exclaimed something of importance, drawing everyone’s attention, and ending all tasks the others were in the process of.

Banana leaned over Spinner, looking down at the timetable showing on the screen “But to reach NGL, we have to take an airship to the neighbouring Republic of Rokario, and travel by land from there.”

“It _ant_ gonna be easy to get into a country of such nasty rumours. Just kidding.” Dinner laughed again at his terrible pun. _  
_

_You know what also ‘ant’ punny… your puns…_ Daniel countered in his head, but otherwise refused to say it aloud. Dinner was someone he just met, whom also had connections to Kite, which in-turn also meant he had connections to Gon. It would have been rude to say that out loud…

Though, Daniel was concerned more with the man’s last few words than the bad pun “Wait, so there’s more than just a bad reputation towards human life?”

Gon’s attention was drawn to the man’s words, followed by Daniel’s question. His eyes widening at the prospect of there being something else to worry about as Killua agreed with Daniel’s question.

Killua continued to add onto the already existing pool of questions “Yeah, what are the  
so-called nasty rumours?”

The room was quiet, no one speaking until Kite looked outside the window “Have you heard of D²?”

Gon hummed the name aloud, trying to recall the name as Daniel posed a question “D², as in vitamins or drugs… cause that sounds like a drug.”

Kite nodded once before continuing “You’re right, it is a drug. It’s an ingestible drug that’s propagating rapidly throughout urban areas worldwide. It’s derived from the Bila tree, native to the Mitene Union. And they claim that over 80% of the world’s Bila trees are located in NGL.”

Daniel tapped his chin before crossing his arms with a frown. _So they are producing a drug, from a tree…? That’s… that’s a unique kind of drug. Actually, I wonder if Sakura knows about this, considering he knows flowers and fauna…_

As Daniel thought to himself, Killua continued after Kite’s silence “So the nasty rumours are saying that the drug is being manufactured in NGL?”

“They’re only rumours…” Kite rebutted, eyes drawing away from the window to Killua “No one has been able to publicly prove it.”

Dinner smiled awkwardly, at the group, trying so desperately hard to not laugh or make a bad pun “After all, the country’s locked down tight.”

“When people try to get in to investigate, they’re executed.”

 “Executed…” Gon spoke aloud Spinner’s last word.

Daniel looked at Gon, then Killua. He thought about it once, and he’ll think it again… for once in their lives, couldn’t they have a non-brutal adventure?


	80. Kite X Feelings X NGL

Daniel shifted in his seat, swinging his feet back and forth as he planned for the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario, they’ll have to deal with an army of human sized Chimera Ants. The best case scenario was the queen was already dead, drowned out at sea.

The boy couldn’t shake of the disturbing feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach, churning from the worst possible thought. He felt as though heading there would get one of them killed. But that didn’t stop him from going as well… even with that pooling filling inside, he felt he needed to go.

If there was a threat, he needed to go in order to protect them… Gon and Killua, no matter what; Killua meant the world to him. He couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried. He ran over so many possibilities of those feelings being wrong, especially seeing as Killua didn’t harbour the exact same feelings for him.

The boy’s _messy_ feelings were pointed towards Gon. But, even so… he felt as though forcing Killua to have the same feelings for himself would be the same as if Illumi were to control Killua to do everything asked of him.

After all… both Daniel and Illumi were, or had to be Manipulators, though their abilities were on far different spectrums. Considering Illumi removed pins from his face, in order to revert it back to its original facial structure… that alone had to make him a Manipulator… But that couldn’t be his only ability…

Though no matter what kind of other abilities Illumi kept up his sleeve, Daniel would make sure to protect Killua all the same. The boy had suffered enough as he already did… there was no other; _proper_ reason Killua should embrace his so called _darkness_ …

Daniel shifted his sight over to Gon and Killua who remained silent, waiting for Kite to return. Since they were doing nothing at the moment, Daniel might as well start some small talk “So, we’re going to Mitene Union with Kite and the others…”

Gon nodded with a happy expression, his lips curving into a huge smile to match the mood he was in “Yeah! It sounds like fun!”

“Fun…” Killua rolled his eyes before making his own assertion “Chasing a large group of human sized _killer_ ants’ sure sounds _fun_ …”

Gon frowned from his best-friends response, but it didn’t sour his mood in the slightest “Killua~!”

“Though,” Killua’s smile cracked further, stopping his best-friend from proceeding to argue any further “that hasn’t stopped us before. No matter what, I’m with you…”

Killua’s words made Gon smile even bigger “Thanks, Killua… You’re a greatest   
BEST-FRIEND I could ever ask for!”

Killua blushed from the boy’s response, though he could say anything in return; only accept the boy’s feelings in quiet.

Daniel watched in silence, wondering when… or if it was even right to butt in. Though, he wasn’t expecting Gon to continue, much less include him into the praises “I can’t thank the both of you enough. You two are the first friends, best-friends I ever made.”

Killua’s checks tinted further into the danger zone as Daniel only tilted his head slightly. For the first time, he questioned whether or not he deserved such praise. Unlike Killua, he hardly deserves the praise. At least Killua did something to earn it…

“Thanks, Gon…” Daniel quietly admitted, though he did admit a fraction of his guilt swelling in the back of the boy’s mind “Though, I don’t think I deserve it…”

Gon’s smile faltered a fraction, looking at the boy in concern. He saw Daniel’s eyes clouded with concern, though it was unknown to him why the boy was reacting this way now “You earned it…”

Daniel looked toward Gon, mouth agape, wondering why he would say such a thing aloud. Though it didn’t take long before Gon was continuing “No, really… While traveling around the world, whether we help out each other or not has been great. We got to know so much about each other… Meet new people… Expressed feelings… Found out so much in the past year, together. I don’t think we would have gotten to experience these things without each other, together…”

Daniel nodded, but his mouth felt dry, unable to express the same feelings Gon felt. But he did also feel the same as the boy. What they’ve seen couldn’t be done without each other at their side.

Gon couldn’t have beaten Razor without Killua’s help…

The exchange wouldn’t have occurred if Daniel didn’t make the deal with the Troupe, though he couldn’t deny Kurapika would’ve take over if he never existed.

Killua would’ve taken more damage against Sub if he didn’t step in.

Those were to name a few of the recent events they’ve help each other. And now that the boy remembers, he couldn’t help but crack a smile at Gon and Killua “You’re right… We’re here to help support each other like… Hmm…” Daniel brought his fingers together, interlocking them with one another “I guess an unbreakable, interlocking chain…”

Gon smiled at the boy’s idea, but was soon interrupted by Kite coughing, loudly “Sorry to interrupt… and this may be too late to ask, but are you sure you want to come?”

Gon looked at the others, a unison nod being shared. Gon agreed before the others, seeing as they already did so a few minutes prior “Of course!”

Killua held out his hand as an open offering to the man, only to allow the same-said hand relax in mid-air “I agree… you weren’t kidding about the _late_ part.”

Gon playfully nudged Killua as Daniel silently watched. Nothing else could be spoken about, seeing as they all agreed this was the best choice of action.

Kite let his eyes linger, sussing the boys out. There were concerns to be raised, so maybe he had a chance of turning his mentor’s son away before trouble began to stir. Looking away, the man brought up an argument “We have no idea what the situation is inside NGL. There may very well be a swarm of giant Chimera Ants already, hunting humans down. If that turns out to be the case, my priority will be saving them. So I may not be able to help you…”

Kite turned to look at the boys, making sure to look them in the eye before making his point “You must be able to protect yourselves. If you want to come, that’s the requirement.”

“O-”

Daniel spoke over Gon, while surprising Killua with how fast he responded, and the statement to follow “We’ve got each other’s back! If you’re busy saving others, we’ll no matter what… help you out as we protect each other’s weaknesses. After all, we’re here for each other…”

Kite’s eyes narrowed at the end of Daniel’s statement, looking directly at the boy as he spoke in a rather cold tone. It was as if the man was suddenly, completely dead on the inside “And if I’m the one who’s in danger, you should escape without me.”

The boys were startled by the man’s statement, though Daniel remained firm… unreadable in the slightest. If Kite was in serious danger, they had no chance of stopping the Chimera Ant. He was trained by Ging, Ging Freecss… the man whom had been impossible to find, so far. If Kite has no chance of beating the Chimera Ant, what did that mean for them…? Death…?

“Got it…?” Kite’s eyes narrowed slightly more, staring daggers towards the boys, if they even so much debate the issue.

Another question which needed to be answered would be Gon’s response, if he so much dared to deny Kite’s statement. What would Gon do if the man was in danger? And would they be able to help… or escape if given the chance?

Daniel awaited an answer from Gon, but was given none in the end. The boy would probably go against his original thought given the chance. Kite meant a lot to the boy…

He was the reason Gon pursued the idea of becoming a Hunter…

He was the reason Gon knew about Ging being alive…

And most importantly, Kite was a figure he hoped to become as strong as one day…

After all, Kite found Ging in the end… and they haven’t.

“~”

Daniel watched the sunset from a distance, alongside Gon and Killua… the quiet humming of the airship floating to next destination. It was a beautiful light, flickering and dancing along the boy’s faces with new shades, some darker than others…

He had no idea what to talk about, or if he should even talk to begin with. Should he just remain silent, soaking in the lovely colours of the sunset flickering by… or talk to his friends?

Daniel heard a sudden slap to one’s own cheeks, and was surprised to hear Gon wasn’t only the initiator, but he said a statement the boy wasn’t predicting “I’ve DECIDED!”

The boy contorted his face, confused as he wondered what Gon was getting at. Even Killua was concerned by Gon’s bold statement, but no so much the sudden slap “What did you just decide…?”

Gon blushed from his original reaction, though not for long. He clutched his hands into tight fists, pressing them against his knees as he leaned forward on the chair. He was within an inch of the window, eyes wavering from whether or not he knew how to fully express his feelings “Remember what Kite said before we left? That we should escape without him if he’s in danger…”

“Yeah,” Killua hummed in understanding before continuing “I don’t think that was a choice…”

“Although…” Daniel exclaimed loudly, waiting for the two boys to look at him. “It makes sense; he has years of experience ahead of us… If he can’t handle on his own, we might get in the way…”

Gon nodded “Yeah. That’s why neither of us said anything, but… I’ve thought about that. Is it possible for Kite, who earned Ging’s respect, to be in that much danger?”

Daniel’s eyes drew to Gon, watching the boy intently. He’d been thinking about the worst case scenario as well. Or maybe he was thinking about the whole ordeal, it was hard to gauge his friend at this point, considering Kite will be a future mentor, and was or still is a student of Ging.

“Killua, you said that Ging had a reason for bringing Kite and me together…”

“Yeah…?”

“You’re probably right. I don’t know the reason, but I can’t give up halfway, no matter what’s going on. Otherwise, I’ll disappoint Ging…” Gon slumped forwarded, resting his chin on his arm as he continued to look at the sunset “Of course, I could never forgive myself, either. So I won’t run away… That’s what I’ve decided.”

Killua silently listened to the boy’s speech, intending on hearing everything the boy had to offer. Though, he was disappointed. He expected a little more from the tone Gon was using. The boy had a strange way of thinking, even as far as to forget, or avoid worst case scenarios “Man, you had this totally serious expression, so I was expecting something big. But it’s just business as usual.”

“Huh…?” Gon whined from Killua’s reaction, eyebrows knitted together in disbelief “I thought about this a lot.”

Daniel sighed from Gon’s reaction to Killua “Obviously not enough…”

“But… I ran a bunch of mental simulations too…”

“Regardless…” Killua cracked a smile, attention drawn away from his friends “Think all you want, but you’ll still be Gon. If someone said you should abandon them…” Drawing his attention back to his friend, Daniel could have sworn he saw Killua’s eyes waver for a moment, his feelings being expressed for the briefest of moments. “You’d never do it.”

Gon felt his heart skip a beat, a smile forming, almost in jealousy. Here, Killua was saying something nice to him, and all he could think about was Daniel’s feelings towards Killua.

Kurapika…

Leorio…

Killua…

Daniel…

Sakura…

They were all wonderful friends, friends he would love indefinitely. He didn’t want this moment to end, the three of them relishing in the affectionate relationship towards each other. Whether it was out of love, friendship, bonds or whatever could be used to tie them together at the moment, he wanted to let that continue, flourish…

“Thanks…” Gon murmured under his breath. However, the boy soon smiled with a somewhat cheeky expression “Though, you make it sound like I wasted my time considering it…” The boy then looked up a Killua, a hopeful smile encompassing the curiosity contained throughout his mind “Then what about you?”

“I’m a spontaneous guy, so I’d think about it when the time comes…” Killua feinted anger, trying to pretend for the moment that he wasn’t thinking what he was really thinking. He couldn’t leave without Gon, or even Daniel… If they stayed to fight, he would too… no matter what.

He just cared for them… and the thought of losing either, well… he just didn’t let his mind linger on the thought more than it needed to. He couldn’t just accept losing his friends…

But what Daniel said next, made his mood formulate a turn for the worst, pointing out his biggest fears in a subtle manner “You sure are spontaneous…”

Killua turned to Daniel, cheeks flaring at the idea that Daniel was unconsciously pointing out the sudden kiss deepening, followed by the whispering of another’s name. The boy was glad for once in his life that Gon glossed over Daniel’s words, but it didn’t help the case when Gon made his insinuations “You mean you might run away?”

“Huh?!” Killua turned away, a frown showing. Though, Gon was still right to a certain degree “It… depends. I can’t say until it actually happens.”

“So, if-”

“I can’t tell you what I’d do in a hypothetical situation. I don’t decide until it’s time.”

“But-”

“No buts!”

Gon further whined the situation, but Killua continuously ignored, or turned down the boy’s scenarios. No matter what Gon could think of, what could happen was still unknown…

Daniel watched the scene playing out before him, a smile creeping up on his face. Sadness paraded along his vision, tears wanting to be spilled. A part of him wished he was the one Killua was arguing with, a back and forth of trying to get Killua to argue his feelings on a matter, which was pretty much trivial at this point.

The only way they could plan out the ‘what ifs’, is if they had the _Nen_ ability to read the future… or they could dumb down the examples to **what if a Chimera ant throws a right hook**? But even then… the possibilities were endless, hundreds of counter examples to throw back.

But thoughts aside, Daniel couldn’t help but feel jealous at the smile Killua was aiming at Gon as they attempted to counter each other’s word.

“~”

Daniel sat in one of the back seats of the van, between Lin and Banana, looking outside. It was deathly quiet, the sound of the humming engine echoing as the man drove them to their destination. It was a random guy, someone who drove people to and back from NGL.

Adjusting the smoke in his mouth, the driver decided to break through the dead silence with small talk “NGL, huh? They believe living naturally is always better…”

Daniel drew his attention to the man, no one responding to the driver’s words “They may be weird for living there, but you guys are weird for coming to visit, too. No idea what’s going on, but I’ve already driven in about ten similar groups today alone.”

This caught Gon’s attention, the curiosity being raised from such a small, almost unimportant detail because of the man’s tone “Ten groups?!”

“Yeah…”

Kite spoke up from the facts being presented “Then it sounds like we’re among the last to arrive.”

The drive wasn’t as long as Daniel expected, two hours at most to their destination, the border between the Rokario and NGL. What was really surprising about the area, were the two large trees, serving as both a bridge and landmark to NGL.

The trees were growing out of the ground and water, leading high into the sky. Daniel peaked towards the top of the tree, covering his eyes from the glaring sun as he ran Kite’s warning over in his mind again. **Stay alert. The Ants are a concern, but the NGL is more than a nature-loving organization.**

Considering NGL didn’t hire outside help for plagues and the possibility of being the main factory for the drug D², who knows what was lurking in the shadows.

“~”

The main guards of NGL looked down on the group, one smiling while the other had a blank stare. Considering the looks the main guard was giving, they were clearly not welcomed.

The man with the blank stare addressed Kite and his group, annoyance being heard with every word “What brings you here?” They were definitely not welcomed. No matter the circumstances, and what blocked Kite’s path, he still answered the man’s question. He was determined to get into NGL, no matter what “We’re on a hunt. A quarantined organism may have invaded this country.”

A small hum of understanding escaped the questioning man’s lips. He was thinking seriously on the question, wondering how true to their word they really are. A slow smirk spread across his lips before he began to further question the group “If you are pro Hunters, then we cannot deny you entry.”

The questioner’s expression changed swiftly, a frown being expressed as he used his head to point towards the entryway “Follow me.”

Daniel looked around the room, noticing several computers. For an area that highly values their slogan of no technology, they certainly have a lot spread throughout the room. But the other question was how exactly the computers were working… there weren’t any signs of ports to plug the computers in. And the interior was a large tree, so that had to be a fire hazard.

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Killua asking a fraction of the questions on his mind “You’re using computers and machines.”

“This place isn’t within NGL borders. This area is used for foreign relations and information exchange.”

“Interesting…” Daniel hummed as he looked at each computer, words flowing by on the screens that were just plain gibberish, unimportant to the boy “So we’re still not in NGL; technically, yet…”

“Yes…”

“Are there any facilities similar to this within the country?” Kite posed the question as he looked the security guard in the face.

“No, not a single one. No machines of any kind are allowed inside NGL.”

“Naturally,” the other man whom greeted them at the door with a smile spoke, adding more valuable information to the mix. Clearly, this voyage was not meant for Daniel “visitors are also not allowed to bring any inside. This means that you’ll need to remove all metallic, petroleum, glass or other such goods on your person…”

_Welp… there goes my weapon… my weapon which will probably get someone killed if they try to take it away. I wonder if I can still bring my jewel- NOPE, the lightning bolt has silver plated to the back…_

_Please, at least tell me my cards are ok…_

As Daniel continued to think to himself, Lin freaked out “D-Does that include my glasses?”

“Yes… If your clothes, belts, shoes, or underwear contain any plastic, chemicals, or metal, you must remove them.”

_FUCK, my cards! Wait, is ink a chemical? Maybe… actually, I think it counts as a chemical… Damn, my cards…_

“That isn’t funny. You’re telling us to strip naked?”

“Don’t worry…” The man with a smile assured Spinner, hands clasped together, as if he just caught a fly, trapping it, only to let it go moments later “There is natural clothing for sale upstairs.”

“Also…” Daniel did not like the sound of that, considering he had lost so much so far already. “If there are any bolts inside your body, dental implants, gold, silver, or silicon enhancements that cannot be removed, you will not be allowed to enter.”

The man offered the group a smile, though the outcome of what can’t be brought into NGL had greatly decreased the group’s strength. There were only a few members whom could enter NGL now.

Besides Gon and his friends; Kite, Dinner and Podungo could enter NGL.

Apart from the group being almost shaved in half, the other unfortunate outcome meant Daniel had to shed his _colourful_ clothing. He walked through the small isles, trying to find something that suited his personality, but most of the clothes where either too bland, extravagant or just didn’t suit him in his own opinion at all.

He eventually settled for clothing ironically similar to Killua, except for the colours. He chose a dark grey long sleeve shirt with brownish-red puffy pants; whereas Killua wore a Dark blue shirt with white pants.

Gon chose a light green tank top with dark green pants.

Dinner, looked like he belonged in a martial arts class with his clothing choice.

And Kite didn’t need to change at all.

Podungo was the only one whom chose extravagant clothes, a bluish-purple, white and pale-yellow robe with a white collar connected to the top, which hung just past the shoulder.

Daniel watched Killua intently as they stepped back into the main room connected to the entranceway. The boy had his eyebrows raised, confused as he adjusted his baggy pants. It was if Killua never once in his life wore long pants. It was adorable to watch, like a child was trying to understand how doors work.

Daniel eventually looked away, scared that he’ll found out if he stared for too long.

Kite looked at the remaining group, counting them in his head before addressing the new situation “Only the six of us are left…”

“~”

Kite, Dinner and Podungo left to address what their remaining friends should do as Gon and his friends waited in the hallway. Now was good as any time to speak. Daniel started a conversation between his friends “So… I’ve lost pretty much everything.”

Killua nodded as he checked his pants, only to complain a second later “This feels weird…”

“As in, you’ve only worn shorts before… or as in the material it’s made from?”

Killua let go of his pants, shaking his head as he let them flow back into its puffy like state “Never worn pants like these before. They feel… weird?”

Daniel openly stared at Killua, looking him up and down before comfortably commenting on the boy’s new attire “Looks good on you…”

Killua looked away, blushing from the complement as Gon continued to worsen the situation for the boy “Yeah! You look great!”

“G- Gon!” Killua was starting to panic, believing that his choice of clothing wasn’t really a good choice in the end. He could handle only so many compliments before they came crashing down around him. One was enough… Two was just too many for him to handle.

He tried cooling his cheeks down, only to get second thoughts about the situation. Apart from colour disaster, Daniel had a similar choice of clothing to him, and Gon was the only abnormal one out of them, besides his not-so-strange colour choice.

He liked the way Gon’s sleeveless shirt showed of his toned muscles. It was there at that point, he decided to mentally slap himself for allowing those thoughts to go there. He opened his mouth to say something, but was soon shutting it, no valuable input to give out. He felt a tinge of awkwardness settle into the pit of his stomach, wondering for a moment how Daniel would react after receiving such a thought…

Does Daniel experience the same feelings, in a similar pattern…?

Or does the boy not second guess them, stilling his features to the point they become unnoticeable, even if he so as much got a dirty thought?

Daniel looked at Killua with an unreadable expression, thinking about a mixture of what he lost and what Killua could be thinking of. He wondered how Killua was taking the small burst of compliments. But as he could tell from the immediate reaction, he was sure Killua was embarrassed, though he wasn’t really sure how _embarrassed_ the boy was…

As the boy continued to look at Killua, he tried to pick up on anything new the boy had, no matter how little… He thought about what happened earlier.

He had an unfortunate situation, sacrificing Wolfbane, his main weapon of choice. Though he didn’t lose it completely… he’ll get to pick it up later when he returns. Then again, the circumstance to how he lost it was funny.

The man thought he could hold it with ease, even after Daniel argued he wasn’t strong enough. He must have taken one look at Daniel, thinking it was nothing more than 20kg at most. After all… he was a _young child_.

Daniel had offered the weapon with a smug expression, waiting till the man took hold of it in a non-life threatening manner before letting go. As soon as the boy let go, the man fell forward, smacking his nose against the hilt of the blade. And when he apologized, picking it up once again, then, and only then did Daniel let the man know why he was struggling so much to pick it up…

The weapon was close to half a ton, a weight that most normal, Non- _Nen_ users would not be able to hold. However, Killua could pick it up; Gon could hold it, and it weighed almost nothing to Kite.

The end result was as Daniel predicted, forced to relinquish his own weapon to the storage closet, seeing as no one in the entire building was strong enough to move it.

The look of defeat was _almost_ … worth the short-loss of the weapon. Apart from Wolfbane, he also lost his necklaces, which surprisingly letting go of the cobalt lightning bolt crystal was a lot harder than Wolfbane. The necklace was a memento of Killua, even though he was the one that originally brought it. Apart from those two, the pouch containing the cards was lost, but not the cards.

The cards just met the bare requirements for being let into NGL, but in the end he still had to get a new case, or in his case a ‘sack’ to hold them.

The boys settled into minor conversations as they waited, interested to know what they’ll find once they enter NGL.

As Gon and his friends talked, waiting for Kite to return, the boy felt his thoughts change, it focused on something he had to do earlier. After just being able to get into contact with Sakura, he now had to give up the chance to speak with him again. It was as if life was a cruel joke, stopping him at every corner from speaking his mind.

He thought about bringing up his feelings to Sakura, wondering if the boy too had been in his circumstances. Feelings unable to choose, to focus only on one; maybe Sakura was like him, his feeling flourishing to the point they too were unable to focus on a single entity.

Or maybe this was just a current circumstance, one that was bound to change overtime… Gon pondered the idea for a second longer. He came to a conclusion, planning to confess his feelings to Sakura when they returned from dealing with the Chimera Ant situation. It was only fair, considering that one day Sakura might be swept up into them one day…

If Sakura was on board, then he’ll speak to Daniel and Killua, together. It would be nice to be able to share their feeling between each other, finding out if one another’s feelings are able to clash, to make something even better.

If no one agrees, Gon will find in the future like Daniel, someone who he wants to devote his attention to… someone who accepts him as he too accepts them. It would be nice to introduce them to the group, further increasing the friendships and long list of friends his building up. It would be nice to travel the world with another person… like Sakura…

Maybe Sakura can join them after the Chimera Ant…

Gon was sure his friend would love to do that, join them on their travels.

“~”

A new person, after the original guide who smacked his head against Wolfbane had to be replaced, showed the people who were allowed into NGL through the branches. They were almost endless, seamlessly intertwining the two trees together like a bridge.

Daniel looked around, observing the views the height have to offer as the navigator spoke, she further discussed the rules of NGL, the one that weren’t mention at the start. It wasn’t until she reached the climax of her rules, was when Daniel began to listen, and just in time too “The checkpoint is over there.”

For not only a building that was made out of two conjoining trees, and the fact it was bordering NGL, the building had a lot of technology. Hell, it even had electronic doors built into the tree. It was amazing how something made entirely out of the interior of a tree, wasn’t up in flames yet.

A tree shouldn’t be able to house so much technology built into it, no matter how large, and robust it was.

As they entered the room, the guide reached the end of her rules and proceedings that were about to occur “There will be a physical exam and interview, as well as metal, x-ray, and ultrasound scanning.”

Kite looked at the technology and machinery filling the room “The security is rather strict.”

“Some people have smuggled in guns by hiding parts inside their bodies. It’s common for people to hide cameras or cell phones in their rectums. Some people even trained animals to bring them laptops once they were inside.”

Daniel cringed at the thought of shoving a phone, camera or even a weapon up his butt just in order to get it into NGL. He could only imagine what they did to the poor people after finding out they had such items in, or on them. Did they forcibly remove the object from them, or were they stopped then and there before entering?

The tests were long and tedious, considering she had to do all six participants, for every test. It was fun to learn bits and pieces of everyone’s bodies. Killua had not a single scar on him, showing up on either scan or physically, while Daniel’s scar on his back had been removed like it never existed thanks to the **Breath of the Archangel**. That card produces some wonders to behold.

His sister would be happy to know he no longer has a physical scar… from whatever happened in order to produce it.

After looking over the data and result, the tester, and or guide smiled “All of you are clean.”

It was a relief for Daniel to hear they’ll still be staying together. Who knows what he would of done if he found out he had a metal rod or something in his body, stopping him from proceeding further.


	81. NGL X Chimera Ants X First Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Welp… I heard two terrible things on ninth or tenth of November depending on time zone differences:
> 
> One, Donald J Trump won… GOOD LUCK, America… you’re going to need it.
> 
> Two, Hunter X Hunter might be discontinued, due to Togashi’s health…
> 
> **A\N2:** I would like to extend a special thanks to the most awesome man in my life, my boyfriend for making me smile so much! Joker, you need to step up your game. I found someone who can put a smile on my face ;)

Daniel whipped the reins, forcing the horse to keep up with Gon, Kite and Dinner’s own. The stomping of the horses hoofs echoed like a delayed rhythm, sometimes almost in sync with each other.

The boy felt alone on his ride, Killua opting to ride on Gon’s horse. While it made him feel jealous to an extent, it was the way Killua was riding it made the boy stare in awe. He wasn’t sitting down, arms hanging loosely around Gon… he was standing on the horse’s back, balancing so perfectly. Even if Gon were to stop suddenly, Killua still wouldn’t lose balance.

“Killua, you’re supposed to sit on the horse… not stand.”

The boy laughed at his friend’s comment, a sly smile spreading across his face with a challenge echoing in his voice “I bet you can’t do this…”

“I bet I could balance on one hand, and still take rein of my horse. I wasn’t a ballet for several years for looks.”

“Prove it…”

Daniel huffed at his friend’s response, the challenge hidden in his voice. Why was Killua acting like this, a sudden challenge of tune? But a challenge is a challenge. Still… he didn’t want to do it for long. Killua wasn’t taking reins… but Daniel was.

Though a thought did cross the boy’s mind, a challenge of his own “What will you do if I do it?”

The challenge was set, and Killua wasn’t so sure about the bet now; if Daniel does do it, what then…? Or worse yet… what if he does do it, but falls off his horse in the process? Should he be worried, or laugh at that situation?

It was a win-lose situation the more he thought about it… Though Gon didn’t seem to have a similar thinking pattern “Really?!”

“Yes…” Daniel repeated himself for the second time that hour. He could do it; it was just a balancing act… though he couldn’t do it like Killua was doing now… it’s hard to do so why taking reins of a horse. Daniel swung his right foot over the horse, sitting so his back was facing his friends.

Keeping his right hand secured to the horse rein, the boy used his left hand to push his body up, and then proceeded to swing his feet back and up into the air. The boy offered a smile as he kept his other hand bracing the horse. It was a dangerous act; one where a false move would be the difference between taking a mouthful of horse hair to the face, and proving a point “Happy?”

Gon beamed in delight at the achievement, while Killua questioned the boy’s motives. He wondered just how good Daniel could keep that balance “Maybe…” the boy allowed a smile to spread.

Daniel could have sworn he saw Killua smiling sweetly at him, but it may have been a trick projected from his mind, a semblance to what his heart really wanted to see. Even then, the thought ran in his mind as he rotated his body back so he was sitting comfortably. He rather is sitting, than be balancing for the remainder of the trip. Although, could he make that smile a reality? And not just a bellowing laugh of happiness, but a smile, to make the boy’s heart flutter, and no longer dream, but to experience it in reality.

“~”

Gon pressed his finger to the map, drawing a line from where they started to roughly where they are now. They had stopped at various villages along the way, trying to figure out whether Kite’s guess of the Chimera queen landing in NGL held water. So far, nothing had provided truth to their educated guess.

But Gon, in all his stubbornness wanted to believe that they were on the right track “Anyway, we should follow the coast and check the villages. If we go through all of them and nothing turns up, it probably isn’t in this country.”

Daniel watched for Killua’s reaction, seeing if the boy had a similar thought process to him. If one were to judge from Kite’s dark story about NGL, and the main guard’s questionable quote:

**Even if there were any such creatures, the citizens in this country wouldn’t make much of a fuss. If we are attacked and killed by animals, that is simply nature taking its course.**

Going from door to door, or in this case from village to village would leave them feeling more taxed than hopeful to find something which may or may not exist. Daniel drew out his fingers, hand relaxed from the thought “Gon, it’s gonna be hard going from village to village… with nothing to gain. All the villages we’ve visited so far have nothing to offer. So maybe we are going to have to go deeper, rather than aiming for the coast.”

Killua pressed a finger to the coast “That’s assuming those guys were telling the truth…”

Gon’s eyes narrowed slightly at the map, a frown forming “They’re still following us, aren’t they?”

“Gon… they’re in plain sight. They aren’t trying to hide at this point.” Daniel allowed his concerns to show, eyes glancing towards the two members of NGL following them up on the cliff.

“Agreed…” Killua hummed before tracing his finger along the map “They claim to be here in case we encounter unknown tribes and require interpreters or intermediaries. But they’re obviously here to watch us.”

“You can say that again…” Daniel dead panned; only to be interrupted by Kite moments later “Well, I never expected the people here to be of any help. My gut tells me that it’s here.”

“~”

The horse stomped through the wasteland; Killua’s back rocking constantly against Daniel’s own. Although Killua was reluctant, Daniel didn’t oppose to the idea of his friend sharing his horse. Actually, he was secretly hoping Killua would.

Gon wanted to ride on his own, surprising Daniel with a wink when Killua had his back turned to him. Even though Gon was straight forward, never hiding his feelings… he certainly knew how to manipulate his surrounds from time to time. Or maybe Gon didn’t do that, he just managed to express his feelings in such a way no one suspected a thing.

Daniel felt heat pool in his chest, even though it was the same heat that was radiant off the boy who was resting against his back. Why did coming to terms with the person who he loves, whom just happens to be resting against his back, which they also just happen to possibly be in-love with someone else hurt so much?

Was it like a cause and effect, the reasoning to why it both hurt and felt so good at the same time? Daniel shifted his body in a way to not disturb Killua, only to fail miserable in the process.

“Stop moving…”

“I will when you tell me what’s wrong with this picture.”

Killua quirked an eyebrow, eye’s opening slowly as he turned to glance in Daniel’s sight “Picture?”

“You, me, together…”

Killua blinked once, then twice before the sudden realisation hit him hard like a ton of bricks. Daniel was secretly referring to his own feelings, in a roundabout way. Killua cheeks tinted slightly, leaning forward in a way so his back wasn’t completely resting against the boy behind him “I could-”

“NO!” Daniel muttered slightly a little too loudly, but thankfully not loud enough to catch the attention of the other hunters “No… please stay. I just thought you’d ride the horse in the same way you did with Gon…”

“Oh…” Killua silently muttered, though his feelings remained the same as earlier. It was still embarrassing to him. Daniel’s feeling had not changed in the slightest these past few weeks, months…

How had Daniel’s feelings not changed in the slightest… not that Killua’s own wasn’t faring any better. He was still confused, no signs of ever picking one or the other. He still liked Gon, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he had feelings for Daniel as well. And it wasn’t until now, when Daniel pointed out the circumstances did those feels get pushed to the front of his mind.

He didn’t even return the feeling in the slightest… and yet Daniel’s only got stronger, or did they remain the same?

“How…?”

“What?”

“Nothing…” Killua leaned back, tempting himself to feel what his friend felt. But it never did… it remained the same, confused. Killua shifted his gaze to Gon, running the same scenario in his head. How would he feel if he was in this circumstance with the boy…? Would the feeling be mutual, both parties wanting to share their feelings?

Somehow, Killua highly doubted that… Gon was an airhead at times, saying the dumbest things at times. Maybe Gon hadn’t hit that part of life yet, discovery of feelings…

Gon suddenly looked up, eyes looking at the clouds.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hear a bee…”

Killua chuckled at the response, the laughter reverberating into Daniel’s back and into his chest. It felt wonderful, hearing the boy laughing behind him, pushing against his back as he tried to contain both his laughter, and balance on the horse.

Gon however didn’t find it amusing; he only simply held a finger out, pointing at the bee in question which landed on his finger “See…” Gon then realised a piece of paper was attached to the bee, eyes widening as he reached for the object, and then unrolling the paper to find out what was on it.

Killua nudged Daniel, expecting the boy to guide the horse closer to Gon.

The piece of paper had a quickly drawn image, inked in either blood or red crayon. It was hard to tell, considering Daniel hadn’t been in enough blood splattering situations. On the top left corner was what piqued the boys.

**Help!!**

**Chimera Ant Nest**

A line was drawn, pointing to the area in NGL, followed with an explanation to the simple drawing **Rocky Area**. Then there was another message, written this time in the top right corner.

**Notify the Hunter Association.**

Gon stopped Kite as soon as he was done looking at the note “Kite!”

“~”

Kite stared endlessly at the note, the bee resting comfortably on Gon’s finger. Daniel looked at Killua while said boy was looking at Gon. A note like this was the best lead, but at the same time it could be a trap.

Daniel wasn’t so sure if the bee was working with the Chimera Ants, or against them. It wasn’t like he could question the bee. But, he also felt a sense of familiarity from the creature on Gon’s finger… as if he seen it before. But the memory was too old, buried by all the recent adventures.

The boy shifted his hand, holding it out to the bee. But the creature remained on its perch, unmoving. It was attracted to Gon, and Daniel wasn’t sure why.

“It’ll be dangerous…” Daniel snapped his attention towards Kite, looking at the man through expressionless eyes. What do they do now?

Chase the hint…? Or seek proper help…?

Even as the boy questioned their next motive, Kite already set his mind to a goal. It was time to take the fight to them… and take out one of their bases, if it wasn’t the main Chimera’s nest “However, could you accompany me?”

“Of course!”

Of course Gon would agree without asking for his friend’s permission, but given the circumstances, there was no other option at the moment. And not only that, they agreed to help out no matter what. So it was the only fitting response.

“We’re pros…”

Daniel held a finger to his chin, he thought for a second longer, wondering if a plan will formulate in his mind. Nothing came to mind, it was empty, no other choices after thinking about it “We can handle the situation… I’m sure of it…” Even though Daniel said that, he still wasn’t so sure. They knew nothing about the Chimera or their skillset.

Kite liked the responses he was getting, even with the slight doubt in Daniel’s eyes. But it was guaranteed; given the boy might be a Manipulator, always over thinking “Miss interpreter… Sorry, but we’re in a hurry.”

“Yes…” The interpreter smiled, happy to help out the man in any way possible “The horses can move a bit faster.”

Daniel shook his head, rerunning the memories of Greed Island in his mind. He remembered how many times they ran from the rocky fields back to Masadora, and the goals Bisky kept resetting.

They could out run the horses, reaching their goal in half, if not far less the time the horses could. And Kite seemed to agree as well when he got of his horse “They won’t be fast enough.” He ignored the interpreter startled expression, instead focusing towards his friends to give new orders “I want you two to return to the border, find the others, and get word to the Association. These creatures are dangerous.”

“Got it…”

“Be careful, Kite.”

“Right...”

The interpreter looked between Kite and his friends, still thinking it’s some kind of joke. There was no way this man knew of someone or something faster than horses, which wasn’t machinery. They were normal human beings…

Although, it didn’t help when Kite looked towards the boys, before continuing to speak more obscenities “If you can’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind.”

“Right back at you…” Killua stretched his arms into the air, relaxing his body as he disagreed with Kite, followed by Gon who agreed “All ready to go!”

Daniel was in agreement with his best-friends “It’s like Masadora on Greed Island all over again…” The boy muttered the words out loud, Killua and Gon silently agreeing with their friend. They ran the distance so many times; the training had given them a permanent change in their speed and endurance.

The boys were already getting ready, as if they were about to run a mile marathon. The interpreter continued to believe the situation was some kind of joke that even the young boys believed to be true.

She was left for dead, unable to believe what her eyes were looking at. The three boys and the older man were running so fast, they had become a single speck in the distance.

Daniel bolted alongside his friends, the wind parting and whistling in his ears from the speed they were running. It had been so long since they done this, the boy had almost forgotten what it sounded like…

What it felt like…

He couldn’t help but crack a smile, watching the mountains and rocks pass them at ungodly speeds. His memory took a sudden turn, wondering if his parents and sister was proud at him for this achievement. Could they do the same, or was he special? He highly doubted the second choice, but his mind couldn’t help but linger on the possibilities of ‘what if’.

Though that term made him almost think of another, which was forced back to the back of his mind. There was no point basing feelings on ‘what ifs’ now, it was only something the future could reveal.

“~”

Daniel was kneeing down, looking at the pool of blood on the ground. It was dried up, not a single piece of flesh the human it originally belonged remained. The boy could tell Gon was disgusted, even without having to turn around. It was a common feeling projected by Gon, one that went without questioning.

Gon was really pissed; it was a common occurrence when an innocent life was taken for no point.

Daniel held out a hand to the hat which remained almost untouched, except for the blood splatter on it. It looked eerily familiar, like he’d definitely seen it long ago. A big yellow hat, shaped like a large pot… Where had he seen it? Who wore it? And how long ago was it since he last saw them?

He couldn’t really say; not a piece of the person the clothing belonged to remained. The identity was just a pool of dried blood now. And it made him queasy in the stomach… he’d probably have to deal with whatever creature killed the person the blood belonged to.

It was going to be a definite kill or be killed situation…

He hadn’t killed before, and he highly doubted he could do so by himself… Maybe he could trap the monster, allowing Gon or even Killua to get the finishing blow. But… would that thought process be right? What if he’s friends were busy? Could he hold the enemy still until one of them would be able to deal with it? Would Kite even allow that…?

Killua spotted something on the ground, lying next to where Daniel was kneeling. He was surprised the boy didn’t see or step on it, but then again, the boy was invested deeply with the hat.

Killua held the lightly glinting object to the sky, immediately knowing what it was. It belonged to something that shouldn’t be here… a gun “This is a bullet casing.”

Killua’s words caught Daniel’s attention, the boy placing the hat back on the ground. There was no point digging deeper into his memory. It was a long, forgotten memory now.

As Daniel stood, Gon addressed the boy’s concern “Nothing mechanical is allowed here, right?”

“I believe so…” Daniel quietly admitted before looking away from the dried blood.

Kite frowned, eyes drawn between the casing, the pool of dried blood, and shredded clothing “SO the underground rulers of NGL were manufacturing guns in addition to drugs.”

“But judging by this…” Killua continued to question the scene. There was no way a hail of bullets could leave no traces of the body without destroying the surrounding area.

Kite agreed with where the boy’s thoughts were originally headed “It wasn’t done by a human. Most likely, it was a Chimera Ant.”

All three boys’ eyes snapped towards Kite, looking into the eyes to detect a joke of any kind. They were however met with unwavering steel eyes, narrowing down on the gruesome scene before them “If the Chimera Ants are using guns… I hate to consider the possibility, but it’s possible that the NGL’s underground rulers have already been fed to the queen…”

Kite gave a pregnant pause for the boys to consider the possibility as they too stared at the pool of dried blood, but that didn’t stop him from breaching the topic further “What will happen if Chimera Ants are born with their genes? NGL and Chimera Ants… The worst combination imaginable… This could create an unprecedented biohazard.”

Kite didn’t wait a second longer, running off ahead, uncaring if he lost the boys behind him. The situation just got more dangerous, and if he didn’t do something now, before the queen gives birth to the king, who knows what kind of danger the world will be in. The ants could already use guns; therefore they are sentient beings, no longer mindless drones. And if the blood splatter was an indicator, they’ve already taken multiple human lives…

Kite didn’t stop for a moment, bolting through the forest to the destination scribbled on the note… the rocky area. Gon, Killua and Daniel were keeping up without sudden warnings. He was impressed in their ability to stay focused on the task at hand, defeating the Chimera ants “It’s safe to assume that the Chimera Ants have assumed control of NGL’s interior. The question is if we can reach their nest before the Queen births the King...”

Daniel thought about the scenario to himself. Just how strong could the King be when compared to the soldiers, warriors or whatever the main bulk of the army of Chimera Ants were called? If the King was a serious concern, the probably was whether or not they could be beaten by the four of them.

Judging by Kite’s serious expression, the King was a dangerous threat… and the source of his birth would have to be eliminated immediately.

“~”

Kite came to an abrupt stop, pointing off to the village on his far right. It felt eerie, deathly quiet as opposed to others villages bustling with life. It was only until they rounded a corner, they found out why.

A large section of the wall was ripped wide open, bits and pieces of the framework remained, splintering near the opening. Daniel peeked inside along with the others.

Parts of the floor were torn up, most likely from the ants ripping the home owners away from their sanctuary. Gon looked concerned at the furniture torn asunder “No one’s here…”

Gon was right; it looked as though the house was abandoned, as if no one lived there. But judging by the food left behind, it would have been done recently… within the past week or two.

As the group split apart, Daniel checked the rest of the inside of the house for any clues. There wasn’t even a blood splatter left behind. The Ants were good at their job… or maybe they were good at following their orders. Whatever the reasoning for the   
clean-up, the people was needed for something… either cattle or new pawns for the Chimera Ant’s army.

Daniel reached down, brushing the glass away from the cracked picture. It was a family of three that lived in the house; a mother, father and a single child… a boy judging by his features. Then again, it was hard to tell from how young the person was…

The boy placed the picture back on the ground before leaving the house “Not a single clue left behind…”

Gon’s features hardened, giving away a fraction of his anger “Say… Something smells.” He held up a finger, pointing to the clearing near a shed, possibly a barn. The barn was empty, barely dry blood markings leading towards the forest. It looked as though it was recent, possibly done within the last few days... or possibly even hours ago.

The group continued to follow the trail through the forest. Soon it opened up to a clearing, the smell and scene taking Daniel and the others by surprise. As the boy covered his nose, his eyes trained to the scene before him. Three horses were skewered on separate trees, from the backside right through their mouth.

The area was being used for some kind of ritual or sign; a danger to whoever saw it was to stay away.

Daniel looked to see the other’s expression. Kite remained the same, unreadable while Killua covered his mouth with a sleeve like Daniel was doing. Gon looked as though he knew what was happening; unfazed by the gruesome scene before him “It’s like a morning sacrifice…”

Daniel and Killua were surprised by the comment, and even more so by Kite pointing it out rather than Gon who made the quick judgement “A ritual practiced by birds called bull-headed shrikes. They impale their prey on sharp objects, such as branches.”

Daniel held out his hand, an eyebrow rising in curiosity “So… basically, a giant version of the bull-headed shrike did this.” Turning to look back at the impaled horses, Daniel ran his fingers across his chin “I wonder where the creature went…”

“Hey!”

The group froze for a second, caught completely off guard by unknown enemy or ally’s sudden voice. Like the others, Daniel drew his attention towards the person, hoping for a second that it wasn’t their first enemy.

A single creature, most likely a male, considering by its… speedo _‘pouch’_ , stood there. For insects, not only were they larger than normal, but for some reason they had a strange sense of clothing choice.

The creature had a mixture of probably bull-headed shrikes and some form of bunny rabbit genes. It had large fluffy bunny legs, feathered arms connected to four-fingered hands, a red chest plate bra or some form of upper chest colouring, long green hair, long side ears and a single red patch on its left eye.

It wore only two pieces of clothing, ankle leather guards and… a black thong.

Gon and Killua immediately freaked out from their first Chimera Ant encounter, with Killua questioning it first “Wh- What is that?”

Daniel was perplexed… he didn’t know whether to call it a pervert, or outright question it. What was he looking at anyways? He guessed bull-headed shrike was a part of its genes, but the human figure and bunny rabbit features made him seriously consider checking his eyes. Even if he did close his eyes to make sure he wasn’t really seeing things, he was sure upon opening them, the creature wouldn’t disappear.

The ant looked pissed, and for what reason, the group was sure to find out. The lone creature stared at the group as they stared back. Did it even speak…? Was the ‘hey’ a figment of their imagination?

As Daniel questioned those thoughts, the creature raised his arm to point at the group “Trash.” Veins on its forehead popped in rage; intensifying its anger with each passing second “Those are mine!”

“Ah…” Daniel was about to question the creature, but it leapt into action, charging them like a furious bull. Kite dodged without any effort, completely avoiding the attack. However, the boys weren’t so lucky.

Daniel barely had any time to react, stunned from its appearance. He felt the creature’s hand swat him aside, knocking him back with enough force to send him sliding across the dirt ground.

Gon and Killua were hit in the same fashion, but Killua was the only one out of the three to actually block.

Even with the pain vibrating on the left side of his cheek, Daniel still felt more concerned for his friend “Killua?!” It was a dead giveaway if anyone listened to his voice. He gave away the person he was most concerned about.

Killua’s arms were shaking, the pain stronger than he originally thought. Gon wasn’t fairing much better with the stinging pain in his face, but a part of Killua didn’t like Daniel calling him out the way he did. Why was Daniel more concerned for him?

**A/N:** Welp… I heard two terrible things on ninth or tenth of November depending on time zone differences:

One, Donald J Trump won… GOOD LUCK, America… you’re going to need it.

Two, Hunter X Hunter might be discontinued, due to Togashi’s health…

**A\N2:** I would like to extend a special thanks to the most awesome man in my life, my boyfriend for making me smile so much! Joker, you need to step up your game. I found someone who can put a smile on my face ;)

 

Killua was the only one who blocked the attack… even if it hurt more than he anticipated.

Daniel’s eyes drew back to the enemy, hand reaching behind his back to pull out Wolfbane, but there was only one problem with that idea… he didn’t have it on him. _Crap, Plan B… I’ll protect the both of them, with or without Wolfbane…_

As Daniel slid his hand to the pouch containing the cards, Kite appeared in front of him, walking past the boy as if the enemy wasn’t a real concern. It caught the boys completely off guard, Daniel’s hand relaxing at the base of the card pouch. Was the enemy really of no concern?

Kite continued to walk up to the tree line bordering the forest they came from, resting on one of the many trees. Crossing his arms, Kite hid his features with his hat as he spoke slowly in a calculative manner “Gon… Killua… Daniel… You three must deal with him yourselves.”

The three turned to look at the Chimera ant. It had stood up, irritation spreading throughout its face. Kite had just pissed off the creature further, and it was looking for its next victims to release its anger on.

“That is a Chimera Ant soldier. We will encounter many more like him. I won’t be able to help you during combat. If you can’t defeat it, you’ll have to leave…” As the boys’ features narrow, Kite finished his statement “You’ll just be in my way.”

Gon and Killua were the first to act, aura being sent out in preparation for the incoming battle. They were already ready to fight, even with Kite’s rule. Daniel shifted his body, standing sideways as his hand was held out, a battle plan already forming in his mind.

Gon was the first to speak “Weren’t you listening, Kite?”

The Chimera’s expression changed; he was not expecting something, it was as if the aura and change of tone surprised him. What were those boys exactly hiding under their sleeves?

“We are also pros!”

Daniel flicked out his hand, adjusting the aura contained within his hand as his friends walked towards the enemy “I’ll act as support…”

“Yeah…” Killua calmly agreed as he pulled up his sleeves. It was as if the three of them all thought the same thing, aura reacting in unison “Don’t treat us like kids!”

The three boys leapt into action, Daniel activating his ability as the other two attacked.


	82. NGL X Chimera Ants X Underground Brawl

Daniel held out his hands, preparing to help in any way he deemed fit. It wasn’t only going to be a battle of strength; he’ll make sure wits were involved. Keeping his eyes on his friend, he waited for the first moment he could help out.

Killua made the first move, bringing his right foot out to kick the Chimera Ant in the face. Unfortunately it didn’t do much damage, blocked before being pushed away. The boy gritted his teeth in anger, changing back towards the ant.

While Killua came back, Gon attacked from behind. The ant swung the back of his hand at Gon’s face. Daniel readjusted his hand, forcing the shadow to latch on the ant’s arm, making it overthrow its attack. While it surprised at sudden miss, it was even more so when Gon’s fist sunk into his face.

The attack wasn’t a complete loss for the ant; he was hit hard enough to see what made him miss his attack in the first place “What?!” A dark, apparition resembling a hand was latched onto his arm. Its grip was weak, pulling in a way where it didn’t have complete dominance.

The creature pulled his arm back, punching Gon squarely in the cheek before he could land another attack. Daniel flinched, feeling his arm strain when the ant freed himself from Daniel’s Shadow grip. This drawback was going to make the three prong attack fail if he continued to make mistakes.

It was a good thing this creature didn’t use _Nen_ like the boys could, or he would’ve been hurt for a lot more.

The Chimera Ant turned, fist heading straight for Killua. Daniel failed to react quickly, but was lucky Killua was on the ball, ducking out of the way. Killua clenched his fist, attacking the Chimera Ant before he wound up for another attack.

Throwing his other arm out, he attempted to attack Killua again. This time however, he felt the same pressure hold back his hand for a split second. A split second was all Killua needed. His fist landed squarely in the Chimera Ant’s chest, forcing him to cough up some spit.

However it didn’t stun him long enough to allow Killua to get a second strike. The ant brought up his right foot to kick Killua away. Daniel curled out his other hand to force his shadow to stop the attack.

It was as if the Chimera Ant anticipated the attack, the moment it latched on, it didn’t impend the attack at all. The kick collided with Killua’s chest, launching him as far away as possible.

“Killua!” Daniel screamed loudly, only forced to turn back to face the enemy when it growled loudly. The creature was about to attack Gon. Rather than failing like last time, Daniel altered his fingers, fanning them out. Several hands spiked from the ground like stalagmites, holding back the Chimera’s hand from being brought down on Gon.

Gon didn’t get to attack however; he was forced to back out alongside Daniel when Killua yelled “Get back!”

Killua curled his arm back, staring down on the creature from the sky. The ant growled, facing Killua as he readied himself to block the boy’s incoming punch. He was surprised for the second time, expecting a punch, only to have the boy’s hand curled into an outstretched finger, followed by a large generation of electricity.

A huge storm of electricity sparked between Killua’s finger tips, lighting up the area. The boy followed through his with generation of electricity, forcing his finger towards the ant.

The enemy let out howl of pain, after being enveloped within Killua’s attack. It was shocked, stunned from the attack, unable to move in the slightest. Gon used that moment to attack. Gon started his ‘first comes rock’ attack, aura flowing into his fist.

Daniel took Gon’s preparation to get his own attack in. The boy curled his fingers back in, bringing his shadow to do the same. He knew the best way to attack. Bringing his hand to attack in a curled downward punch, the shadow hand did the same. The Shadow hand punched the creature in the head, forcing him to fall gracefully into the floor.

Though, he didn’t get to land. He instead received an even harder punch to the face from the second boy, Gon. The attack had enough momentum to launch the creature into the air; face messed up in excoriating pain.

Killua smiled widely when he landed, the joint attack working wonderfully together. He wanted to secretly praise Daniel for thinking of dropping the creature’s posture so that Gon could land an attack squarely in its face. But rather than embarrassing himself, he praised the group instead “Yeah! Perfect combination!”

Something unexpected happened; a shadow flew past, taking the enemy along with them. The group was startled, barely able to register the second enemy hiding amongst them. Where did he come from? From the angle, it looked as though it flew past from Kite’s general direction.

And if it did, how did it managed to hide its presence? Kite would have been a well versatile Hunter, so it should have been detectable… did that mean the Chimera Ants could also use _Zetsu_?

Daniel couldn’t latch onto them with his ability if he even tried; they were completely out of range. What he hadn’t expected was what their defeated enemy would do. He’s loud booming voice surprised them all, echoing loudly among the trees. It was a wonder how he was able to still yell at that constant volume, after his face had taken full knuckle sandwich. Hell, it even forced the wind to shutter, blowing against them like a cyclone ripping through the air “Bastards! I’m gonna eat you!”

The boys thought it was over, removing their hand from their face. Unfortunately, they were still able to hear the creature yelling from far off into the distance; though it wasn’t as loud as the initial burst of rage “I will! Remember this!”

Daniel clenched his fist, anger radiating off his aura. Next time… there wouldn’t be a next time! He wouldn’t allow the enemy to lay a finger on Gon or Killua, especially Killua. It caught him off guard, and next time… it won’t happen.

Kite spoke to the group, uncaring what they thought about their skill differences compared to the Chimera Ant. It was a valuable lesson, to never think the Chimera Ants were insects that could be easy squashed with a single punch. This is a lesson for next time, to go all out, and take them out no matter the strength used “That guy’s smart. He let his soldier do the fighting, so he could learn our abilities…”

Kite paused, letting that information sink in.

Neither of the boys spoke, Gon and Killua having the same initial thought run through them. Kite’s rule was if they couldn’t beat this ant, they had no choice… but to go back. The ant was still breathing after all of their attacks combined. Hell, he even had enough power to yell at them with a booming voice.

The enemy wasn’t even strong… he was resilient, just able to survive their attacks.

Yet somehow, Kite didn’t seem to mind that. Or maybe he didn’t, he just saw potential in the boys accompanying him “Are you coming?” The boys’ expressions were easily readable; the concern filled their face from the failure to defeat the enemy standing before them. Though for some reason, Daniel’s wasn’t filled with concern like his friends, they were filled with determination. But Kite didn’t seem to think the determination stemmed from defeating them… but from the need to protect.

It was strange to see that expression when the only attack the boy did was knocking the person downward. It was a concern, but not at the very moment. It was something that could be beneficial “There’s no need to feel down. Your attacks weren’t that bad. You just need experience now. If you wish to become stronger, this is a perfect opportunity. But if you aren’t prepared, you won’t be able to endure the ordeal. Whether we win or lose… hell lies ahead of us.”

Daniel allowed those words to sink in, remembering them in vivid detail. It was sound words from a mentor to a student. No discrimination involved at all. He had to take them to heart, to remember them when times got tough.

Gon looked at Kite with more determination than he ever has, ready to prove his strength “We’re coming!”

“Yeah…”

Daniel let his thoughts linger for a few seconds before saying anything. If he wanted to save his friends, he’ll have to kill a Chimera ant or two. Letting that thought sink in, the boy finally spoke “I’m coming too…”

“~”

The area surrounding them stank of blood, guts and gore. Human bodies strewn around, uncaring were they were dropped. They were hanging from trees, by trees and thrown into the pond, left to bleed out, contaminating the water and dirt.

It looked as though the enemy simply didn’t care, only wanting to kill without as much thought as to where the bodies landed afterwards. Daniel stepped forwarded, scanning for at least one victim who was able to play dead; although, he secretly doubted the scenario…

Daniel moved a body, checking for a pulse as Kite spoke “This is ugly… The stench alone would guide us to the corpses.”

The corpse before Daniel had a large hole in his head, blood oozing, pouring out over to cover the now vacant, dead eyes. The boy closed the man’s eyes, stopping from further searching by Killua’s finding “Look at this.”

Killua picked up two assault rifles, one in each hand. It had confirmed Kite’s suspicions, NGL was a base for not only making the drug D², but guns as well. They were well made… but not as strong as they hoped, considering they were combating Chimera Ants. Killua tilted one of the guns, exposing the empty barrel “So this is the hidden side of NGL…”

Daniel clapped his hands, gesturing to Killua to pass him one. Killua quirked an eyebrow before passing it to Daniel; he was curious to know why his friend wanted one.

Daniel caught it, adjusting the angle so he could eject the magazine. It was empty, no surprise there… but considering these were factory made guns, they were well designed, weightless, and made from a material that wasn’t plastic like the boy was expecting. Moving on, the boy pulled back the chamber, letting it go after finding it was empty.

The gun was useless, empty, and unable to deal any damage to a strong Chimera Ant. He dropped it on the floor, uncaring where it was left behind.

Killua had so many questions buzzing around his head, curious to know how Daniel knew to produce those results. He didn’t look like the kid who carried around guns, or even had used them prior to the search.

Kite was unfazed by what had transpired, eyes trained towards where the bodies were leading. They looked as though to be running in the same direction “I suppose so…”

“Where did you learn to do that?” Killua asked Daniel with curiosity once Kite was finished.

The boy meekly looked in Killua direction, embarrassed for his display of action. He was never a fan of guns, the loud noise starling him whenever he was using one. He had explored them, but stopped after trying a few. He didn’t like the way they were build, used to kill without discrimination. He rather have Wolfbane, a weapon which was designed to kill from afar, but was instead used to bind and trap…

At least then he knows it was a last resort… and not the first and most likely only option “I tried a few… I just never liked them. They were noisy, smelt terrible, and were too destructive…”

Daniel was not like Killua, innocent, too inexperienced for the first to come… the same was said for Gon. But Gon could do it if he needed to… if he wanted too… He couldn’t see the same being said about Daniel. As much as he wanted to protect the boy from this scenario, he knew the dark, cruel, secret, world Killua lived in would eventually catch up to him, forcing that world view on Daniel.

And yet somehow… he didn’t see Daniel running away. Scared, yes… but not running away. What was it about Daniel that drew him to Killua, they were polar opposites. There was no way they could be like that, at least… not in Killua’s mind.

But, somewhere in the back of his mind, fought back the idea… why? Dropping the second gun to the floor, Killua looked at Daniel look away, staring at another corpse…

_Why won’t you run away…? You don’t belong here…_

“Daniel… Killua… Kite…” Gon warned the others, blocking Killua’s mental thoughts from proceeding further. The boy was pointing a finger towards an area they were yet to explore.

They joined Gon, the area lit by lights, a hideout hidden amongst the forest and cliffs. That was the hideout they were looking for, one that either hid the queen… or another where Chimera Ants could be now working from.

“This is the Chimera Ant nest?” Gon asked, eyes scanning the buildings from left to right. It looked more like a factory facility than a Chimera Ant nest… but then again, he’d never seen a Chimera nest.

“No…” Kite scanned the building; it was way too vulnerable to be their nest. It had too many openings, and not enough guards to protect the queen. It had to belong to NGL’s underground shadow organisation. There were no other reasons the place could exist for “They don’t make their nests in holes. The use mud and faeces to build them.”

Taking one step forward, Kite knew what needed to be done. Even if it wasn’t the main Chimera Ant nest, the Chimera Ants that wreaked this havoc could still be inside the build. Or maybe, if lucky, a small group of them could be instead working out of it “Let’s go. You’ll understand once we’re inside.”

Killua’s eyes glanced in Daniel’s direction, asking himself one last question before they explored the new area. _Why can’t I tell Daniel to leave…?_ It was a concern now, and a questionable one at that.

Why didn’t he voice that earlier..?

Was it the feeling pitting in his stomach, the danger building up from whatever awaited them in that building…?

Or was it from their earlier experience of failing to defeat the last Chimera Ant that concerned him?

They could barely defeat one, which means if they fought a whole group of them, would they lose? Killua caught himself staring at Daniel every so often, an unneeded desire to stare. For the sake of Daniel, a part of him hoped the boy wouldn’t have to kill. It felt as though once the boy had to kill, he’ll no longer be the same.

Broken, like himself…

He could see Gon doing it, but not Daniel… he was far too innocent to take a life, his fighting style and eyes showed it.

Killua finally took his eyes away from Daniel, drawing them to the walls of the tunnel they just entered. Now was not the time to focus on Daniel’s _innocence_ , he had to watch out for enemies.

Daniel could feel the eyes on him finally leave, which allowed him to relax. Though it was a relief for the eyes to leave him, Kite took it as something else “This isn’t the time to relax. There’s no telling when or where they will attack. Be on your guard.”

The boy opened his mouth to rebut the man, but soon was shutting them. Even though Kite assumed for other reasons, he was right. Even if those eyes had left him, that doesn’t mean new ones with darker intent wasn’t watching them “Sorry… understood.”

“Yeah, got it…” Killua addressed Kite’s concern, eyes still focusing on the walls and incoming branch off tunnels “That other Chimera Ant completely concealed his presence.”

Daniel switched his gaze to Killua, looking at the boy without turning his head completely. It was a great point, the Chimera Ants could use Zetsu… they had seen it been performed twice in one day. Others had to be using it as well.

The end of the tunnel had been broken through, leading into a large room with destroyed machinery, blood splatter and surprisingly, no bodies to be seen in sight. It was completely empty, deathly quiet…

Daniel stepped up to one of the many machines, examining it as Gon tried to voice his concerns. He had a feeling he knew who the building belonged to, but at the same time he wasn’t really sure “Is this place…”

“Yes,” Kite assumed Gon was going to correctly point out who the building belonged to; He answered the boy without having to hear what he actually had to say “it is NGL’s hidden side.”

“A drug factory…” Killua stated, stepping up to one of the machines to examine it. It was no longer working, crushed, and unable to ever be used again for its original intent.

“Exactly… This factory produces the ingestible drug D², which is spreading throughout the mainland. There are probably nearby Bila trees, which produce its main ingredient. Ironic given their claims as preservationists.”

Killua’s eyes left the machine, spotting a large crate which had been closed off. After levering the lid off, the boy reached in, pulling out one of the man-made guns being contained within the crate “They’re making more than drugs. Look. It’s the same as the others.”

Daniel looked over his shoulder, Killua was right and wrong at the same time. It was just a piece of the gun, a fraction of the complete design.

Once Killua threw it back in the box, Kite spoke his thoughts on the matter “I assume that only the NGL leaders know the truth of this place. The other members joined because they honestly loved nature.”

“So this is the shadow organisation of NGL?” Daniel asked in curiosity. Though, he was secretly more concerned for their health. Many of the machines were destroyed, and who knows if the D² had been destroyed to the point it was now airborne. He didn’t know if it was possible, but then again… he also didn’t know what D² smelt or tasted like.

“This facility has to be the centre of NGL’s underground. And if it’s empty…”

Kite’s features darkened from Killua’s words, an adjustment being made to his oversized hat before speaking once again “Then Chimera Ants have wiped out the NGL underground. And a bunch of amateurs with guns won’t suffice to deal with them.”

Gon’s eyes lit up, a thought crossing his mind. He wasn’t too sure about the situation, but there was one person who could possibly be unaccounted for “What about their boss?”

Kite splayed his hands out at the question, a shrug followed by a shake of his head “He either escaped or was eaten. Either way, it’s bad news.”

“Huh…?” Gon tilted his head to the side, lost at the man’s explanation “What do you   
me-?”

Kite brought his hand up, hushing Gon. He could have sworn he heard someone… felt someone else hiding in the build. Considering the possibility of everyone one in the underground being dead or eaten, there could be only one other possibility…

There were ants remaining in the building “A few are around.”

The boys’ features harden, staring off into the large tunnel ahead of them. It was same the direction Kite was looking. Ants had to still be remaining within in the building, walking the ghostly halls for more victims, if there were any to begin with…

Kite drew his fingers up, ushering the boys to follow him quietly. They followed the man through the tunnels, being led to an open room with three tunnels leading to separate branches. The man had stopped, a hand being held up to stop the others “They’re slowly approaching through the middle tunnel. There are more in the left and right tunnels.”

It clicked to Killua, a memory of something being taught to him briefly, when Daniel and Gon were off doing their own thing. Bisky had complained about Daniel’s **_En_** being a waste of effort. And when he asked, she meekly led the boy astray with a cheeky grin “How far away can you search?”

“Everything within a forty-five meter radius...”

“F-Forty-five meters?” Gon freaked out, which only increased Daniel’s curiosity on the matter of _En_ “Is that good on the scale of _En_?”

“Depending on physical and mental condition, I can increase that by a few meters. As for how good, there are many _Nen_ users who are far better in the field of _En_ than I am. But that isn’t our main concern right now… they’re here.”

A low groan echoed along the walls, a cry of desperation, begging anyone or anything nearby to help. Though, the cries of agony had already given up, even as it continued to beg.

Silhouettes began to form in the darkness. They belonged to a human, the disturbed features of a broken down human. Then there was a second, just as bad as the first. It wasn’t until a third person revealed himself.

The third was a lone Chimera Ant, a mixture of several animals combined into a single being. Horse, snake, and who knows at this point. He held a chain, attached to his knuckle, which in-turn linked down to the necks of the two humans who were treated like pets “Keep it down, you two.”

Daniel covered his mouth, disgusted by the creature’s actions. While humans keep animals as pets, seeing the reverse was more horrifying. At least MOST humans didn’t treat their animals like this, slaves and play things for their own amusement.

The ant choked his pets, forcing them to quiet down. From the sound of things, the monster didn’t want the humans to whine any longer, the sounds annoying him more than pleasing the owner. He slowly looked up after relaxing the chain, tongue flickering out when he spotted them from afar “Who are you guys? How dare you intrude on my turf?”

Daniel looked down on the human pets, not so much in a demeaning manner. He felt sorry for the poor souls crying in agony at their new lives. What he didn’t expect was one of them to still be sain enough to talk.

He was broken, but still living, desperately trying to escape unlike the other “Help… Please help us!”

“Stop talking, Spot!” The ant raised its foot in anger, about to stomp on the poor pitiful man beneath him “You’re just a damn…” He brought his foot down before finishing his statement, crushing the human, Spot’s head like a ripe fruit “dog!”

Blood pooled around the spot where Spot’s head used to be. It was a grotesque, no longer recognisable in all that blood. It made Daniel want to vomit, but he somehow managed to hold it all back, biting his tongue in disgust.

Some Chimera ants were monsters, not only in looks… but they had the personality to match its sick and twisted features. And yet somehow, the Chimera ant still had the gall to act innocent during its supposed _mistake_ “Oops, didn’t mean to do that.” The monsters features twisted into pleasure, much like Hisoka would do in the middle of battle when it was starting to get fun “Oh, well. I was getting bored of these guys…”

The second human-dog freaked out from its new owners words, which in-turn made Daniel clench his fist. The Chimera Ant was the worst of the worst, disregarding all forms of life other than its own “Guess I’ll get rid of Rover, too.”

The human had already given up on its human life, acting the part of a pet trying to please his master. Lifting his body up in a kneeling position, the human tried to replicate a dog standing on its hind legs. He was panting, whining, begging for his life to be spared... his now forgotten, human life.

But it wasn’t enough to please his master; it just made the Chimera more monstrous than earlier “When you beg like that, I just want to kill you more…”

Lifting his foot, Gon attempted to run towards the human’s slowly ending life “Stop!”

Daniel reached out, hoping to stop Gon from running into the obvious death sentence. The man was already dead, long before the creature ever stepped on him. He gave up on it who knows how long ago. He was nothing more than an animal now, a human pet at to the Chimera Ants.

Kite’s hand swung out, grabbing and stopping the boy before he could make a third step. He knew what it was, an obvious trap. He could sense three more presences, hiding amongst the shadows of the tunnels.

“Kite…”

“Don’t move carelessly. There’s more than one enemy. They want you to rush over…”

When neither of the enemy took flight towards their master, they made their move. Their ambush had failed, but that didn’t mean they still couldn’t fight. Actually, they were hoping they could fight.

Three new enemies made their presence known, one from each tunnel, including the one from where their leader first made himself known.

On the far left, a woman Chimera Ant appeared; she was a mixture between a multitude of animals. Though, she looked mostly insectoid, and even had wings from a type of insect, most likely dragonfly or mosquito. She had medium golden hair, and wore a red miniskirt and bra top.

On the far right, a man wearing red jeans and black boots showed himself. He had a connection to spider genes, sporting eight spider arms, all connected to human hands. His eyes were also shaped like spiders, but instead of the thousands of eyes, he had only two.

From behind their boss was the third creature. He shared genes with a goat, and an insectoid of some kind… a beetle perhaps. It looked like a satyr from ancient mythology, with an added hard shell on its back. Whether it had wings like a beetle, Daniel was sure to find out… eventually.

What the three members shared in common, was their unique laughter:

The insect woman sounded as though she was crackling.

The Goat-Beetle had a hearty laugh, the sick and twisted nature hiding amongst its cheerfulness.

And last, but no least, the Spider Ant’s almost contained laughter, echoed along with his allies. The snake centaur Chimera Ant raised his hoof even higher than the human’s skull “Bye-bye.”

For the very last second of the human’s life, Daniel’s thoughts about him changed. He pleaded to them for help, begging other humans to save him with his last dying breath. He hadn’t given up on his life. He was hoping that he could extend his life long enough for them to save him… but they were far too late.

The Chimera Ant’s hoof was brought down to the back of human’s skull, effectively crushing it, splattering chunks of his brain, skull and an eye or two to pop out of the skull.

In the back of Daniel’s mind, he seethed with anger and diminishing hope. Another human was dead, and they’ve yet to save a single person. Were they just too late, or was this fate’s way of slapping them across the face with a big ‘fuck you’ note. He wanted to look away to Killua for guidance, the person who has seen it over and over again. Who has not only lived through it, but been in the situation where death was a common occurrence, no matter if he was the one dealing the blow…

“Don’t look away…” Kite’s words were harsh, but not without reason. No one should look away out of disgust because they’re unable to see the situation play any longer “If they shoot a projectile your way, you won’t be able to see it.”

The Centaur Ant looked pleased at boys, a huge smirk stretching from ear-to-ear “I’ve got it. You four will be my new dogs.”

Kite looked at the creature with an indifferent expression, feeling as though what this Chimera Ant said was nothing unexpected “Chimera Ants have always been aggressive, but it seems consuming malicious humans has made them even more evil.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Gon was startled by the fact, never knowing that Chimera Ants were naturally evil. But it should have been a given, considering they eat other animals to extinction. But then again, nature was always been messed up from the start, so Chimera Ants shouldn’t be anything unlikely… but at the same time, these were human sized Chimera Ants.

“Phagogenesis…” Killua stated which in-turn raised Daniel’s eyebrow “You mean Chimera Ants could become more monstrous thanks to our own ideals? But…” Daniel bit back the thought, no matter how much he wanted that to happen, the fact is eating good willed human to produce another good willed human, is still evil in the end. You’re taking a good life, only to regurgitate them back up as something else.

“If we don’t deal with them here, many more will die!”

Kite’s aura was the warning sign to prepare for battle, the boys’ aura pushing out to protect its owner. Whoever they fought, they had four enemies to choose from. If one were to not include the leader, three more enemies would still be left to choose from.                              

The leader of the Ants raised his finger, pointing at the enemies before him “Capture them!”

Three ants charged forward, Kite staring them down as he issued the orders “I’ll take the one in the back. You boys will have to deal with the two rushing us.”

“Right!” Gon agreed loudly, followed by Killua “Got it!”

“Do not hesitate. You must fight to kill.” Charging forward alongside with his friends, the boys leapt into action. It was three vs. three, the enemies’ abilities unknown, however the same rule applied to them. No one knew who was good at what, so it was up to the formation on how they divided the enemies’ attention.

“Bring it!”

Gon took the Spider’s attention while Killua grabbed the female Ant’s attention, which left only one behind. But the main problem was Daniel’s situation; he was stuck in the middle, between the enemies’ leader, the Goat-Beetle ant and Kite.

Daniel leapt forward, forcing his body to clear the enemy’s field of view. And in doing so, annoying the creature long enough to grab its attention, Daniel brought his foot down, slamming it into the back of the Ant’s head.

It stumbled forward, gritting its teeth in rage. Although, the power behind the kick wasn’t strong enough to knock it out. The ant twisted his body, reaching out to grab Daniel.

The boy forced his body to land, throwing his weight again to lead the enemy astray, away from the other two. It was him against the goat-beetle ant, and he had to make sure he didn’t bump into Gon or Killua. He had to be the one to take the enemy’s life, not Kite…

Not Gon…

Not even Killua…

Him, vs. It…

Daniel pulled his hand back, resting it against the pouch at his side. He had so many ways he could kill the enemy before him, but at the same time… He didn’t know if he could deal that finishing blow… Maybe, just maybe he could appeal to the enemy, make it give up. But then that risks the chance of reinforcements arriving.

Was death really the only option…?

“The little kid is scared of me… shaking in his boots.”

In a sense, the Chimera Ant was right… he was shaking, shaking at the core from making the wrong choice. And not only that, he’s never killed anyone…

Threatened, sure…

But killed… never…

Daniel pulled back his hand at his side, taking a deep breath as he stood up straight. Maybe all he needs is a reason to kill… whatever that reason was. Sure, torturing humans and treating them like pets _could_ be a reason… but is that already normal thing? Some humans already do that to other humans “For what sick pleasure do you get out of torturing and killing humans?”

Daniel took an experimental step to the side, hoping the Chimera Ant would follow in his foot step, circling each other in an endless loop as they talked. Goat Beetle stepped in the opposite direction, circling the boy.

Having his first plan run wonderfully well, Daniel relaxed his right arm, letting aura creep into his hand, funnelling the aura ever so slowly as he waited for a response.

“Because it’s fun! You humans all think you’re tough, but against us, you’re just weak. Watching people squirm… beg… hope… is the best part about killing them. And soon you’ll be doing that same…” The goat-beetle leapt forward, horns extended. He planned to head-butt, or in his case horn-butt into boy in front of him, but Daniel only jumped back, knuckles cracking in preparation as if he _was_ actually going to fight.

But in the end, the boy was still another weak pathetic human, he only offered his hand out in extension, as if he wanted to surrender to the Chimera Ant’s already. Although, he didn’t expect what came next…

Daniel quickly funnelled the aura into his hand, readjusting it before making his first attack. Aura rippled around the boy, hands curling out of the ground made from a thick black-like substance. The first hand attacked, swiping at the surprised ant.

It connected with the creature’s side, applying enough pressure to knock it back, but not so much leave a mark. The second hand came towards him, but unlike the first surprise hit, he managed to block it, grabbing at the hand that was attacking him.

Daniel curled a finger in, dissipating the hand that was caught before using another to attack the creature’s side. Like the first hit, it did the same amount of damage.

The Chimera Ant let out a yelp in surprise, and focused on the next incoming attack. Hand raised, the ant punched Daniel’s shadow hand away, pain ricocheting into Daniel’s fingers. It was a consequence to his ability, and an indicator to let the boy know the enemy was a lot stronger than his weakened attacks.

But then again… the boy was using only a fraction of his strength out of fear.

The Chimera Ant smiled at the next few weak hits, fist extended as he punched every hand away while heading straight towards the boy.

At the last second, Daniel and the ant collided. The boy forced both arms out, ending his ability as he grabbed the ant’s horns. He swung his body over the creature, forcing more aura into his leg before kicking the back of the creature’s shell.

It was harder than expected absorbing the impact like a sponge. Readjusting his body the creature swung at Daniel with left, while using the right to grab him.

Daniel swatted the left away, and failed to notice the right. The hand tightened on the boy’s shirt, bringing the arm up before forcing it down into the ground.

Daniel felt his back hit the ground hard, and then was repeatedly slammed back into the ground. He felt the air getting knocked out of him, his sight in perfect view of Killua’s battle.

Killua was lying on the floor, the insect ant looking down on his friend, the one he loves with a gleeful smirk.

The boy felt rage overcome him, anger bubbling out of his chest and spilling out into his aura. Daniel slammed his hand into the creature’s hand, effectively breaking out of its grip.

Seeing the surprised look on the creature didn’t stop him however. Daniel reached into the sack, pulling out a few cards, uncaring how many he actually grabs. The boy threw the first one at the ant, imbedding it into the screeching ant’s hand.

The next one was thrown towards the one that hurt Killua “You bitch!” She turned her head just in time to have a card embedded into her face. Her face twitched in anger at the attack, and from how quickly the boy turned back around without caring to see whether he killed her or not. Ready to take off and help her ally, she felt weight pressed down on her shoulder, her point of view changing.

She was now looking at everything vertically, a familiar face looking down on her. She lost the fight, even after pumping that person full of so much venom.

Daniel had already turned back around, never once seeing Killua get up. He was more focused on weakening the enemy in front of him, then turning his attention back to the insect ant to kill her first.

The boy fanned out the cards, while using his other hand to launch them like projectiles on the enemy before him. One after another, an endless barrage of cards embedded into his enemy, only reaching back into the sack until he no longer had _ammo_ to throw.

He’d seen Hisoka do this to Kastro, making the man die in a frenzied dance. Though for the boy it was different. He wasn’t going to make him dance; just weaken him to the point he could no longer dance so he could save Killua.

Everything was a blur around him, uncaring of whether Gon or Kite had killed theirs. He had only one objective on his mind… Kill the insect ant.

The Chimera Ant felt every card embed into his body, the paper as sharp as knives cutting deep into his flesh. He needed to feint death before one hits him into the head. But as each card hit him, it felt weird.

Not a single one was hitting him in the legs and face; they were all aimed at his chest and arms. And to make matters worse, it was a frenzied barrage of attacks. They were all random, hitting where ever he aimed, even the floor. Thoughts started to form, a hidden wicked smile spreading along his face.

Mosquito was dead, already killed by white haired kid…

Yunju was taken out by the man with long hair…

That left only him and Centipede to take out the four of them together…

He felt which arm was the strongest, and then used the opposite hand to block any more incoming attacks. If his plan was going to work, he needed to fake his death, or at least pretend to be weakened.

The ant leaned his body forward, falling on the cards that were embedded into his chest. They dug into his flesh, more blood spurting out than he originally hoped. He winced on the floor, looking up at the enemy in a pleading manner.

The boy stopped, staring at him for a moment with an almost empty-like, angry expression. When the boy turned around, that’s when he attacked, mouth opened agape. He intended to rip into the boy’s flesh, chowing down until nothing remained as goat-like roar escaped his throat.

Daniel heard the roar escape the Chimera ant’s mouth behind him, followed by two gun shots. He was slow, turning around just in time to get blue inky blood from the Chimera Ant’s body, inches away, splattering across his face. He’d made a fatal mistake, not killing the enemy in front of him…

If it weren’t for Kite, he would have been dead now. And the words coming out of the man’s mouth weren’t pleased ones “You can’t relax after dismembering them… let alone from an ant that has suffered several wounds. The head and body can survive an entire day after they’ve been separated. You must crush the head…”

Daniel swallowed thickly, looking away from the man. He spotted Killua standing without a single issue, dusting his clothes off as he barely listened. He already knew what needed to be done, taking the life of the insect ant without an afterthought.

The boy forced himself to look away again, thinking to himself as being not worthy to ask Killua if he was ok. He himself was not ‘ok’ a few moments ago. He let the rage blind him, weakening himself into not thinking clearly.

He could only sulk at this point, walking over to the dead body to remove each and every card he implanted into the creature, though, not before making sure to clean off the blood.

As the boy was putting the cards back in his pocket, Kite’s sentient weapon had more to say about the ant, facts to make sure others remembered “And preferably, you’ll kill them quickly and quietly. Haha…”

“Oh, it’s him!”

“The thing that shot us…” Killua agreed with Gon, his eyes turning to face the lone boy removing the cards from the corpse. Killua spun one of the cards in his fingertips, wondering if he should give it to the boy yet.

Something was wrong about Daniel. He was yet to make a snarky response about Kite’s sentient weapon. Had something happen between the time he buried the card into the mosquito ant and Kite shooting Daniel’s enemy?

“I got a slot machine in my mouth! It goes from 1 to 9. Each number summons a different weapon. This is my Crazy Slot! Don’t forget the name!”

“Just go away already…”

“It talks by itself?”

Kite looked towards the person who spoke, Killua, eyeing the boy curiously. For what purpose would the boy use that information? “Apparently…”

Killua stared blankly at the man, wondering how on earth, and to what purpose a man would choose his ability to speak without ever knowing why. Its name somehow matched the reason to why it speaks… _crazy_ …

Daniel finally got the last of the cards out, flicking the blood off as he headed to his friends. He was unsure how he could speak to them, failing to kill even one of them twice in a row. The painful reminder of his failure to do so had hardened on his face, crackling in the air.

As Daniel removed the last of the blood off his face, Gon was speaking to Kite “If it uses a slot machine, doesn’t that mean you can’t choose your weapon?”

“Yes, and I cannot change or get rid of the weapon I receive until I use it. It’s very aggravating.”

“In that case…” Gon murmured loudly, the question very clear on the boys’ mind “Why did you come up with this power?”

Gon brought up the question, with Killua asking it. But for some reason, without a doubt in his mind, he could’ve answered the question. But he didn’t say anything out loud. He made a mistake, there was no point making another at this point…

But if the boy had to guess, the lack of choices made over Kite’s weapon could mean either two things. Ging had made the decision, or the decision was made from Kite, in order to bolster each and every weapon on the slot’s power. Vows and Limitations… Kite had no choice over his ability, which also meant his weapon had no limits.

Each slot had its own blueprint, and ability with a set skill… but the power to the actual weapon is not limited. Maybe if he could’ve chosen it, the strength would have really suffered.

Kite began to walk through the ghostly halls again, trying to pick up on their next lead.

As the man walked, Daniel stared off into the distance, how could he take that next step in order to protect his friends? Killing someone shouldn’t be that hard… right? He remembered a fraction of what Kurapika said at the end of the Hunter’s Exam: **Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to use hypnosis to induce a person to kill.**

But, the boy wasn’t using hypnosis; he was in a normal circumstance he should be able to kill. And to make matters worse, these weren’t even humans he was facing against. They were animals… over grown insects that didn’t care whether humans died or not.

So why should he do the same for them…? Why should he care about lowly insects, with faces that once belonged to a human?

Gon had attempted to kill them as well… Yet, Daniel still couldn’t…

Daniel unconsciously opened his mouth to whisper Killua a question “How do you kill?”

“Huh?!” Killua didn’t receive a follow up to the question, let alone a statement or reasoning to why the question. He was met only with silence. Did he hear things, or did the boy unconsciously ask him a question. And out of all those questions he had to ask, why that one?

Daniel should no longer be conflicted with _why_ he shouldn’t kill the Chimera Ants. It tried to kill him… or was there something deeper, stopping the boy from killing. Actually, now he thought about it… Daniel hasn’t really fought with the intent to kill anybody. Threaten, sure… but kill… never…

Killua pressed his hands into his pockets, finding the card still in there. Maybe he should use this as a reason to get the boy talking. Reaching into his pocket, Killua held out the card to Daniel “You forgot this…”

Daniel looked towards Killua, concerned with what he may have forgotten. The boy was holding out one of his cards, the ace of Spades, or in this case, Swords. He had completely forgotten about it, launching it at the insect ant after finding out it hurt Killua. As he took the card, he shifted his gaze back to the front, Daniel’s cheeks colouring a little bit…

Maybe in some off chance, Daniel did protect Killua… he knew it was a big _if_ , but he would love it if it was true “Thank you…”

“Now, about that earlier question…”

“Question…?” Daniel’s interest was piqued for the second time that hour “What question?”

“How do you kill?”

“Huh?!”

“I’ll assume you didn’t ask for the _gory_ details… and I’ll move onto the response.”

“Wait, wait, wait… wait! Hold on… When did I ask this?”

Killua frowned at the boy’s question, even after saying to pretend he did ask it “Earlier on. Now, it’s hard… especially at the start. But pretend they are ants… really oversized ants.”

“Uh huh…” Daniel mouthed the words, not believing Killua’s words of wisdom.

Even if Killua somehow missed the judgemental tone in the boy’s words, the expression said it all. He didn’t believe Killua’s advice for a second. Maybe he should build up to it instead “Have you ever killed a fly?”

“Never…”

“An actual tiny ant?”

“Nope…”

He didn’t believe it… everyone, at some point of their lives has killed an annoying fly, so Daniel shouldn’t be any more innocent than the next. But if for some reason, Daniel was right… he was truly innocent. There was nothing he could offer to help the boy out. Maybe, just maybe… the next fight, Daniel didn’t have to fight…

Thinking that nobody was actually listening, Kite butted in with proper advice “If you can’t kill for yourself… do it for someone else. If you fail to kill the enemy before you, it will move onto more prey. And who knows, maybe it’ll kill me, Gon, or even Killua…”

Daniel’s fist clenched at Killua’s name, and Kite saw it. He used the statement to further Daniel’s development, maybe even help the boy with taking the final step “The Chimera Ant would move onto your friends, leaving none of them alive… you would have failed to protect them, because of your weakness with not killing, has gotten them killed.”

“I’m not WEAK!”

“Good!” Kite cracked a small smile “Because you aren’t. Looking over all your powers, they are far easier to use than mine.”

Killua frowned slightly “Compared to that thing of yours? No kidding...”

“Yeah…” Gon agreed, which gave Kite pause. He thought about the boys’ skill sets. They were versatile, strong within their own category. He could tell what each Category of _Nen_ the boys belonged to, their skills focused on furthering their independent strength “Gon, you appear to have incorporated Enhancer, Transmuter, and Emitter abilities into your Rock-Paper-Scissors.”

Gon smile at his mentor, happy to hear praise coming from Ging’s student. Kite was quick at deducing his abilities, and it really showed from his experience… _Ging is an amazing teacher_ “Yep, but my natural affinity lies with Enhancer abilities.”

Kite then turned to Killua, the boy who used lightning in his earlier fight with the rabbit- bull-headed shrike ant “Killua used lightning. Are you a Transmuter?”

Killua gave the man a smug expression, drawing his fingers up as he let lose a few quick connections of electricity between his fingertips “Yeah, but it’s not that strong, and I lose energy fast.”

Kite was quick when it came to deductions, able to understand a person’s _Nen_ affinity just from just showing off their ability.

Kite finally turned to glance at the last boy, the on keeping silent, deep in thought… the one who was yet to attempt to kill an ant. Yes, it was considered a weakness, but at the same time, he had a feeling he knew why. Someone had been training him how to fight, protect, rather than kill… that wasn’t easy to overcome with just a simple phrase or two…

But, at the same time, even though his hits may be weaker than his friends, they held a different kind of strength in them… a scenario altering kind of strength. Given the boy’s ability, he could fit under two different _Nen_ categories. However, his fighting style and personality is what gave it away “Daniel uses long-ranged shadows with his attacks. I would say Conjurer, but your ability is closer to manipulation, which would make you a Manipulator?”

Daniel looked at Kite, eyes widening, mouth agape from the man’s well put together case. He shouldn’t have been surprised, considering he guessed Killua and Gon’s _Nen_ categories as well, but a part of him wanted to be the combo breaker, the one that stumped Kite on his first guess “Yes… that would be correct. Although, I also use the Emitter category as well to fuel my ability, but then again… it’s still not strong enough to protect anyone, let alone myself…”

Kite chuckled for a brief moment. He had a feeling that was what Daniel had been focusing on, considering he attempted to help Killua before killing his own enemy. Though, a part of him was still worried about Daniel’s bad habit “Nonetheless, you’ll have the chance to improve. Let’s hurry. The nest is close…”

The boys stopped, expression altering into a stern one. They were almost at the enemies’ hideout, possibly being only a few miles away. It was time to shift their feet into gear, and kill those last few hundred ants.


	83. NGL X Chimera Ants X One-on-One

The walk was long, silent… nothing coming out to attack them, even when they were closing the distance to the Chimera Ant‘s nest; they should’ve been attacked at least five kilometres ago. Daniel opened his mouth, talking quietly to Killua “Hey, Killua… shouldn’t we have been attacked by now?”

Killua let out a groan, grabbing another section of hill so he wouldn’t slip back down “Why on earth, would you want that…?” Killua continued to climb, while waiting for his friend to respond. Hearing Daniel wanted to be attacked already was a concern, considering the boy has yet to kill anyone.

“Not want… Questioning…”

“Maybe…” When Killua reached the top, he turned around towards the end of the hill, holding out a hand for Daniel to grab onto. The boy was already close to reaching the top of the hill, so he might as well offer help “they are closer to their base, protecting it rather than hunting for prey like us.”

As Daniel caught Killua’s hand, his friend pulled him up. The boy almost tangled around Killua, hugging the boy close. He had stumbled forward after stubbing his shoe on a stray rock, while it was awkward at first; it wasn’t unwanted by the boy. He simply took one step back and carried on…

He could only wish he could actually hug Killua, but they were nothing but friends. Not even close ones at that… “Sorry, Killua... You think there’s a stray group that could attack us?”

The boy shrugged at the question “Maybe…” He didn’t know much about Chimera Ants, but given their last encounter, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were attacked. Humans have unusual patterns… so who’s to say a Chimera Ant with human genes wouldn’t already be looking for them.

“We’ll have to attack and kill them… right?”                                 

“Yeah… I could always-”

“No, I should be fine. I don’t want to depend on you and Gon for this… I should at least be able to kill inhuman… human looking Chimera Ants. They want us dead after all…”

Killua didn’t believe the boy’s words. They sounded like a hollow promise at best. Daniel was far too innocent to kill now… maybe in time, but definitely not now. He needed to break out of the habit of cherishing all forms of life. Until then… that last step will be hard.

Kite held up his hand up to the boys behind him, stopping them from proceeding further into the forest “We’re surrounded. Their numbers are great.”

A loud crash in the distance alerted the boys of an incoming enemy. Daniel like his friends looked around, trying to figure out where the enemy was coming from. Eyes watched every corner, seeing whom will be the first to attack, and from which direction they’ll be coming from.

Considering Kite said they were surrounded, they might have multiple attackers at the same time. The boys however stopped, eyes drawn to the loud crashing object in front of Kite, and the voice of an unknown enemy “Now, then… Let’s decided order and methodology….”

 _For what…?_ Daniel questioned secretly, trying to desperately make out the figure covered by smoke. Who dies first…? Who gets the first kill…? How many get to attack, and who’s the next one to attack after the first…? These were some serious questions for the creature still otherwise clouded by smoke.

“As for our targets, you have three choices. One…” The dust started to settle, revealing a short toad, maybe even a frog wearing simple Japanese martial arts style clothing and small tiny glasses that make no sense; the eyes are three inches away from the glasses, and the glasses are covering his tiny nostrils. For what purpose did the Chimera Ant even need the glasses…? To cover the ant’s nostrils? To fog them up whenever he lets his emotions be known?

Those were however useless questions, the Chimera Toad or Frog had more to dictate “One, decide the order in which you will fight. Two, attempt to escape. Three, give up and let us capture you. If you choose one, you will fight one-on-one battles with us for a chance to survive. I don’t recommend the second option. You’ll anger us, resulting in a brutal capture and prolonged suffering for all of you. Option three is out of the question. That would anger us even more than option two. So, what will you do?”

Daniel’s eyes gazed from right yo left. They truly were cut off, unable to run. But that didn’t mean they shouldn’t also figure out an escape plan, just in case these ants were lying, deceitful creatures like the last they faced off with.

 “Kite…” Gon began to open his mouth, wanting to ask his senior Hunter a question, but the man already figured things out… far before Gon even had to ask Kite on what they should do next “We couldn’t have asked for a better deal.”

“Huh?” Daniel blurted out, surprised by the man’s words. Was Kite happy to be blocked off, surrounded by enemies with only one way to survive… to fight every creature  
one-on-one until all the ants or they were dead?

Kite saw the conflict in the boys’ eyes, but that didn’t matter. This was a great way to test the boys out, to push their boundaries and make them even stronger than they were a second ago “One-on-one fights with their Captains. We’ll start with whoever is prepared to fight.”

“I’m last!” Daniel stated, before anyone could even begin to argue. He knew what was about to happen and there was no way he was turning into a three way battle. He just hoped Kite understood him as soon as his friends began to argue.

A frown appeared on Kite’s face, Daniel’s statement annoying him “You-”

“I’m first then!” Killua began, not even annoyed in the slightest by Daniel’s statement. That meant he could go first.

However, Killua’s dreams came crashing down around him when Gon opened his mouth “NOPE, me first!”

Kite’s features changed, mouthing an ‘o’ once he saw sparks fly between Killua and Gon. So, this is what Daniel meant by going ‘last’. The boy knew long before Kite, that his two friends would butt heads once the debate started. Kite adjusted his hat, watching the boys’ fight continue to pan out, to see which one out of the two would be going first.

The boys stopped staring after a minute, pulling their hands back to begin a chant Daniel predicted would come “First comes rock! Rock, paper, scissors!”

Match after match the boys ended in a draw, Daniel’s face hardening to the point he was trying really hard not to laugh. It was funny to watch the frustration etch across Gon and Killua’s face intensify on every draw. Neither of them wanted to lose, or go second for that matter.

After about the fifth or sixth round, Gon won, face contorted into a huge smile of success. The eagerness radiated of the boy once he stepped forward, while Killua glared at his last throw, a pair of scissors.

It was kinda ironic to see Gon win with the same hand, as his stubbornness makes him… _rock_ -headed.

Although, Killua’s reaction did make Daniel crack a smile, it was very rare to see Killua glare at anything, with such seething agony. He lost to Gon, a boy whose stubbornness could rival even the thickest of walls.

Gon didn’t much care of Killua’s reaction to the loss. He stood before the enemy, eyes glaring at the leading ant to the event “Okay, I’m first!”

Daniel looked to the front, waiting for the enemies’ next move. He expected the frog or toad Ant to speak, seeing as he looks to be the one leading them, but instead the pink Doberman dog ant spoke, leading the rest of his crew through to their next task “Well, we need to decide who to send from our side.” Looking to his right, the beetle ant began to shake a container in his hand.

It continuously rattled until a number popped out. As ‘6’ flashed through the opening of the canister, the Doberman continued, speaking loudly in an accusing tone to one of his allies “#6… #6! Who’s #6?”

Slow steps were made, an armadillo crossed with whatever else genes’ they were crossed with revealed himself. It was cackling with enthusiasm, happy to hear he gets to fight first “Lucky me!”

“Baro?” The leading ant groaned from the choice, sounding as though he wished someone else won instead. These ants were starting to sound like they didn’t care about their allies, not in a sense of friendship, but in a way that they just hoped to dig their claws into others first, so that meant the first pick fighter was either a sadist, or Baro was the weakest of them…

“How will the victor be decided?”

“Eh?” Baro groaned at Gon’s question, angry with the boy for assuming anything other than Death. The other two choices involved the group dying painfully, ripped to shreds by all of them combined. But in this choice… every ant gets to kill their opponent in whichever way they wish “That should be obvious... Whoever dies first loses.”

“We can’t just surrender?”

Mouth agape, Baro stared incredulously at Gon “What?!” _What is wrong with this kid?_ Was the boy thick headed, always assuming that surrender was at any interval even considered a viable option?

While Daniel thought it _could_ be a possibility… he also knew for a fact, that was only a pipe dream.

Baro’s features changed to a darker one, fangs bared at Gon. He hated the boy for being so carefree, believing he could give up once he suffered too many wounds in the battle to come “ARE YOU CRAZY? If you lose, we’ll feed you to the Queen. If you don’t defeat me, you’re guaranteed to die!”

“Yeah, I’m okay with that.” Daniel fell over in disbelief, shocked by Gon’s forwardness in accepting death.

“Daniel…?!” Killua freaked out when his friend fell over. He reached out, checking to see if Daniel was ok. Killua was however surprised to see the boy get up twice as fast as he fell down. He was acting strange, pretending as if he hadn’t fallen over. But the only two who didn’t notice the boy falling over, was Baro and Gon.

Those two had been locking eyes with each other, waiting for the other one to make the first move. Even after the ordeal of confusion between Daniel falling over and the startled looks of the ants, Gon still had more to say to Baro “But there’s no need for you to die. If I beat you, I won’t want to eat you. If you surrender, you’ll live...”

Daniel face-palmed; he slowly ran his hand down his face, making sure to collect every inch of his face along the way. _There was absolutely no way you just said that..._ _Gon, he said the queen… he is no queen! At least, I would hope so… and he wants to kill you… to kill all of us… not feed us to the queen…_

“But if you lose, you must promise never to eat another human.”

The Bat Chimera Ant behind Baro, who strangely enough looked like a cross between a demon and troll started to laugh at his allies poor. At least someone else, even if it was the enemy somewhat agreed with Daniel’s thought process “This guy isn’t taking us seriously!”

“He has more pep than any human I’ve seen! Lucky you, Baro-Chan!” Another ant agreed with his fellow fighting colleagues.

If Baro- _Chan_ wasn’t angry enough before, Gon’s _unintended_ _provoking_ definitely did a number on him now. Ant’s teeth gritted together, eyes glowing with rage “I’ll kill you!” On the Brightside, Baro will most likely leave himself wide open as he’s attacking, but on the downside… he’ll attack Gon relentlessly.

Baro jumped forward, bouncing once before rolling into a ball. Daniel had flashbacks about this, remembering Gon’s fight with Gido. The only difference was Baro was heading towards Gon, while Gido only stayed stationary.

Given Gido’s fight, that meant Baro’s sides were most likely his weakness. Gon jumped over the ant, avoiding the attack. The creature collided with a tree along its path, destroying it. For a pint-sized Armadillo ant, his body sure packs quiet a punch.

Daniel barely whispered under his breath, loud enough to draw Killua’s curiosity “It’s like Gido all over again…”

“Hmm?”

“You know… the spinning guy from Heaven’s arena?”

Killua drew a finger to his chin, trying to recall the man. He knew the person was old, but he couldn’t remember what he looked like nor how long ago since he last saw him. The man’s features were a blur, a long forgotten useless memory. But that didn’t mean he’d forgotten the fight. He still remembered it, coming up with ways on how to take down Gido, only to have it end in forfeit “Oh, I remember…”

Shifting his attention back to the dust settling, Killua could make out the Chimera Ant, hiding amongst the rubble “You managed to dodge that one. Then how about this?”

Baro started to spin again, Gon slowly turning to look at the ant with disgust. The ant was cocky, angry at him for no reason. Why was the creature so angry for even suggesting surrender as an option? The boy really had no desire to eat the ant if it surrendered, and he was really hoping one of the ants did have a heart, so that he could prove to Kite that not all of them were evil.

Gon ducked out of the way, dodging the ant at the very last second. However, the battle took a surprising turn. The sound of a tail whipping was followed by Baro slamming into his body, taking the wind right out of him.

Gon coughed as he hanged on, trying to stop himself from being be run over by the creature spinning endlessly into him. And to where it was exactly taking him?

Daniel watched as Gon was slammed into a tree, his arms shaking even as they were crossed. He’d have to fight after Killua… Hopefully not all of them were this strong, let alone strong enough to adapt like this.

From to the boy’s side, he hear Killua calling out his friend’s name… but he couldn’t will himself to turn and look, just stare and hope Gon was going to walk out of this unscathed.

“I’m fine!” Gon yelled as the dust started to settle. The Chimera Ant could only laugh in glee at Gon’s reaction, face twisting like Hisoka’s would do. The only difference between the two was Hisoka was still, way more terrifying than the ant.

It sent a chill down the boy’s spine whenever Hisoka crossed his mind, and with whatever the mad clown would do to entertain himself in this fight.

“Why are you so tough? By this point, the rest were vomiting organs.” Something was up with Baro’s reaction, even with the laughter of glee from earlier, could Daniel sense a fraction of fear… or was it his own imagination playing tricks on him?

Daniel shifted his sight to his friend in the battle, finding the boy without a single scratch; dust and dirt, sure… but no wounds to count. Maybe he was wrong… maybe these Chimera Ants were weak… useless enemies only delaying them, unlike the Bunny Ant who withstood all their blows, even when combined and executed one after another.

“Whatever…” Baro clicked his tongue in annoyance, shuffling his feet much like a penguin would do when walking as he turned more towards Gon “Just a few more times. There’s no way to dodge my homing roll!”

In a sense, Baro was right… but the second hit did no damage, only messing up Gon’s clothing. Maybe if he rammed into Gon a few hundred, maybe… but with _Ken_ , he highly doubted he’d get through Gon’s defence.

Soon the creature began to barely circle Gon, hoping to trap him by tree. Or maybe, he was moving so Gon would go in only one direction, and that was closer to him.

Daniel uncrossed his arms, dropping them to the side as he formulated a way to beat Baro. He continued to watch, seeing if there was another weakness other than physical.

“Kid, I have something to tell you before I kill you. The main reason we kill humans isn’t to eat them or to feed them to the Queen.”

“Then why?” As Gon asked the question, Daniel moved his hand to his chin, thinking why this has anything to do with the fight. It gives no benefits to the enemy, only pissing of the questioned boy.

The Ant stopped, teeth showing a more… disturbed smile “Because it’s fun!” Daniel saw Gon tense, not in fear… but something else, a form of anger bubbling up inside him. The anger didn’t want to show himself, only pool until it could no longer contain itself. But even so, the creature continued, uncaring of Gon’s reactions “I love the sound as humans vomit their organs with a plop! It’s hilarious because it looks like barf.”

Gon found the creatures words annoying more than disturbing. What human, let alone ex-human would find vomiting organs funny “That isn’t funny…”

As Gon took a step forward, the enemy attacked “I’ll make you vomit your organs with a plop, too!” Gon released his aura, _Ken_ swallowing his body whole. It took the creature by surprise, making him stop rolling and instead be propelled forward.

It was over now; the creature had no chance, not while Gon had _Ken_ up.

Kite stared, unblinking as Gon withstood the impact from Baro. The boy lifted the creature up with his hands as if he was about to suplex the creature.

Gon lowered the creature a tiny fraction, hands slowly pushing into the creature’s sides. This was nothing, compared to other attacks he’s suffered; including one that occurred a few weeks ago back on Greed Island “Compared to Razor’s spikes, this is nothing!” On one final push, Daniel heard the loud sounds of bones cracking, and body armour being crushed. It was all over once everyone saw blood dripping out from the sides, flowing down Gon’s finger tips.

It was the first time the boy saw Gon ever kill someone. And without any help from Kite… He’d really hope he could do that, killing an enemy without any internal conflict. Even when the thought was clouding Daniel’s mind, he could still hear Killua complaining as he walked into the ring “Well, we’re in a hurry. Who’s my opponent?”

Daniel would have wished the boy luck, but he hardly doubt Killua would struggle. He’d probably end the fight long before it even started.

Gon and Killua were almost like Ying and Yang, light and dark. It pained Daniel to see the boy he cares so much about, connect better with someone else. They complemented each other so well, matching the other’s skill. Hell, they even try surpassing each other on the spot...

“Hey!” The leading ant complained towards the creature not shaking the token jar. Getting the indirect message, it started to shake the jar again.

The Doberman-Ant looked down at the number popping out “#3. #3’s up!” Before he could turn around Chimera Ant walked past him, matching Killua’s enthusiasm to fight, possibly even surpassing it “You won’t be smiling for long.”

Daniel held up a fist, yelling out to boy without a single care in the world “Take that Rhino’s smugness down a peg! Show them what you’re made of!”

Killua feigned disinterest, turning his head away from everyone. Daniel had the worst timing! Was he actually trying to embarrass him, or worse… get him killed? _Are you secretly an idiot?! Don’t provoke the enemy, let alone say such embarrassing things…_

Killua was forced to look back at the enemy when the rhino growling in disgust. Actually, he could see Daniel’s taunt working in his favour, especially with the creature that pissed “You think this is a game! I’m about to show you hell. Got it?”

Killua matched the rhino’s steps, barely listening to the creature’s words. It was still talking, as if he was listening to it “I’m nothing like the trash over there.”

Gon shifted, disturbed by the creature’s words. What was going through the Rhino’s mind, talking about his deceased ally being useless “Trash?”

“Huh? I said trash because he’s trash.”

Daniel closed his eyes, unable to believe what the creature said “And you’re a Rhino, because you’re a Rhino… That by far does not explain how _your_ ally is _trash_ …”

“I don’t have to explain anything! I’m going to kill you next anyways…” Turning his head, the creature pointed at Baro’s corpse “I’m ten times stronger than that guy.”

Daniel fumed at the creatures words. _The only one who’s going to be killed is you, Rhino. After all, you’re up against Killua, the Ex-Assassin… the resident badass of the group who can ride a horse while standing!_

Killua’s smile widened, showing a fraction of his innocence off. The ant wasn’t clearly thinking, believing that ten times is going to make a difference. None of the Ants showed signs of using _Nen_ , whereas they could. Gon’s strength was still a hundred times stronger than Baro “Oh, that’s nothing to brag about.”

 “What was that?!” The creature growled at Killua, getting ready to attack as Killua did the same.

This left Daniel time to think about the enemies, and how they treated each other. While they were a combined force to be reckoned with, the way they moved together… was less than friendly. Between Baro and the Rhino, Killua was now facing off… they held no respect to each other. They were here for the thrill of the hunt. And first come, first serve was all they thought about.

Daniel shifted his attention to the frog or toad, wondering how he managed this assortment of miscreants. Neither of them cared for each other, so far… How did they manage to stay so uniform, moving in a group without splitting to rip into the enemy? The ticketing system… No… it had to be something more than that. This was a trap! It had to be… but for what purpose… to beef up their security?

Something was about to go wrong, and Daniel couldn’t place his finger on it. For now, he’d have to focus on defeating the enemy as quick as possible… emphasis on the _quick_. Drawing his attention back to the group, Daniel had failed to notice Killua was already fighting. How much did he miss while he was in la-la land with the fairies?

Killua had slid out of the enemy’s way, avoiding the grapple while managing to place some distance between them. It was time to get serious, defeating the enemy so they could move onto the next fight. Killua purposely slowed his step, making it seem as though there were a mirage of endless enemies before the Ant.

Using that as a distraction, Killua rounded the Ant as he watched it slam its head into the tree behind the mirages. He quietly made his way over, stalking the creature in full view of the others, while simultaneously keeping out of his enemy’s sight.

For some reason the Ant was concerned more with him bouncing out of the trees than checking below his view. It was both funny, and an easy set up for a win. Killua readied his nails… drawing them back to slice open the creature’s skin and rip its heart out of an easy win.

But as his nails touched the spot where the creature’s heart was, it was met with some heavy resistance, stronger than the flesh of normal humans. His nails bounced off, creating a loud screech. It was the same as if one were to drag their nails across the blackboard.

The Rhino drew his attention down to Killua, smiling at the boy’s failed attempt to kill him “My entire body is covered by hardened skin.” Bringing his arm up to swing at Killua, the boy merely shifted back out of his sight. It infuriated the ant, its view being shifted back to look for the disappearing boy.

 _In that case…_ Killua smiled menacingly, the endless thoughts sprouting in his mind. _Weakening its defences would be my best option._ Killua let loose a small electric shock, a bolt of lightning extending from his fingertips towards the creature’s chest. The shock didn’t do much damage, barely cauterizing the harden armour surround the Ant’s body.

The Ant turned his attention to Killua as the boy appeared in his sights once more “I can take as many of those attacks as you can throw!”

“Oh…” Killua chimed, annoyed that the creature though he was still winning. He had no chance. He couldn’t keep up with his speed, much less the plan the he was already putting into play “yeah?” If he could survive that, he wondered how many more the ant could take at a stronger voltage.

One after another, Killua increased the strength of the attack, making sure to hit the same spot every time. He couldn’t be wasting his strength, especially now seeing as he couldn’t charge his attacks.

The boy’s strikes were more powerful than the last to the Ant, his skin starting to smoulder into ash. He had to kill the boy now more than ever. He swung violently at the air surrounding him, hoping to connect at least one of his attacks.

To Killua, the swings were useless. It was a sign of desperation, knowing he had taken down the enemy’s defences; all he needed was a well-placed blow. When the creature swung his arm one last time, Killua struck.

The ant’s arm was swinging downward, away from where Killua appeared. Fear swallowed his vision. He failed to defeat the enemy, which also meant his life was now forfeit.

Killua ripped through the creature’s heart, rending into nothing more than a heap of flesh and blood. He continued to push, making sure to puncture right through the creature’s body and make an exit wound. There was no resistance met upon exiting, blue blood spraying across the floor.

It was messy, but hopefully a way to deter the ants. It was to make them think twice before fighting their next enemy, Daniel. He just hoped the boy could follow with the deed, killing the next ant “Is there anyone ten times stronger than this guy?”

Daniel stepped forward, cracking his knuckles so it went well with Killua’s taunt. At least he could get behind Killua’s words, almost mixing well with the boy like Gon did “I’m waiting…” Daniel distorted his features, hoping to scare the creatures away with just a look that would _hopefully_ rival Hisoka’s. But then again, Hisoka was always terrifying… way more terrifying.

The ant started to shake the tin, other ants getting more agitated, some even scared of the possibility of pairing with the next enemy “#7!” The Doberman Ant demanded, eye quirking up, wondering if the number the ant belonged to was _willing_ to fight “Get down here #7, you scaredy ca-”

A low rumble made Daniel jump back, forced to move away from the area. A head had poked out of the ground, mouth full of sharp and jagged teeth. It drew one hand out of the ground, pulling himself up to get a better look.

Given its attack, he had to be part mole… though Daniel couldn’t say what the endless rows of sharp teeth belonged to… maybe a shark. It was hard to tell when half of its body remained buried.

“Drat…” the creature growled at its failure to land an attack, hoping to have finished the fight early. Rather than burying itself again, the creature pulled the rest of his body out of the ground.

The creature was tiny, although it still was a fraction bigger than his leader. Its body was misshapen like a mole, crossed with genes from both a shark and something fuzzy, like a wolverine.

While he looked slightly cute and huggable, he was far from it… especially with that mouth of teeth. The creature crawled across the ground, claws extending where its fingers should be “You should have stayed there, and died. Like everyone else…”

The enemy looked weak, and the comment the creature made sounded like a joke to Daniel. Even if the boy making a comparison with the creature was unwarranted, it was too hard to not make it “Oh, you mean…” Daniel held up his hands, a finger pointing towards the two dead enemies “like those guys? You’re lucky I even moved, rather than straight out murdering you on the spot… then we wouldn’t get to have this lovely discussion…”

The creature scowled, eyes never leaving Daniel “No, the only one that’s going to die is you… like every other human we’ve killed!”

The boy flinched for a moment, not so much terrified, but angered by the creature’s words. They took pleasure when killing humans, and now that they found enemies stronger than them, they were more pissed than happy.

Daniel flicked back his fingers, drawing a single card out of his sack, like a magician would do when preparing to show a magic card trick “Unlike Killua, I enjoy the fight. So, may I suggest you prepare yourself. And, as much as it pains me to lose my weapon, anything can be used as its replacement. Draw!”

The moment the boy said draw, aura flooded his fingers, engulfing the card along the way. Hisoka may have been a terrible person to take fighting tips from, but at least using a card was way better than his fists…

“I’ll show you a magic trick you’ll remember, right until the moment you draw your last… breath!”

As soon as the creature roared in anger, Daniel leapt towards it, card poised to strike first.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I only ended the story in a cliff hanger because I wanted to wish everyone a late Christmas, and an earlier new year. Hopefully next year I can finish off this story, and work on ideas for three more stories involving Daniel and Killua… as well as finish off **Digimon Adventure the 2 nd World**.


	84. NGL X Chimera Ants X Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I deeply apologise for being lazy, and taking my sweet ass time posting this card. I have no **proper** excuse for my laziness.

Daniel and the hairy-mole clashed, the two of them avoiding each other as they also tried to get a hit. Unfortunately for the Chimera Ant, this was Daniel’s main expertise.

When the ant tries to swipe at Daniel, the boy moved his body at the right moment. His left hand latched onto the ant, pulling it forward as his right swings the card towards the creature’s neck. At the very last moment, a part of the boy stops him.

His body was moving on its own, letting go of the ant’s right hand, just as his right hand socks the creature in the chest.

He applied enough force to launch the creature, however not enough to leave any damage. Hands shaking, Daniel stared at the creature being put through a tree, taken down by a single forceful punch…

 _I can’t do it… I CAN’T DO IT!_ The words rang loudly in the boy’s mind, almost reverberating off his posture. He had to calm his nerves, and try harder… as many times as it took him to complete the deed.

Killua could do it…

Gon could do it…

So why should he be any different!

Daniel’s eyes snapped towards the tree falling over, eyes focusing onto the enemy through the dirt and dust. When it began to settle, the boy noticed the ant was no longer there. _Shit… He’s probably under me…_ “Where are you…?” Daniel chided, trying to figure out where he was going to come from.

A hand flew out of the ground, grasping the boy’s right hand, followed by a tug of his foot “Oh…” It was second later when he felt his foot pulled straight into the ground, falling on one knee.

It was an unfortunate position for him to be, but not one he could break out of. Rather than focusing on removing his leg, he waited for the next attack. Pulling out his leg was a priority, but at the same time the enemy needed to be dealt with.

When the second hand came out of the ground, the boy grabbed for the arm, ripping the creature out of the ground for a surprised attack as if he were a weed. One scowl met a frown.

Daniel wondered who out of the two was more affected by the fight, his own annoyance or the creature’s anger from failing to get two easy hits in. Daniel applied strength to his grip, finding the fear settle into his pit when the Chimera Ant let out a howl of pain.

Rather than applying even more pressure, he swung the creature upwards, throwing him up into the air. Daniel Then fanned out his fingers, manipulating his shadow to life. The hands bending out of the shows beneath his feet flew up into the air, grabbing the creature.

Shifting his fingers to close together, the multiple hands formed into a single one, holding the creature in place “Check mate!”

 _No, it isn’t…_ Kite secretly argued, a frown spreading across his features. Daniel was playing with the Chimera Ant, and unless he killed it now… he could die. Yes, they were weak… much weaker than he had anticipated. But, by Daniel playing with the creature and weakening it only, it could still get the upper hand on him.

He had to kill it, sooner or later. While he preferred the boy to kill it sooner, he did notice something else. Daniel held back as soon as the creature winces, screams in agony, or when he is about to get the last hit in.

Daniel is resisting the urge to **not** kill, little by little… but it won’t be enough by the time the boy’s done _playing_ with the enemy. But… still, a little is more than none. Judging by the shaking of anger the leading ant is showing, this fight was about to end.

Kite adjusted his hat again, pulling it a little further down. He’ll have to act soon…

Daniel used his free hand without breaking contact to ram his hand into the ground, softening up the dirt around his foot “You almost got me… But, I’m not your average… enemy.”

When the boy felt he could move his foot, he removed it, dirt clinging to the bottom of his soles. It was an annoyance, but not enough to force the need inside him to dust it out. He had to take that last shot now… while the enemy was bounded. He reached into his sack, pulling out several more cards.

Killua saw the hesitation, the boy’s hand shaking as he took another card. What was Daniel thinking? If he couldn’t do it with a single card, what makes him think several more, is what’s going to get the job done?

He was peeved at the boy for not taking the last shot; just a single swing… that’s all it takes. But, at the same time he felt like he could slightly understand the boy’s hesitation. Daniel wasn’t used to it… It was a dangerous stance for the boy to take… especially with these kinds of enemies.

They won’t hesitate…

Daniel pinched the cards between his fingers, trying to shuffle the cards in a single hand with great difficult. He had to maintain focus on the enemy, or the ability will fade away…

Daniel thought about his next move, wondering how he could surpass his fear. Maybe all he needed was a distraction, something to keep his focus on the enemy while his hands did the work for him “You know…”

“Fuck you! Just die already!”

The boy smiled warmly at the creature, while continuously shuffling the cards the cards. It was a skill he should be praised for, one that was kinda useless at the moment “I’m the one that has _you_ trapped… held in the sky like my own personal dart board…”

The boy immediately stopped shuffling, sliding a finger between the top and second card. He flipped it in his hand, holding it between two fingers with great difficulty. Without breaking eye contact, the boy brought the card to his sight, making sure both the enemy and the card remained there without a single break of contact.

It was a **King** of **bow and arrows** , the replacement for **diamonds**. It held a sort of irony for the occasion, considering he was going to be shooting them, or in his case… be throwing them. Whether the draw was by dumb luck or not, he placed the card back on top of the others in his hand, uncaring if it was still showing or not “So, any last words…?”

“I’ll kill-”

“You…?” Daniel taunted back, throwing all the cards at the creature. Hopefully one of them strikes the creature. Like blind luck with a draw… he hopped the cards sink into the Chimera Ant, killing it instantly.

It was an unconscious movement, the cards now sailing through the wind. _PLEASE…_ The cards hit its target, though none of them instantly kill him… only causing wounds, severe and insufficient ones.

The screams of agony being emitted from the creature took a toll on the boy.

The hand he threw the cards with began to trembled, convulsing as if it were in the middle of an earthquake. Everyone could see the boy breaking, his façade cracking and showing the real person beneath the mask. A liar…

A scared, little, child, lying…

The hand controlling the shadow was thrown up against Daniel’s face, covering his eyes no matter if the situation was dangerous. He wanted to stop hearing the screams, to put the enemy out of its agony… but his body refused to make the right moves.

Killua managed to take one step forward before Kite stopped him “Don’t!” The boy’s brows knitted together, furrowing from the man’s words. He had a feeling he knew what Kite was about to say, but he wasn’t expecting him to be direct “Kill him…”

Killua was shocked “What? He isn’t prepared! Can’t you take over?”

“No! He needs to take this step, if not for himself… at least as a learning curve to help others in the future.”

Killua clenched his fist tight into a ball. He’s right, but Daniel’s too weak, and his mind isn’t set in the right spot… his going to get hurt, or worse… die! Killua’s head snapped towards Daniel, willing himself to take another step, and in doing so going against Kite’s words.

Gon stopped the boy this time “Kite’s-”

 “Right…?” Killua already knew what his best-friend was about to say, but Gon was wrong too, to believe in Kite. They knew Daniel better than Kite… this wasn’t him “I know… but we know Daniel too! He can’t kill an insect. He’s hurt one… two now…”

“That should account for some-” When Killua was turning to continue arguing with Gon, he stopped. Gon’s hand shaking; he wanted to stop the fight as well, but was desperately trying so hard not to. The boy was ready to jump in and pull Daniel out, before he could do something that got him hurt…

During the whole conversation going on behind Daniel, he hadn’t stopped shaking, like a shivering ragdoll clinging to whatever warmth nearby. He could only hear one thing… the screams of the ant before him.

Last time he instinctually shut them out, his thoughts focused on getting rid of the one that hurt Killua. But now… he had nothing to latch onto as a distraction. He had no reason to focus his attention on anything, other than the Chimera Ant before him…

The Toad Chimera had enough of the screaming ant. His voice was so loud; it was beginning to disorientate some of the other ants. Without any warning, he kicked off the ground, jumping high above the trees before falling down onto the ant.

The pathetic creature was crushed between the leader’s feet, silencing it before turning his attention to the boy still standing there “I’m sick of this poor excuse!”

The boy hadn’t moved an inch, still shaking violently on the spot. This was going to be an easy win, but he had other things to do before finishing off the lying child “This is enough… I’m going next! All of you are going to sit there!”

The moment the ant landed, that’s when Kite made his move. He called for his sentient ability, heading towards Daniel while the ants were still distracted and his **Crazy Slots** shuffled through the numbers.

A loud crack, followed by the juicy splattering of something wet ricocheted off the trees. It silenced the screaming, but didn’t give Daniel any time to focus. He was completely stuck in his head, and if it weren’t for the loud ‘splat’, he probably wouldn’t have noticed the screaming had stopped.

He had to focus! He tried to focus, but the voice was still a blur with his ears ringing. A hand had shoved him back, pushing him aside as if he were a sack of potatoes.

Or maybe it wasn’t a shove… but an attack that was just piercing his body. Did this mean the end? Was that what death felt like… no pain before all life was snuffed out. He expected some pain, but all he heard was a loud ‘two’ being mentioned.

Maybe that’s who killed him… number two. All that came to an end when he felt a pair of arms holding him from the back. It felt calming, relaxing… Who was holding him from behind, and why did it feel like this was his last feeling before dying?

“Killua?!”

Killua had grabbed the boy while he was limp and stumbling backwards. It was as if Daniel was outside of his physical body, solely focusing on what was going on in his mind. The boy turned his friend around, waving his hand in of the boy front in hopes of drawing his attention back.

Daniel’s eyes were glassy, vacant. They were the same eyes whenever Killua would ‘flip his switch on’. Although, these eyes didn’t have a single ounce of life in them; had Daniel given up after hearing the screams of the Chimera Ant, retreating into himself in hopes of removing himself from the reality of consciously hurting someone?

Killua clutched his friend closely, looking up at Kite with narrow, scrutinizing eyes. He should have stopped the boy, no matter if all the ants within the vicinity attacked at the same time.

Drawing Daniel’s arms over himself, Killua called out to his best friend, Gon. Ever since Gon called out to him, he could tell the boy was becoming more worried with each passing second “Gon, Daniel’s fine! But his retreated into himself…”

Killua gritted his teeth together when Kite spoke “I don’t care how you do it… wake him up! I got another bad spin.”

“Killua-”

“I know!” The boy shifted Daniel around, making sure he couldn’t be dropped with the slightest of movements. Why did the boy have to choose now of all times to pass out, when Kite summoned his Crazy Slots emitting a disturbing wave of aura? The smoke projected by Kite’s #2, the scythe, carried nothing but death “That scythe is nasty...”

“Gon, Killua… In three seconds, take Daniel and jump up.” The man’s words may have been cold, but his expression was even more so focused on Daniel. He was being a hindrance on his friends by doing this, and now that #2 was rolled, this was a dangerous situation to be in while incapacitated. Clicking his tongue in disgust, Kite swung the weapon, the mist collecting into a cyclone of destruction “Damn, bad roll..."

The blade sliced though from one Chimera Ant onto the next. It split each one through the centre, separating their body from their legs. Though, how he achieved it was freaky. The mist pushed them apart, escaping through the open wound like a screaming banshee drawing their last breath.

Killua could only watch in amazement as Kite dispatched all the enemies with a single strike. A single, deadly, strike…

As soon as the boys landed, they searched the area for a single missed enemy. None of them were alive… even the trees were taken out as collateral damage.

“Get lost…” Kite breathlessly whispered to his ability as Killua laid Daniel down on the floor to check on him. He was starting to come back to reality, still shaking but otherwise mostly ‘ok’.

Although, in most people’s book, that was far from ok. On the plus side, at least Daniel wasn’t dead. That had to count for something… Killua brought his hand up, teeth clenching from the thought of what he was about to do.

Whispering wouldn’t do anything, he’d have to slap the boy out of his _condition_ or else he was only going to sink further into his mind. _Now or never…_ A loud slap echoed through the trees, stopping Kite for saying anything else.

“What? HUH?! What…” Daniel blinked once, then twice. He was so close to Killua, being held by the boy, and staring intensely into each other’s eyes. What had happened these last few minutes “Killua?”

Killua allowed himself to smile for the briefest of seconds. The boy was awake, although, he couldn’t focus on that part of the situation for long; he had to find out exactly how much did Daniel exactly remember “What do you remember?”

“I remember fighting that… Fuzzy… Mole… Shark?” He had no idea what the Chimera Ant pooled genes were made of, but he remembered fighting it and… Daniel’s eyes widened as the memory of the fight came crashing down around him “The screams-”

A quick snap of his cheek forced him to look at Killua in disbelief “Why did you hit me?!”

“Because you’re starting to shake, AGAIN…”

 _Shake…?_ Daniel raised his hand, watching it sway in the air without any effort. It was like the grass on a mild windy day, swaying back and fought through the air. When did this happen? Why was he shaking so badly… _it can’t be!_ “I hurt someone… and I was afraid to finish them off…”

“Yup…” Killua agreed with a smile before frowning. He was still shaking, but not as bad as before, or when he started to remember what had transpired. When Daniel clenched his fist, he looked up to Kite “Daniel’s not ready! We can’t-”

“These ants are still alive… some of them at least. The technique I used with this scythe, maimed most of them… If we leave Daniel to go back, they’ll get up when we aren’t nearby for an easy prey. Whether it’s out of revenge, or not …”

Kite sighed, walking slowly towards his target “He has to come with us… He’s easy game for these Chimera Ants. Unless, you want to protect him all the way back to the border… that’s now his only chance of survival… What a drag…”

Daniel grits his teeth at the man’s words, angrily bubbling up inside of him. As much as he wanted to argue, every fibre of his body was agreeing with the man. Daniel was weak… Painfully, weak…

“Gon, I’ll-”

“No! You continue to go with Kite… We’re here to stop the Chimera Ants, not baby sit me. I’ll lag behind Kite by thirty metres, that way he can watch me, and I stay out of the immediate danger zone. Sound good…?”

Kite let out a huff, while waving his hand back at the boys “Soon you’ll all be left behind if you don’t keep with me.”

“Dan-”

“I’m fine… Go on ahead, Gon…” Turning to face Killua, the boy smiled weakly “You too, Killua…” Daniel stood up, lagging real far behind Kite, trying to measure the distance with just his sight. It was really hard to do so, especially with the tears clouding his vision.

He could barely hold back the tears, let alone stop them in their track if he wanted. He so badly wanted to let them out, cry out as loudly as he could, but the fact it might draw Ants to his location, would worsening the situation considering his friends and Kite would be forced to protect him once again…

He looked once more at Killua, even with the distance between them he couldn’t help but whisper his thoughts to the boy “I can’t protect you… What a stupid dream!”

It was a pipe dream… one he felt he could never fulfil.

“~”

Killua’s eyes glanced towards the boy far behind him, watching to see if he would run. He wasn’t prone to running, but he knew failure after failure would take a toll on the boy. He felt sorry for him…

Daniel was trying to be strong, but unfortunately it meant going against everything that made him _secretly_ a pacifist. Killua clenched his fist, wondering how he could change, possibly help the boy.

“Killua…”

Killua dropped his thought, looking towards Kite to see what the man wanted.

“Gon… Get Daniel, now! We’re being followed…”

Killua freaked out, almost running immediately to the boy’s side. However he was stopped from freaking out “Don’t worry. They aren’t coming from behind him…”

Killua relaxed, his fist loosening their grip. When had he done that, or better yet… why had he done it. He’d been on edge since Daniel’s break down.

When Kite looked up to the sky, his eyes narrow at the creatures hiding in the sky, far away from them “There’s quite a number of them.”

Killua darted for Daniel as Gon followed Kite close behind him. He knew he would be better suited for the job, able to reach Daniel faster than Gon could say race you. He crossed the path, not only surprising the boy with the sudden visit, but the act of having grabbed the boy’s hand without a second thought.

“Wha-” Daniel could only freak out when Killua was right in front of him, his hand grabbed and being dragged without a word. He didn’t know whether to scream in surprise or confusion.

Daniel was dragged, forced to hold pace with the others. Only when he was close to Kite, the reasoning was explained “We’re being followed. They’re coming from the left and the right… Stick close, and keep your guard up.”

Daniel was forced to duck when an insect flew past him. Instinctually, he used his ability to reach out to the enemy, but the flashback of his last fight forced him to end it prematurely. He clenched his fist in rage, teeth clenched together. He still couldn’t will himself to fight, stave off the enemy.

_If I can’t fight, maybe I could…_

Daniel extended his fingers, resummoning his ability with a new purpose. The second an enemy came close enough, he forced the hand to swat away at the creature, deterring them from coming close.

Killua began to smile at the gesture of help; it would allow them to focus more on attacking than dodging “Thanks!”

Daniel smiled slightly; the gesture meant more to him than it had ever before. Especially now of all times… After failing so many times recently, at least now he could do something other than being useless.

Killua pulled two fingers together, generating an electric current. Aura sparked, engulfing his hand before the boy launched it at the enemy. When electricity struck a tree, Killua gave a look of disapproval. It was a waste of effort. The surrounding area was working to the enemies’ advantage “Damn…”

Daniel shifted his eyes from left to right, seeing which of them would dare to get close. Maybe he could capture one of them, helping Killua and Gon take them out.

“The trees are getting in the way…” Gon argued as he stared at the insects hiding behind the tree.

“Yeah…”

Daniel shifted his attention to Kite, posing a question “Kite, shouldn’t we head towards an area with more open spacing? We’re boxed in here with no way of attacking back…”

Kite jumped back behind the boys, while surveying the area “This is a trap.”

“How…?” Daniel turned, a curious eyebrow raised at the man. It didn’t seem like there was a thought out plan in place. Yes, they were running in one direction while being chased both sides. But was there something Kite knew that they didn’t?

Daniel shifted his attention to behind them, trying to see if they were being chased. There was no one behind them. Unless… Kite could use _En_ , a variation of _Gyo_. He could see; possibly feel the presence of others… ones they couldn’t.

Kite called upon his sentient weapon, the Crazy Slots running his mouth as usual. It was comical to see Kite bicker with his ability, an extension of himself. When the slot hit #2, that’s when everything changed, fog had enveloped the area.

As they ran, a spine tingly sensation ran across the boy’s back, a feeling of nothing but death, followed by a fog thickening around them.

“Just like last time…”

“Last time…?” Daniel shifted to his attention behind him, the man wielding a huge scythe. Death swirled around it, swallowing all life around it. It looked like a plain scythe, one you would use in farming. But this one’s nature was beyond just ‘menacing’.

Anyone caught in its arc, no, even its aftermath would be dead. Kite twirled it several times, looking directly into Daniel’s eyes when spoke next “In the next three seconds, jump as high and far away as possible.”

Kite stopped, twirling the scythe a few more times before swinging.

Daniel could only watch as the area surrounding them was decimated, sliced through cleanly. The fog being forced to contort, wrapping and warping the surrounding area; whatever the fog touch, it entered the object, splitting everything in half.

The insects were sent flying around them, torsos and legs flying in opposite directions. _So that was what had destroyed the last batch of enemies, including the surrounding area… A single, devastating attack..._

Daniel kneeling against the floor as he landed, looking up as he could only gawk from the destruction; the ability was the coolest thing he’s ever seen to date, but he couldn’t see the usefulness for himself. It was an ability used to kill, leaving nothing alive in its wake… something he had yet to do.

Standing up, Daniel continued to gawk at the older man “That… is by far the coolest thing I’ve seen.”

“It’s such a drag…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the response, looking towards his friends to see if they already understood what he meant by it. Killua shook his head at the response, an awkward laugh following suit.

Between the awkward laugh and Killua’s reaction, the scene told a thousand words… words he was yet to understand. For the most part, he could only guess that the ability was supposedly _annoying_ to use.

They stood at the end of the forest, reaching an empty patch of grass. Kite’s eyes slowly stared towards the field, stopping at a single spot. He could see them, the enemies who wanted to ultimately ambush them.

As Daniel drew his eyes to the grass, he noticed someone stand up. When the boy reached his side, that’s when Kite held his empty hand to the boy, muttering the line he would often use when ridding _Crazy Slots_ from his sight.

Daniel stared at Kite in disbelief from his action, only to draw his eyes back to the enemy. They had begun walking away, leaving without a single exchange of blows. The boy could’ve sworn he saw the ants walking away with looks of defeat etched within their expressions.

While he was surprised, Kite was even more so “He was able to understand that he was outclassed, and he calmly backed down at once. Most likely, he was a Squadron Leader.”

The enemies had retreated to the cliff, once again staring down on the group they had failed to beat. There was a long, pregnant pause before the enemy turned around, slowly disappearing back into the distance.

Daniel’s eyes wandered from the cliff to Kite. Where to now? They could continue in their own direction, or follow the enemy… seeking them out to finish them off. Seeing as Chimera Ants were inherently evil, there was no real reason to not finish them off, right?

“We’re following them…”

Daniel blinked in surprise at the man’s words, wondering if he was going to suggest what he was thinking. Killing Chimera Ants is one thing… but enemies which have already surrendered, without conflict, is considered quite _low_ …

“Their nest must be nearby. If we follow them, we will find the Queen.”

Kite ran, chasing after the ants retreating hopefully to their nest.

“~”

The walk was long, endless, the quiet forest barely whistling in the wind. Kite had been following the ants ahead of them step for step. The creatures had slowed down the pace drastically as opposed to earlier, when they had to run in order to catch up to them.

Kite shifted the quiet situation, sparking a conversation in order to quell the boys’ curiosity of the unknown behind him “They’re continuing to go straight. The Chimera Ant nest must be up ahead…”

Killua hummed to the information. He acknowledged the man’s superb ability to not only track the enemy, but do so without having to keep them within viewing distance. _En_ was an amazing tool to have, especially when it came to tracking, and his ex-profession, assassin “Amazing… He’s been picking them up this entire time, never losing them for an instant.”

Gon turned to his best friend, a world of wonder being portrayed though his eyes, with a hint of mild concern “Kite said he could us _En_ within a radius of forty-five meters.”

Killua turned to face Gon, smiling a fraction from the boy’s knowledge. He could remember a crucial detail, as long as he wasn’t flood with hundreds of them at the same time “I’ve heard that those called _Nen_ masters can handle around fifty meters. Kite is nearly there… Actually, given that he’s kept it up for an entire night, he’s probably stronger.”

“Stronger than a master…” Gon hummed, eyes drawn to the back of Kite’s head. It was amazing to hear that others, including himself, thought so highly of Ging’s student. _He’s amazing…_

Daniel perked up at the information, curious at how the boy came across the information. Killua was good at gaining information without others looking, a skill which benefitted their team. He wondered how far the boy’s treasure troves of information stretched, as well as where his parents fit in on that scale.

How strong were Vastorie and Nathaniel, when compared to other masters? Were they godlike when it came to other categories, or were they on the complete opposite side, mediocre at best?

“I wonder…” The boy drew his friends into the beginning of Daniel’s thought process, wondering if it was even ok to ask. He wasn’t even sure how to ask the question stewing in his thoughts.

How strong are others…?

How strong is Ging when compared to Kite…?

Or better yet, what’s the difference in strengths between the strongest, and the masters of _Nen_? Daniel eventually gave up on the question altogether, branching it instead back to the main conversation “Never mind, I can’t remember the question. I guess Kite’s the real deal.”

Gon frowned at Daniel’s sudden retraction. He wondered what was plaguing the boy’s mind, and if he could help. Gon chimed in; a smile beginning to form once again “Kite must be really strong…”

Killua followed with his own statement, conjoining off his best-friend’s own statement “Yeah, he’s the first real pro Hunter we’ve met. Tsezgerra was a pro Hunter, but we only knew him as another player in a game. Bisky was an incredible Hunter. But to us…”

“Yeah,” Gon’s smile grew at Killua’s facts “she was our _Nen_ mentor.”

Daniel’s own grew, unfortunately not wide enough to rival’s Gon’s “ _Incredible_ is a nice comment… considering you called her _old hag_ half the time.”

As Killua frowned, for a split second he could have sworn he saw Killua’s cheeks redden. Was that in embarrassment for calling her such a thing, or the fact Daniel remembered and Gon didn’t “SHE was… But, she still was… even though she was from the Ming Dynasty.”

Daniel’s smile grew “Oh, you remember…”

Something inside Killua began to flutter. Was it the smile being directed at him, or the look from the boy he was receiving? If so, why now…? Why was that feeling starting to bubble upside him now of all times?

Since coming here, he’s started to become more concerned, focusing on Daniel now. He liked it back when it was at the Hunter’s exam, hell, even early Greed Island. Being split by feelings wasn’t something he was used to “Irregardless, the first to teach us about _Nen_ …”

“Wing-San was our _Nen_ master and savior…”

Killua drew his attention to the back of Kite’s head. He was getting those feelings again, this time with Gon. The boy was completing his sentences; maybe not so much in Killua’s own words… but it was the thought that count. He felt as though Gon could read him so easily, finishing his sentence so perfectly in the moment.

It made his cheeks tinge from how wonderful his friends complemented him… after spending so much time alone, without friends. He never wanted this situation to end… not now, not ever “Looking back, we always meet the right people just when we need them most. And those people have all made us stronger.”

“Razor, too, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“Didn’t you say you met my father as well? I highly doubt he had any words of wisdom to depart…”

“No, just requests…”

“Lovely…” Daniel responded back sarcastically, a hint of brazenness hidden within his tone “I’m dreading the request already…” He paused considering all the possibilities for a _request_ his dad might make to his friend. Considering all venues… making fun of him would be the soundest one.

The man’s words were pushed to the front of Killua’s mind once again. **Protect Daniel, Killua...** Was he actually doing what the man requested without knowing? No, he wasn’t… Daniel was here, unable to kill, and they were still in the midst of battle.

All it will take is one rogue Chimera Ant while they were distracted, in order to take Daniel’s life. Kite was a Pro-Hunter… there was no doubt about it. He’ll take out the whole nest with #2 alone. Until then, he and Gon will be the ones to protect Daniel...

“Anyways,” Killua shifted back to the topic at hand “it’s clear that Ging really did create Greed Island to train you, Gon. And once you beat the game, he deliberately led you to Kite.”

“Ging?!”

Killua thought more about the topic, letting his mind wander “I’m not sure if Ging predicted what would happen when we met Kite… But he certainly knew that you would like the man who had earned Ging’s respect. And he knew without a doubt that you would go with Kite…”

Gon nodded at his friend’s words, thinking back on everything that has happened so far alongside Kite. They have seen so much, fought enemies stronger than Greed Island’s monsters, Genthru, even Razor… Ging had to somehow know this would happen with Kite “He wants us to get stronger by traveling with Kite.”

Killua frowned slightly, his eyes drawing towards Daniel “This is a pretty brutal place for training, though…” The boy wasn’t really focusing until Daniel opened his mouth “What? Something on my face…?”

Azure locked eyes with deep blue, unknowingly sharing a moment of intimacy. It took Killua a few seconds before his eyes widen, forcing his perspective back to Kite’s hair “NOTHING… just worried…”

Daniel opened his mouth, but immediately closed it; it was a dumb question to ask. Killua was worried about him. Daniel should’ve known just from what had transpired within the last twenty-four hours. He broke down in fear once, and almost got killed twice.

It made his heart flutter for a second, before reverting back to its original depressed state of failure.

Kite chimed in, uncaring of his harsh words “This is the very reason why I kept asking if your resolve is firm. Two of you are…” Turning his head to look into the third boy’s eyes, the man frowns, a fraction “One of you isn’t…”

Kite faced back to the front, hiding a small smile “But that is to be understood. You have not killed anyone, ever, which I would judge is from your upbringing. But even then, you are fighting against that barrier… you’re doing a lot better than what I originally predicted.”

Daniel’s eyes widened slightly, forced to stare at the back of the man’s head. He had just been praised… or at least he could’ve sworn he was “Thank you…”

“BUT…” Kite stopped, turning around to look at all three boys “That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get off easy. As soon as we reach the Chimera Ant’s nest, you are to stay outside, away from the enemy base until we kill the Queen and her subordinates.”

Daniel frowned as Kite’s eyes drew to focus mainly on Killua, while simultaneously managing to keep his eye sight on all three boys “Now, as you mentioned, Ging-San probably had certain expectations when he sent you to me. But, I do not intend to train you during this journey. We don’t have that kind of time. I brought you along because I thought you might be of use…”

Kite blinked slowly, drawing his attention back to the enemy still walking further from them. While they were getting further and further away from the enemies, he could tell in which direction they were mainly headed “From here, it all comes down to your resolve. If it’s strong, you’ll develop your _Nen_ and grow strong via combat. If it’s weak…”

Kite adjusted his hat, staring intently at Daniel before finishing his statement “the Ants will eat you.”

Daniel’s hand clenched tight, a sickening feeling running around in the pit of his stomach. He was walking around on borrowed time at this point, bound to run out as soon as they branched off. Whether he survives after that, will be based on luck and resolve in-order to stay alive “However, we can’t die… We are pro Hunters. Those who call themselves Hunters always get their prey.”

The boys were shocked, enlightened, and yet somehow confused from the very statement.

“For Hunters, that is the first commandment. Those who call themselves Hunters should always be on the hunt.” The man turned around; he walked towards the enemy in order to catch up to them once again “A hunt involves both hunter and prey. It is a battle of resolve. Emerging victorious from a battle of resolve is what makes a successful hunt. The loser has to follow the winner’s rules and customs. Usually, this means the loser’s death…”

Daniel drew his eyes to his left, staring at the small river hugging the side of their path. The sound of water running by them was very relaxing, calming to listen to as they closed in on the end of their destination.

Gon was taken aback by Ging’s pupil’s words. The statement was easy to understand, but at the same time, some parts of the quote were hard to gauge “Rules…” What kind of rules could he set after winning?

“If you don’t want that result, then win. Improving your _Nen_ is important, of course. But to be a successful Hunter, you must understand the enemy and yourself.”

“Understand yourself…” Daniel asked himself, curiously wondering why exactly, did that part of the statement needed questioning. He was a Manipulator, who wished he leaned more toward Enhancer. While he couldn’t change that aspect of himself, he was desperately trying to become just as strong as Enhancer, and if not just as strong, even stronger than one.

Gon had another question on his mind, wondering if he could probe his father’s pupil further “Th-That’s why… That’s why you hit me back then! **The territorial marker made by Foxbears with cubs. Any animal seeing it knows to get far away…** That was the forest’s rule and custom. You taught me the rules in Ging’s place…”

Daniel smiled warmly, feeling himself being able to resonate to that statement on another level. Where Vastorie failed, and boy did he fail HARD. Nathaniel was the one to teach him life lessons… proper life lessons.

Vastorie pushed him into things, like dancing… defence classes… history… They were things that he didn’t like at the start. However, when Nathaniel took over, he taught them with a spin, drawing the boy’s curiosity into the topic. Now that he thinks about it… the Manipulator side of him believes that it was all Vastorie’s doing somehow.

Ging was teaching Gon through Kite, so that rule had to apply with Vastorie too… His father was teaching him through Nathaniel; Wolfbane, had to be that physical proof… But, what was the ultimate goal with this form of training?

Money…?

Bets…?

The boy had no clue for what the end goal was. With Gon, the end goal was for the boy to catch Ging… Each block was both a step closer to catching him, as well as to help train him in order for him to be caught.

 _What was Vastorie’s end goal…?_ Daniel shifted his attention to Kite, then to Killua. He highly doubted it… but Killua or his family might have a part to play in Vastorie’s end goal.

“Oh…” Kite came to a sudden realisation. He remembered something he had forgotten from long ago, a token he had to give back. Maybe this was something Ging had intended by bringing Gon to him “That’s right… I just remembered.”

Kite stopped at one of the most convenient rocks of history. It was a long flat rock, probably rubble from a nearby house that was destroyed long ago. It acted as both Kite’s chair, and the reason as to why he was searching his pockets.

The boys’ eyes were raised, curious to know what the man was searching for. From out of Kite’s pocket, he produces a Hunter’s licence, far different to their own; it was a red card, with a gold outline and a white triangle in the middle. Two Xs spaced out between the triangle, leaking out into even the red. A Gold scale of some kind ran through the middle of the Xs and covered fanned over the top of the Xs.

Whereas the boys’ cards had a white outline, with a light blue inner and two smaller Xs crossing at the top; the two Xs at the top, also had a red diamond in the middle.

Daniel noticed the small chain at the corner of one of the cards, wondering about its purpose. Was it to look cool, or link it to an object, like a keychain? Ignoring the differences, Kite’s Hunter License was way cooler than theirs.

“A Hunter License…?” Gon curiously asked, taking it from the man’s hand as he rotated it, checking all sides for further clues to why the man was showing them it. Killua proceed to ask a question, seeing as the boy was distracted with the card “What’s this?”

“This is Ging-san’s.”

“Eh?!” Daniel freaked out at the news, surprised to see someone, other than Ging carrying Ging’s card. Why did Kite have the legendary Ging’s card?

Gon’s reaction was far different to Daniel’s, more mellow, relaxed from the news “It’s Ging’s?”

“Do you remember what my final test was?”

“Yeah, to find Ging…”

“Before the test began, Ging-san gave this to me. He said I should use it to find him…” Gon flicked the card back to the front, staring at its cover intently as Kite Continued “I planned to return it to him once I did.”

“Huh…?” Gon reacted with concern; looking back up to his new mentor “He wouldn’t take it back?”

“No…” Kite awkwardly scratched the side of his face, while making sure to divert his attention from the boys “… I completely forgot I had it.” The man continued, even with the groans and sighs of anguish “Gon, you said that you’re going to find Ging-san on your own, right?”

Startled, Gon looked into the eyes of the man, while trying to understand the question. He has wanted to find Ging all his life! Now he’s a Hunter, he can, and he won’t stop at anything to find Ging.  
No matter how many continents he had to cross…  
How many people he had to defeat… Gon will find Ging “Yeah!”

“Then you have to do it… And would you return this for me?”

Gon clutched the Hunter’s License close to his chest, smiling at the offer. Now he had a piece of Ging, something that belonged to his father. It acted as both as a clue, and reason for the boy to find his father sooner, rather than later. But there were more pressing, like dealing with the Chimera Ants “Sure! But first, I have to finish this job with you and get a lot stronger. After that, I’ll find Ging and give this back… I promise!”

“I’m counting on you…”

Gon and Kite smiled endlessly at each other, which made both Daniel and Killua feel jealous. The only difference between the two was Killua was smiling the whole time. What was going to be Gon’s plan?  
Travel along with his father?  
Continue like they were doing now, searching the world endlessly for things to conquer, complete, enjoy?

That would be a dream come true, to travel alongside Gon and Daniel, finding something new to do and enjoy… he would like that more than anything in the world.

“Well, let’s get a move on before we lose the trail…”

The four of them continued along their travel.

“~”

Hopes and dreams were to be completed in the nearby future.

Gon to find Ging…

Killua to find something new and interesting…

However, when it came to Daniel, he was the odd one out. He didn’t know what his end goal was. Maybe he wanted Killua to fall in-love with him, or maybe he just wanted these feelings to die out…

He had no clue where those feelings would go, whether they’ll die out, or if he’ll find someone new. But the thoughts didn’t stop there… he wondered if protecting Killua wasn’t his sole purpose in life, seeing as his best-friend could already do that on his own… what was his purpose?

The more he thought about it, there was another thing clinging in the back of his mind. Killua was trained at birth, to kill without discrimination… Daniel wanted Killua to see the world like he did with his own eyes. While Gon was already doing that, by bouncing from one place to the next in order to find Ging; maybe he should take over as soon as that mission is completed.

He wasn’t good when it comes to _knowing_ what the world contained, but that wouldn’t stop him from researching, finding out what different parts of the world offers and then dragging his friends from place to place, not only discovering for himself, but in doing so showing a whole new world to Killua…

Not only would he achieve the goal, but in doing so will discover a place he really belonged, or at least a new goal he wanted to achieve. Or… maybe he’d already found it, and he would only just be fortifying the original goal.

Only the future can tell him, which of those dreams was the right one to follow…

As the boy thought to himself, those dreams were eventually shattered. Something dark and brooding washed over him, a sense of dread clinging to the tips of his aura. Something bad was about to happen…

“That’s a monster…” Kite’s voice was low, but also loud enough to force the boys to stop in their track and look at the man. When Daniel saw the man’s eyes shaking, what he was feeling wasn’t a figment of his imagination… He ignored everything around him, focusing on what he was feeling in the moment.

Kite snapped Daniel out of his thoughts when he issued his next order, hand held out to protect the three of them “Gon, Killua, Daniel… Run! NOW! Hurry-”

The three of them were backing up slowly, surprised by the man’s actions. It wasn’t until what happened next, was why Kite issued the order. It was almost a blur, something or someone flew past Kite.

An arm was sent sailing past them, shocking the three in the process. Kite was standing calmly, while on high alert, clutching the very spot where his arm used to be. A new, unseen enemy stood in front of them, their back turned. It was a Chimera Ant… that much could be told by the cat ears and tail.

But the shock and terrors didn’t stop there…

The cat turned to face the boys, yellow eyes glowing with enthusiasm. It pounced again.

Daniel didn’t think it was possible, but his body react almost to the same speed of the enemy. Seeing it pounce towards the three of them made him move faster. Maybe it was the fear… or the adrenalin pumping through his veins. His blood was forced through his veins, hands coming into contact with Gon and Killua, tackling them to the floor.

He’d hoped he escaped, taking his friends down to avoid the attack. But he was far from safe. As the creature’s claws dug into his back, the boy forcing out a scream of terror.

This was where he dies…

His dreams and hopes laying to rest near the Chimera Ant’s nest, by the claws of a Neko-ant…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Sorry for another Cliff Hanger…
> 
> I’ll try to upload the next Chapter way more quickly than this chapter! Or at least I hope!


	85. NGL X Survival X What Next

Everything went quiet for Killua. Between Daniel’s scream, and Kite kicking the Chimera Ant clear across the field. Only the faintest of sobs could be heard from Daniel while he is being clutched closer.

Daniel was using him as an anchor, most likely even being begged silently to not be let go. It was understandable, but at the same time unwanted. Having the boy this close, was not something he needed right now. Killua reached around the boy, hoping to pry him off.

Daniel was scared; Killua understood that much. The aura leaking from the enemy cat was starting to even scare him. When Killua’s arm reached Daniel’s back, he noticed the boy’s back was sticky with a substance, one that had Killua confused.

Only when the boy pulled his hand into sight, did he know the graveness of the situation, and reasoning to why Daniel screamed. Wet blood was smudged against his hand, dripping back down onto the body on top of him.

Daniel was hurt… and judging by the amount of blood on his hand, it was not only deep, but also probably a large wound. Killua focused on Daniel, hearing strained heavy breathing coming from the boy above him. He was alive, but barely…

The fearful expression Killua gave was something he’d never expect to show.

The boy looked towards Gon, silently begging for him to help. But he was met with a different expression. What was usually a bright, vibrant, smile was overshadowed by the raw anger and disgust.

Killua held out his hand, hoping to reach out to his friend. But the boy was not only too far, he had Daniel’s weight holding him down, and the boy was even constricting him. Something had to be done soon.

He needed to react, ask Gon to help him and Daniel “G- Gon! We need to help-”

Gon was far too gone, eyes shaking with an indescribable rage. The boy let out a deafening roar, one that grabbed the attention of the Chimera Ant. He glowed with a bright orange aura, the same colour Killua saw when they were fighting Razor.

This was dangerous; a situation they needed to get out of quickly. Killua held one arm against Daniel, while using his other to push himself up. He moved just as quickly as he pushed himself off the ground. Killua clutched his fist into a ball, slamming it against the back of Gon’s head.

He wasn’t thinking about how much strength he was putting behind it, only the amount needed to knock some sense into the boy. Unfortunately for Killua, it was enough to knock Gon out.

Gon slumped against the floor, dead weight to the world.

“Good decision, Killua…”

He didn’t care about the praise he got from Kite, all that mattered was getting the three of them out there, alive. He picked up Gon, using the extra weight to push Daniel even closely towrds him. Being embarrassed from Daniel clutching the boy tightly was the least of his worries.

“Take Gon and Daniel, and run!”

Killua ran like he’d never done so before, aiming to create as much distance between Kite and the enemy as possible. He headed back to the main entrance, the rain starting to pour heavily on them. Why now of all times did it have to start raining?

The ground soaked up the rain, wetting the dirt into a thick sludgy substance. He fought against the ground threatening to swallow his shoes beneath its muddy grip. But none of that mattered! All that mattered right now, was getting Gon and Daniel to safety.

“Please… Leave me behind.”

Killua didn’t hear the boy until the second time, the words catching him completely off guard. He hadn’t expected the boy to mutter those words, let alone speak in that state “W- What?”

“I’m bleeding… the blood is going to draw enemies to us. You can’t protect me and Gon, while fighting everyone off. Sooner or later they-”

“Fuck you!”

Daniel opened his eyes in disbelief, willing himself to at least stare into the boy’s eyes. But his body felt heavy, head slumped against the boy’s shoulder. All he could do was control his strained, heavy breathing, and hope the next one isn’t his last one.

“Fuck everyone! I don’t care about the enemies that will attack us… all that matters right now, is making sure you, and Gon survive this…” _That’s right... We were overconfident… The three of us were still weaker than Kite who’d lost an arm. Once its claws dug into Daniel, it knew we were weak… That thing attacked us, daring us to fight…_

 _We have no chance of beating it! This was reality…_ Killua slipped on a patch of dirt, rotating himself in a way that made him be the only one get hurt. The accident made him panic, raising his head just enough to see Gon slumped on the ground and Daniel still barely breathing.

Killua picked himself off, wiping some of the mud off before running to Gon’s side. Now he had both boys in his arms, he once again picked up the speed.

“You can’t-”

“I’ll do it! Please… just trust me.”

Daniel began to quietly sob in Killua’s shirt. He was trying so desperately to go against his own desire to survive. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Killua, he just didn’t trust _himself_. He could feel the sticky wetness on his back, pooling against Killua’s hand. He didn’t know how deep the wound was, all he knew was he won’t last long if he didn’t get patched up soon.

“Killua…”

“Not now! Just, please… a little bit longer…”

Daniel smiled from the thought, while simultaneously clutching onto his life. If he was going to survive this, Killua needed to stop the bleeding “Killua! I… I want to survive…”

“Oh…” Killua let out a breath of relief. The boy did want to survive… at least on the surface… He didn’t know what Daniel felt deep inside, whether he wanted to be left to die or not… the thought scared him. Although, he didn’t want to show it… that was a sign of weakness “H- How are you doing… feeling…”

“Like someone stabbed me…” Daniel tried to joke, but felt a searing pain cut through him when he tried to laugh.

Killua freaked out from the sudden scream being emitted from the boy on his back “Daniel?!”

“Laughing hurts…”

Killua blushed from the worried thoughts, his face being hidden even though Daniel couldn’t see it from his position “We… we should patch you up…”

“With what…? It’s not like I’m carrying a paper clip and piece of string on me at all times.”

Killua let out a sigh, frustrated, but also at the same time amused by Daniel’s thoughts. The boy has watched far too many movies, and thinks anything can be used to close a wound “You wish…”

“… What?”

“A needle and some fishing string could work…”

“Great…” Daniel let out a quiet bemused laugh “I have plenty of that lying around.”

“Don’t joke… I’ve done it plenty of times.”

Daniel immediately quite down, remembering about Killua’s not so innocent past. He wondered if he could have changed it, if he were involve, or would his innocence back then have been none the wiser? Daniel shifted uncomfortably on Killua back, hands moving in such away so he could embrace, rather than lock around the boy’s neck.

Killua blushed at the sudden change, Daniel’s arms locking around his chest than neck. He felt warm, tingly inside… the fuzzy feeling returning. But as much as he wanted to object to the sudden change, he had more pressing matters. Killua looked around, checking to see if they could be attacked.

Kite would have most likely bounded all enemies near the nest. It would be only a matter of time before they were chased once again… but the bleeding had to at least be slowed down. Killua came to a halt, laying Gon up right against the tree “Alright, lets… try to halt the wound.”

Daniel opened his mouth to protest “But…”

“Let’s deal with the threat now, while we are in the least amount of danger. Besides, I don’t know if you’ll bleed to death. We didn’t exactly have time to check…” Killua turned the boy around, not even giving some time for the boy to even protest the idea.

The boy clenched his teeth at the wound, eyebrows knitting together in disgust. It was serious, at least to someone who hadn’t suffered a wound like this. Killua would have shrugged this off… but he wasn’t too sure about Daniel. He’d need to at least tighten a cloth around it “Arms up…”

“Why…?”

“So you can fly- I need something to patch the wounds! And I’m not about to rip my shirt… especially with you, and you’re probable dirty thoughts!”

“I’m not the one who wanted to watch porn with someone!” Daniel immediately fired back, both regretting and blushing at the idea of his mind going all the way back to that moment of his life. But even as the boy regrated his sudden outburst, he lifted his arms. Now wasn’t the time to bicker, not with the wounds on his back still being a threat.

Killua grabbed Daniel’s shoulders, ripping both sleeves off without a second thought. He didn’t like that his friend remembered the request, and that his mind without a second thought wouldn’t mind doing that once again “Sure…”

Killua’s cheeks remained tinged as he ripped both sleeves in half, and then tied small knots so he could make a longer bandage without having to resort to using his own. Placing the sheets over his shoulders so they didn’t get dirty, Killua lifted the back of Daniel’s shirt.

The boy hissed in pain from Killua’s quick removal of his shirt, but didn’t verbally complain about it.

Something stirred inside Killua, the need to check Daniel’s back. He ran his hands across the boy’s back, tracing the area around his wound. It felt so surreal, mind mixing several thoughts at the same time. One part of his mind wanted to continue, while the other wanted to dress the wounds quickly, and forget about the whole occurrence as soon as he can.

Killua forced himself to stop, willing the perverted thoughts to calm down. Daniel was far too innocent; at least he thought the boy would be in this occurrence “Dan… Daniel… I’m gonna at least dress the wound now.”

 _Please, before you continue touching me… it feels way too good!_ Daniel kept the thought to himself, relying only on Killua’s touch as an indicator to where the boy was at.

Killua wrapped the cloth around the boy’s shoulder before tightening it on the other side. Daniel winced, but continued to remain silent. As soon as Killua tighten the other side, he ran a finger across one of the clothes.

It was already beginning to soak the cloth, but at least it wasn’t as bad as before. Killua wondered about having to do the same for Gon, wondering if his hands would stop roaming like he had done with Daniel, but as that thought cross his mind, he forced himself to forget the question, opting to instead pull the shirt back down on the boy. He rolled it down gently, making sure to not cause Daniel any more discomfort.

Killua kneeled in front of Daniel, back turned as his hands reached behind him “That should be fine for a couple more hours. We need to get moving again… just in case the ants are on the move again.”

Daniel nodded, holding out his arm to rope them around Killua’s neck. He was still a little too weak to rope his hands around the boy, clutching onto Killua’s chest for long periods of time. Once Killua was comfortable with the boy being on his back, he picked up Gon bridal style. He made sure to hold Gon’s head with one hand while letting the boy’s legs hang.

Without a warning, Killua started to run, aiming to gain as much distance with the ants as possible.

“~”

Killua didn’t stop for no one, pushing himself far beyond the limit. Carrying two people was hard. He had drained himself of all stamina, and only relaxed once they were on the opposite side of NGL.

Killua laid Gon down first, resting the head comfortably on the ground; next was Daniel. The boy kneeled back, letting Daniel allow himself to let go and push up against the tree. He had only one more thing to do, and that was to go back and collect their things, as well as grab a first aid kit. He mainly needed his phone and first aid kit, the two most important things in the moment to him right now.

He needed to make that call, and reach out to Kite’s friends. They needed to know what Kite had down for them, and that they also needed to be picked up.

When Killua left, he didn’t say a word, driving himself back to getting their things as quick as possible.

Daniel could only watch with a pained reaction, the boy leaving without as much as a word. The boy held out his hand to Killua as he left, he didn’t say anything too. Once Killua was far away from them as possible, Daniel allowed himself to let his emotions run rampant; he cried in agony.

He wanted to hug Killua so close, thanking him for saving his life, even when he’d done nothing to deserve the action. He almost gotten them killed with his actions alone. But had he not stepped in, could he honestly say they’d survive? No, they would’ve… and without suffering too.

He should have pulled them from behind, dragging them down with him… not blocking the Chimera Ant’s path! He shouldn’t have tackled his friends to the ground… it was a waste of exerted strength. And to top things off, he almost gotten himself killed in the process.

The Ant had an aura of menacing death; yet, Kite had not only stood up to it, but was also able to keep a straight face while it stared him in the face. Had Kite not been there… they’d all have been dead, losing their lives on their first real Hunter mission.

Daniel thought he was the only weak one there, but in actuality… they were all weak. The only difference between him and the others, his friends could still take down the soldiers and captains.

After a while, Daniel managed to calm down his crying, eventually letting it die out. He couldn’t let Killua see him like this, not that the puffy, red eyes were a dead giveaway. The boy allowed himself to close his eyes, letting sleep overcome him when he relaxed.

“~”

When Killua came out, he was greeted by two sleeping boys. He smiled for the briefest of seconds. This scene warmed his heart, making him blush from the happy thoughts to follow. However, that all soon came crashing back down on him. He knew what he needed to do next.

Killua first placed Wolfbane next to Daniel, letting the blade sink into the ground as he pulled himself back up. The boy looked at Daniel’s necklace while his friend was asleep, letting the cobalt and emerald shine brilliantly in the light.

Looking, or more like focusing on the necklaces now, he noticed how much they shared a resemblance to Gon and himself. The brilliant, emerald sun and the Cobalt, Lightning bolt…

Daniel ironically chose to resemble his friends, but the connection they held allowed Killua to smile for a second time. Why Daniel really chose them, he didn’t know… or better yet, wouldn’t want to know. But deep down, a part of him did in fact want to know the reasoning behind it. He was sure Gon knew… But, neither of them had departed the knowledge as to why Daniel brought it in the end.

Killua let them dangle off his hands before leaning back down over Daniel. He roped them around the boy’s neck, while staring at the boy still sleeping. His eyes drew to the boy’s lips, watching them open and close as thoughts of their kiss back on Greed Island flooded his mind. He didn’t know why they came back to him, but forced them back out.

Killua leaned back up, dropping Daniel’s phone onto the boy in such a way to not wake him. He did the same for Gon, only this time he stopped to whisper something “I’m sorry…” He felt bad for knocking out Gon, but at the same time, he also felt if he didn’t stop the boy, Gon would have gotten all of them killed…

He couldn’t live without Gon, nor could he do so without Daniel… they were a staple of his life, the very reason he carried on living, and why he continued traveling besides them. While he wouldn’t admit it aloud… he needed them both.

Killua looked at the last phone… staring at it as beads of sweat fell down his face. He had to be the bearer of bad news… the one to tell Kite’s friends that the man was left behind with a deadly enemy…

Swallowing thickly, Killua dialled the number before bringing the receiver to ear. He listened to dial tone, each passing second dragging out like a long endless session of torture. The moment Kite’s friend, Spinner picked up, he gave no warning… just the bad news “We left Kite behind!”

“~”

Spinner’s bubble-gum popped as soon as she answered the call. She was left dumb folded, barely able to register every second word from Killua’s mouth. All she could think to focus on was _Kite being left behind_ … Why? Why did they run away without Kite? “What you mean you left Kite behind? Why?! What happened? Explain what’s going on!”

Killua breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm his nerves while he was being berated with questions; he had no time to answer any of the questions, only listen as the memories of the Chimera Ant’s face flood his mind.

He only snapped out of it when he heard Spinner’s voice getting both distant, and yet louder at the same time “H-Hey, what are you doing?!”

Killua continued to breathe in and out, expecting to hear a whole new set of questions, but instead he was met with an unyielding silence. Whoever was on the other side of the phone was willing to listen without question “We… We met an enemy we couldn’t beat.”

“Yes, I understand…” The voice belonged to Monta “Can you wait there a little bit longer?”

Killua fretted from the response, worried about the boy wounded on the floor “D- Daniel… his wounded! I tried to patch him up, with what I could, but his still bleeding and-”

“We’re headed your way right night… We have reinforcements.”

Killua relaxed for a moment. _Help is on the way… you’ll be fine, Daniel…_ Killua allowed himself to smile, watching the boy breathe in and out slowly. The boy then shifted his attention to Gon, pushing the boy slightly towards Daniel while being careful not to wake them both.

Once the two boys were close, he removed his shirt, throwing it over the both of them. His expression started to falter as he watched both boys sleep. Something about the situation killed him on the inside; perhaps it was the failure to stop Daniel from getting wounded, or having to take Gon far away from Kite instead of letting him help…

He tried so desperately hard to smile, but he just couldn’t. He turned away, looking out to the road, hoping they’ll be here soon. But the sounds of one of the boys waking from his slumber made him turn. Was it Gon or Daniel beginning to stir…?

Shifting his attention back onto his friends, Daniel was the one stirring awake, followed by a long painful yawn “Ahh… ow…”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m…” Daniel paused, his eyes widened at the sight before him. Killua was stark naked from the torso up. He immediately looked down, only to find the real reason why Killua removed his shirt. It was covering him and Gon, the acting off sweet “uh… thanks…”

“Huh for-” Killua froze. _Wait_ … he had forgotten about the boy’s feeling towards him, and the eye candy he’d just given to Daniel “Per- Pervert!”

“FOR covering me… I didn’t mean… _that!_ ” Daniel kept his eyes to the shirt covering his knees. He wanted to so desperately bury his face in the shirt, hoping to erase his mind from what he saw. He’d only caught the boy’s milky white, porcelain skin shoulder.

Nothing more…

Nothing less...

But the act still made him feel more perverted, including the _need_ to see more of Killua’s naked form flooding his mind. A part of him just wanted to grab Killua, hugging him close and even kissing him. Maybe it would be enough to draw his perverted thoughts away, or it could do the complete opposite, and intensifying those thoughts.

Although, something else in his mind and body stirred, the need to comfort his friend; did he miss something the first time he looked around? No… he was sure the need to comfort his friend had alternative purposes “Are you… ok?”

“Huh?!”

“I mean… are you not… well… cold?”

“I guess…” Killua quietly admitted, but was still otherwise loud enough for Daniel to hear. Daniel brought his hand to the shit, pulling it off Gon and himself. He was sure Killua needed it more than they did. Although, he was sure the act of kindness wouldn’t go unnoticed “Here…”

Killua brought his eyes to look at Daniel again, expecting to be met eye to eye. But instead, he saw his friend’s eyes were closed. He didn’t know whether to take the shirt back or not. He had thrown it on them, to keep the sleeping boys warm until help arrived.

Killua ran his fingers over the shirt, almost accidently touching Daniel’s in the process. Maybe he should take it back, or at least throw it back onto Gon. The boy after all, was only wearing a tank top…

Killua grabbed the shirt, scrunching them in-between his fingers. Knuckles whited as thoughts changed between giving the shirt to Gon, and putting it back on.

“Did you put it on…?”

Killua reluctantly gave into the idea of putting it back on, the thought of Daniel’s eyes scanning over his chest being an awkward enough reason to do so. Once he had put the shirt back on, he let out a slight breath of relief “Yeah…”

Daniel opened one eye, allowing himself to peek at Killua just in case. Sure enough, his friend was wearing it. Once he was satisfied, at least to his morals and not his perverted thoughts, he attempted to open dialog with the boy “So… what happens now?”

“Kite’s friends are picking us up… and they are bringing backup.”

“And, that’s it…?”

“What you mean that’s it?”

Daniel shifted against the tree, hoping he wouldn’t disturb the wound “I mean… Gon, what does Gon say?”

“He’s out cold…”

“Alright, what do you think he’ll say…?”

“He’ll want to join again…”

“You think we’ll ever be _that_ ready…?”

Killua opened his mouth to speak, only to ultimately close it once again. He didn’t know… the creature was spewing forth an evil intent. He didn’t know if they’ll ever be strong enough to defeat _that_. At least… not anytime soon “I don’t know…”

Daniel clenched his fists, tight against his knees. He wondered if he would be strong enough to help them fight one day, the thought coming accidently out loud “Will I ever be strong…”

Killua’s eyes widened, looking directly at the boy. Daniel’s eyes were focused on his knees, while ignoring the rest of the world. The boy didn’t think his friend knew he said that out loud, so only he, himself, knew about Daniel’s thoughts aloud. Perhaps one day… sure; as for what kind of strength Daniel sought, he didn’t really know…

He didn’t think being unable to kill was a sign of weakness… it was probably the opposite. No matter how much wrong they did by you, sparing their life was probably a sign of strength, even if they did deserve to die. But he really couldn’t say…

His whole life was spent ending people’s lives…

So he couldn’t say if it was honestly a good or bad thing.

“Killua… can you come closer?”

The boy shifted his attention to the boy in questioning, wondering what Daniel wanted. His friend was still looking down at his knees, making the boy questioned if he was hearing things.

Daniel again repeated the same request, this time looking in the boy’s eyes. He wanted to thank the boy properly, in the only way he knew how to… ever since he was a child “Please…”

Killua moved, sitting next to Daniel. He half expected the boy to say something quietly, even though there was no one else around to hear it. Though, he was surprised by Daniel’s actions to follow suit once he was seated.

Daniel’s arms roped around Killua, pulling himself tight against the boy’s chest. He only said one thing, the reason as to why he was hugging the boy “Thank you, for saving me…”

“Idiot…” Killua quietly whispered back, a smile forming across his lips. He felt his chest beat harder from the hug, unsure how he should react other than returning the hug. Maybe that’s all he needed to do, return the action. Killua returned the affection, avoiding Daniel’s wounds while secretly admitting to himself how much he enjoyed the gesture.

It made him feel warm, appreciated…

Soon he felt his arms tightening on Daniel, embarrassed, but other happy to continue hugging. _Thank you, Daniel…_


	86. NGL X Survival X Enemy

It took a while for Daniel to let go of his friend. They stared in each other’s eyes for a while after letting go; the boy revelled in the comfort of Killua who means so much to him. He truly wished for it to mean to same to his friend, as it does for him… but Killua already had his own feelings to sort out.

What the boy thought was hours flowing by, were mere minutes, minutes which could have been used for something else. Killua offered out a hand, a sincere smile secretly following by “Let’s properly close up that wound…”

Daniel nodded, shifting his body so Killua could look at the wound again. The boy treated every move with precision, removing the shirt in a way to give Daniel the least amount of discomfort.

Killua thread the string through the needle first before doing anything else. The needle needed to be set up before removing the caked-in-blood, makeshift bandages. Once removed, he took a second look at the wound. It wasn’t as bad as he original inspected.

The wounds weren’t as deep, claws digging into the skin maybe no deeper than an inch. Killua took the threading needle on one hand, while drawing fingers close to the tip. The first aid kit surprisingly had no rubbing alcohol, something used in order to disinfect the needle first. For him, that wouldn’t be an issue… but for Daniel, it would be.

Killua allowed electricity to run through his fingertips, shocking the tip of the needle with enough to only ignite the tip. Once that was hot enough, he paused at the edge of Daniel’s skin.

This was going to hurt “Daniel, this is going to hurt…”

“It can’t be-” Killua pieced Daniel’s skin, a scream being emitted before he was able to close a fraction of the boy’s wound “MOTHER OF SHIT FUCKING WHORE!”

Killua blinked once, then twice. Was this the first time Daniel’s ever sworn out of anger? It had to be, especially with that string of nonsensical words. His mind had been disengaged from reality, completely forgetting about what he was in the middle of “Did you…”

Killua didn’t get to finish his sentence, instead receiving an death threat glare from Daniel. It was amusing, and dared to think cute… not in a sweet kind of way, but one that clearly shows, he’s trying way too hard to be evil.

Killua could do better, and so he did. Without giving Daniel time to react, he thread the needle back through the boy’s wound, earning a rather aggressive string of words “You… motherfucker…”

“Man, I can’t wait for the next two-hundred of these…”

“Wait, what?!”

“Oh… this is going to be hell for you. I’m not even five precent into the first section of the wound. Remember, X marks the spot…”

Daniel’s eye twitched in anger, only to be dissolved into absolute fear “How big is the wound…”

“From your…” Killua took a quick look, eyes scanning over his entirety of Daniel’s back “waist to your shoulder… on both sides, hence, X marks the spot.”

“Can you please knock me out… or something?”

“No…”

“WHY?!”

Killua sighed at the request, and reaction soon after. He didn’t know how well the boy would fare in his sleep. It was better Daniel felt, and lived through the pain, so if this were to happen again… it wouldn’t be as disastrous. And it does also help to link the pain of getting hurt, with the pain of having a wound like this being closed “Because it’s better for you… teach you a lesson not to get hurt again.”

“Wonderful…”

Killua stuck the needle back in, surprised not to hear a single word of vulgarity. He did react with a sting of pain, but nothing was said to release the agony verbally “Oh, where’s the swearing? Its fun to hear you-” the boy stopped mid-sentence, fear settling into the pit of his stomach. Had the pain knocked out Daniel without him realising “Oh, shit! Don’t tell-”

“I’m fine! Just, get it over with…”

Killua bit his lip, wondering if he should offer advice or continue without words. This was going to be painful, way more painful than after receiving it for the four-hundredth time. The boy held the needle between one hand while swinging the surprised boy around with the other “Like I said, it’s gonna hurt! So don’t stop swearing… at least…”

Killua felt the threatening of another blush sneaking through his cheeks “At least, I can use that as an indicator of whether you are alive or not…”

“Thanks…” Daniel whisper, facing away from the boy he has feelings for “I just hope, someone can appreciate you…” _For your kind actions…_ “You’re very kind.”

The boy hid his scarlet cheeks away from Daniel, the words meaning surprisingly more to him than he originally intended “B… Baka! Only idiots say that…”

“You’re right… So, continue…”

Killua brought the needle back to Daniel’s back, stoping only inches away from the boy’s skin “Tell me to stop if it gets too painful, okay…”

Once the boy stabbed the needle in, Daniel snuck out a string of words he wasn’t expecting “Illumi’s a slut!”

“Huh…?”

“You said don’t stop swearing…”

Killua broke into laughter from Daniel’s laughter, tears spilling out from the sides. The innocence in Daniel’s last comment was bound to make the next hour less terrifying “You’re right.” It was something he wasn’t expecting, but at least it could lighten the morbid mood “Go on right ahead…”

For the next hour, Killua spent the time laughing at Daniel’s lame string of swear words combinations.

“~”

Daniel was relaxing against the tree, fresh bandages covering the boy’s now stitched wounds. It wasn’t his best plan, but at least Daniel would survive a lot longer than to have the wounds dressed over and over again.

These past few hours made the boy respect Daniel even more, happy to even hear the laughter bellowing out of the boy’s mouth. It least it wasn’t a whole hour spent focusing on the stich going in and out.

But a part of him was dreading to have to meet Daniel’s family; no, his sister, Zaikaria within the next month. She’ll most likely rip him a new scar, one that would rival her brother’s.

Killua perked up, turning his head to the side as he looked out towards the horizon. He noticed a flicker in the distance. It was a truck, coming closer with each passing second. The boy shifted his hand over to Daniel’s side, shaking him lightly “Help has arrived…”

Daniel stirred awake, groaning from the sudden jolt and need to wake “Five more min-” He stopped a moment after seeing Killua’s face. Was his friend sad? If so, for what reason could Killua be sad “What’s…” stopping mid-sentence, a part of him felt as though he knew what was wrong. They’d have to give up their position, taking Gon who wanted to help… away from the area.

Killua turned his attention to the help that had finally arrived. Although, he wasn’t expecting _that_ kind of help to arrive. His eyes widening in disbelief once he saw Chairman Netero get off. _What’s chairman Netero doing here…?_ The help was made of a three-man group, Netero in lead, with two strangers.

The first stranger on the left was wearing a grey shirt tucked into his black pants, a red tie loosened around his neck and a pair of tiny black sunglasses which covered his eyes; the man’s sleeves were rolled up, but what caught the boy’s attention was the large object covered in a cloth swung over his shoulders. It was just as large as him. The clothed object looked as though to be a large club usually used by giants and ogres, but given the hidden nature of the object, it was hard to tell what kind of weapon or tool it was.

On Netero’s left was the third man, dressed in a black suit, light bluish-purple tie and a white shirt. Unlike his friend, he was wearing normal glasses which were triangle shaped and showed the beady black eyes.

The man with black sunglasses twitched his nose, chuckling at the sight before him “What’s this? They’re kids. If you’re here to play, you’ll get burned. Go back home...”

Daniel opened his mouth to argue back, but instead closing it upon second thought. They did get burned… well, specifically him. He was the collateral damage, besides Kite whom suffered in their last fight. He had no say, so all he could do was suck it up, and admit it in defeat.

“Stop it, Morel-San.” The man with the triangle glasses argued calmly, adjusting his glasses before speaking once again “That isn’t nice… They’re only children.”

Morel shot his ally a glare, even if he agreed with the ‘only children’ part.

Killua closed his eyes, ignoring each of the man’s words. He hated being looked down upon, even though they were technically still young, specifically teenagers to be exact.

Netero laughed at his allies bickering for a moment, relishing in the fact that his allies had no clue, whom the teens before them were. Yes, they were young, but even then, they still took up his challenge to grab a ball from him just over a year ago… even when they had no chance of winning.

But something on Killua’s face caught his eye “You look pretty defeated.” Eyes narrowed at the thought; however, he had to make sure the letter he had received wasn’t a waste of his time “Was the enemy that strong?”

Killua grit his teeth at the older man’s words. He acted so calm, pretending as if his childish mannerism towards them years ago was a false ego. He took in a deep breath before speaking; he was the only one out of the three of the boys to make a sound argument “One of them could use _Nen_. That was the worst aura I’ve ever encountered. Worse… than my brother’s… Worse than Hisoka’s…”

Killua looked up, gauging the strength of the three men in front of them “Now that I’ve learned _Nen_ myself, I can tell… You guys are unbelievably strong. But I still can’t see you defeating that thing…”

The man with the suit laughed in a sarcastic manner as he crossed his arms from Killua’s words. He wasn’t taking the seriousness of the situation well “Heh, whenever humans encounter the unknown, they tend to lose perspective. Currently, you’re experiencing a state of panic. We’ll take it from here, so go lie in a bed.”

Daniel bit back his tongue. He so badly wanting to yell back at the stranger, even if he was right in one aspect. Although, without Killua… he would’ve been dead, pushing up daisies for the rest of his non-existent life.

He’d only survived, because Killua ran off with Gon and himself slung over Killua’s back. And if Killua or anyone of them for this matter didn’t survive… they wouldn’t have known till the very last second that one of them could use _Nen_.

Morel laughed at his friend’s quick and demeaning judgement of the boys in front of them “You’re no better than I am, Knov.”

_Knov… huh? I make him pay for the trash talk aimed at Killua!_

Morel didn’t stop there however, he went on to explain the situation calmly for the boys in front of him to understand “Kid… or kids, I should say since I’m addressing the two of you right now. The minute you start talking about who can win in a _Nen_ fight, you’re wrong. In most cases, you won’t know your opponent’s abilities. One instant of carelessness is all it takes to turn the tables and cost a life. You can’t make assumptions based on the amount of aura displayed…”

Daniel’s eyes widened further as the man ends his argument “The battle can turn at any point. That’s…” Moral’s features widen into a huge smirk “what fighting with _Nen_ means.”

“You mean-”

Moral stopped Daniel from speaking further, his smirk softening only slightly “But regardless, you must always fight certain of victory. That is a _Nen_ user’s spirit. The moment you were overwhelmed by the opponent’s aura and fled, you were disqualified. You’re lower than a lose-”

“No!”

“Oh…?”

Daniel couldn’t hold back any longer, he needed to say it out loud, for the group to hear.  
He’d be dead without Killua…   
Gon would have died for a lost cause without Killua…   
Their life journey, goals… dreams would’ve ended without Killua!

“You’re wrong!” Killua’s eyes widened, but he made no move to show his face. He just listened, not even moving in the slightest as he waited to hear the worst of what Daniel could possibly say “Without Killua… I would’ve died… Gon would’ve have rushed in, mercilessly butchered within seconds. We weren’t ready for _that_ … BUT! There’s no harm running away to become stronger…”

“Oh?” Knov adjusted his glasses, glancing down on the boy whom was arguing back “And they won’t? What’s stopping them from becoming stronger?”

“I…”

“Knov, that’s fine…”

“I, was far more tamer than you…”

Netero decided to step into the conversation, breaking up the argument from proceeding further. The fact that Gon hadn’t said anything yet was amazing. He would step in, uncaring of how the world saw him after his _legendary_ speeches “Is Gon asleep?”

Killua finally looked up, slightly embarrassed for Daniel stepping in with his failed argument. He couldn’t help but address the older man as he stared at Gon sleeping “He was going to attack the enemy, so I used force to stop him.”

“A little too much…” Daniel quietly whispered, ignored by everyone watching Killua intently.

“I didn’t have time to control my strength, so I don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

Morel broke out into loud obnoxious laughter. He didn’t care how his allies saw him, it was just the ending to the story was funny to him. The only one who was willing to fight back, was the one who was knocked out by the scaredy cat of the group “That kid shows some promise, then.”

Knov was getting tired with his partner’s taunts towards two young teens “Morel!”

Once Knov silenced Morel, Netero decide to be the mature one of the group “It’s difficult to believe that giant Chimera Ants are eating humans, but since it appears to be true, we must keep casualties to a minimum. If we send fighters who aren’t strong enough, they’ll only strengthen the enemy. Do you understand?”

“Yeah…”

Daniel understood the man, but he didn’t know if in the future, he would be strong enough later to defeat the enemy. For now, all he could do was agree with the older man.

Killua helped Daniel up, carrying him to the back of the truck before returning to pick up Gon. What surprised the boy was that Netero was still standing there, waiting for his return.

Netero handed the boy three tokens, each broken into two separate pieces “We sent three assassins to the nearest village. It’s your decision whether you want to fight. But you must defeat them before you come. If you wish to live as a Hunter…”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly before finishing his statement “We are not desperate for help. We only seek the strong.”

“~”

The trip felt longer, way more excruciating than it need to be. Killua’s eyes focused on the tokens given to him by Netero. He listen to the words being played over, and over again in his mind. A mantra, symphony dedicated to the endless barrage of internal self-doubt.

He really wondered if in the future, he could help Gon, Daniel, Netero, all Hunters defeat the Chimera Ants.

Daniel eventually broke the silence, prodding the boy for a conversation other than endless silence “Killua… What’s on your mind?”

“Stuff…”

“What kind of stuff?”

“I was thinking about what Netero said before we left…”

Daniel felt himself treading into a minefield, but anything beats the brooding sensation he was feeling in the moment “Please, go on…”

“I know why there’s only three. A select few… We’re not strong enough.” Drawing his hand up, Killua looked at the tokens given to him by Netero. They were plain, broken into halves. On the broken half given to them, different codes were written down, while the second piece most likely connected to theirs, locking them perfectly together.

One mentioned ‘Strength’, the second mentioned ‘Wit’ and the third said ‘Secret’; he wondered who held the other piece, the enemy they had to defeat and steal their token.

**We only seek the strong…**

Killua’s grip tightened, tempted to crush the tokens beneath his grip. If Gon didn’t know about the request… they wouldn’t have to fight. He didn’t know what overcame him next, but he felt his grip loosen, letting the tokens roll back into his palm.

A part of him felt as though he would be betraying Gon if he had crushed them. He’ll let Gon decided their next step. Until then, he’ll have to protect both of his friends.

“Daniel… Gon…” I’ll protect you, no matter what.

Daniel closed his eyes at Killua’s words, finding himself blush at the boy’s words. He didn’t think it was possible until now, that he’d have to be dependent on Killua. He’d thought he’ll be the one to protect Killua until the very end…

Not now, but he’ll have to wait until for the future to unfold, and hope that in the end… he’ll be given the chance to protect Killua.

“~”

Killua’s empty gaze stared at board, the boys’ names written down in chalk as if a child had done so. It held no grace, just a warning for the group to know about the deal being made with Netero.

**To Killua, Gon & Daniel**

**Will you fight!? Or not?!**

Killua mindlessly walked the streets; Gon slung over one arm while Daniel was using him as a brace. No names were given, just the deal. Whoever wrote the bargain, they had also forgotten to sign off their own name. It was a bunch of random, nameless ‘assassins’ at this point.

Even if Gon agreed, they’ll probably be spending the whole month trying to find the person the writing belongs to.

“~”

The boys settled down, no words being said when Daniel left to grab them some drinks while Killua stayed behind in their hotel room. It didn’t dawn on Killua till half an hour later that Daniel was still hurt.

The boy had limped out of the room, Killua absently forgetting about the wounds his friend carried. If Gon hasn’t waken in the next half an hour, he’ll leave a note for the boy, telling him not leave as he carefully lies, lying about himself going out with Daniel…

If Gon does wake however, he’ll have a lot of explaining to do.

Killua continuously played Morel’s words over and over again in his mind, sinking further into a depressive state of mind. He didn’t deserve any of this; especially after having struck Gon down. He did it to protect the boy, not regret his decision in order to protect his friend…

Having been told that his friend, who was willing to die on the spot in order to fail at saving Kite was considered having **showed promise** , whereas he was the one that was **lower than a loser**.

Killua didn’t hear his name being called, too focused on what was being repeated in his head. It wasn’t until he felt a hand being press against his shoulder, did he finally react; Gon was calling his name, voice laced with concern “Killua…?”

The boy almost jumped out of his skin from his name being called. He didn’t expect Gon to be up this soon, especially after how hard he hit his friend “Gon…?”

“Thanks…”

Killua blinked in surprised, confused at the sudden ‘thank you’. Was he being thanked for being knocked out…? No, that line of reasoning was wrong…

Gon had thanked him for saving him, from pulling him for the very danger that threatened his life. Killua’s eyes grew dark, shaking as he looked down at the floor. He could understand why Daniel thanked him… the boy was being saved from dying…

But for Gon, he had stopped Gon from saving Kite’s life, regardless of whether he could pull it off or not. Kite died, from their lack of experience… their inability to stand the ground and fight alongside him. Killua knocked Gon out, and removed him from the battle without attempting to help. Morel was right to judge him for his line of thinking. He was scared, and that fear made him run with his tail between his legs “Why would you thank me?”

Gon blinked, unsure of the reasoning for Killua’s distant sour mood. What happened while he was sleeping? If Killua didn’t tell him, he was sure Daniel would open up about what had transpired, as long as he was awake during the time “Weren’t you the one who stopped me?”

Actually, now that Gon looked around the room, Daniel was nowhere near in sight. Maybe he hadn’t suffered as much as he originally though. Or was Daniel dead, and this was Killua’s way of coping the loss of his friend, self-hatred and loathing.

Gon had to help Killua bounce back from his mood, because asking to see whether Daniel was alive or not might make Killua sink further into sadness. He’d have to ask about the issue later.

The boy shifted his position, crossing his legs as he sat on the bed, while trying to get as close to Killua as could without disturbing the boy “Had I lost control back there, I would’ve gotten in Kite’s way. Then, all four of us could have died.”

“But I…” Killua bit his tongue, afraid to voice the possibility. Kite may very well be dead, lost from this would “I let Kite die…”

Gon started to smile, not to Killua’s concerns, but the fact Killua hadn’t said anything about Daniel. Daniel was alive, and the boy knew, without a doubt… Kite was still alive, waiting until help arrived. There was no way that Chimera Ant Cat had defeated Kite. He was a Pro Hunter, one that was trained by his father, Ging “Kite is alive!”

Killua reacted to the boy’s words, lifting his head with surprise radiating across his features. Gon wasn’t angry with him for stopping him from helping Kite… from attempting to help Kite.

“He wouldn’t ever let that thing beat him! But considering his injury, he’d have a hard time moving around. So he’s probably hiding. Waiting for us to return!”

Killua’s eyes gazed towards Gon, seeing an endless bright smile. It was as if Gon was the very sun, burning away all his fears. Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t the end of Gon’s rant.

“So we should hurry back… Once we’re stronger. To save Kite!”

Gon’s lips kept moving, saying words that Killua instinctually shut out. If he could focus, maybe he could read the boy’s lips. But no matter how much he focused, his thoughts were escaping elsewhere. They were thinking one thing, on only one thing. Gon was a bright sun.

 _Gon… You are light. Sometimes, you shine so brightly, I must look away. But even so, is it still okay if I stay at your side?_ Gon was the sunshine in the morning, the reason one would be tempted to wake up. And for lack of reasoning, it slipped his tongue, vocally being said by accident, and an embarrassing one at that “You're like the bright sun in the morning.”

Killua’s cheeks started to blush, tinting red, and even spreading out to the ears from accidently saying the thought out loud. He hadn’t realised he said it until Gon was tilting his head in confusion “What…?”

“I- I mean, you’re right!”

“No- No, did Daniel tell you that? He said something similar. You're like a sun in the morning, peeking through the drapes as you yell repeatedly _WAKE UP_!”

Killua lacked the brain to process the boy’s words, only focusing on what he had just said. He had just told Gon, **he was like the sun** , regardless of time! How could he say something so embarrassing?!

Gon found Killua’s lack of reaction frustrating, opting to take out his frustrations by shaking the boy in front of him. He took the boy by both shoulders, shaking him as if he were a pair of maracas “Killua? What do you mean?! Killua!”

From outside the door, Daniel’s hands were shaking. He struggled to hold onto the fresh bottles of water he just brought, after hearing what Killua had just stated so casually. Even with Gon’s lack of understanding at the moment, and Killua’s dead silence soon after… he knew a fraction of his internal struggle was laid bare for everyone, within ear shot to hear.

Even if it was being said without thought, Killua had just announced that his feelings have remained the same, struggling to choose between both boys. Gon had ignored the subtleness in Killua’s words, repeatedly asking between where Daniel was, and what Killua meant by the words?

The boy felt Killua’s words rip through him like a razor dagger, hurting beyond relief. But even then, a part of him remained hopeful. If Killua remained like this struggling between _who_ he like more… maybe… just maybe he still had a chance.

Even if those needs were selfish, he wanted to cling to whatever hopes remained to the very end. Struggling to swallow, Daniel swung the door open, hoping his eyes weren’t puffy in the slightest “Gon, I’m right here… I can hear you from down the ha-!”

“Daniel!” Gon leapt up into the air, bounded to pull Daniel into a hug as soon as he landed.

The mix of terror was priceless for Killua to witness. He only caught a glimpse of Daniel’s mixed terror before being pulled into a bear hug by his friend.

Daniel struggled against Gon’s grip, slapping Gon constantly across the back in an effort to get the boy to let go. If Gon pulled him in any tighter, he felt as if all his bones would be crushed at the exact same time, and the stiches would open, blood gushing out like a water fountain which had just burst.

“Gon! PLEASE! STOP!”

Gon ignored Daniel’s pleas, too excited to see his friend to think otherwise. Killua stepped in, endless bounded laughter following suit when he plucked Gon from Daniel’s air tight grip.

It took two words from Killua to make Gon rationalise his thoughts “He’s hurt…”

It didn’t cross the boy’s mind until he saw Daniel taking lungs full of air after just having being released. Gon felt like a puppy being caught red-handed. He endlessly apologized, showing off these big, bright, smiling eyes to his friends.

To him, all he wanted to do was hold his dear friend, and was happy to see him alive. He didn’t factor in the ‘well’ part when it came to being alive “I’m so sorry, Daniel… I’m just happy to see you alive.”

Killua cracked a smile after the last apology, this one seeming more sincere than the last four-hundred before it. While he too was happy to see Daniel made it back in one piece, he caught glimpse of Daniel’s puffy red eyes.

It might have had been because Gon was bear-hugging him earlier, crushing his bones beneath his tight grip. Or something may have happened to him earlier. He highly doubted Daniel was waiting out the room for long, given his wounds. But, on the slight off chance Daniel was indeed out there, unable to knock… he might have heard what he accidently said to Gon.

If he did hear that, he was going to experience something on par with hell once Daniel was involved. Or maybe he understood the circumstances, and realised the position Killua was in.

Killua reached his hand out to Daniel and Gon, dragging them both out of the room. As much as he wanted to ask, stretching out the agony of having expressed his feelings aloud by accident… He need to do something in order to change the mood. They must first take on the supposed _assassins_ “Let’s go… To become stronger!”

Dragging the two out of their room… Killua ran to give their answer to the enemies. Whatever out there awaits them now, they’ll need the information and skills in order to take out the enemies.

But first things first… they needed a change of clothes.

“~”

Killua juggled the tokens in one hand, whistling as he thought about the next plan of attack. They’d need to rent out a room under new alias, hiding their whereabouts while actively seeking out the enemies.

He knew, given by the amount of tokens, there were three ‘assassins’. Who they were, they’d yet to find out.

Gon watched as his friend constantly catching and throwing the tokens in one hand. Killua had yet to mention anything about the tokens, or where they were walking to. All he knew was there were enemies, and they needed to be taken out “What are those?”

“Tokens… You take a piece of marked wood and split it, giving each half to a different person. They work as proof that you’re an ally or to authenticate a document. In this case,” Killua threw them up in the air again, this time snapping his wrist like a whip. He caught them mid-flight, before they could even begin to descend “Each of the three assassins hold one matching token. We defeat them and take the tokens.”

Gon finally knew where they were headed when they reached the large building where they first signed off.

Killua had led his friends back to the board, checking to see if there was an update. What surprised them was the message being wiped off, the smudge chalk being the only indicator that there was once a message.

The boy’s features dropped at the lack of message “It’s been erased. Someone has already checked the board...”

A part of Killua was hoping the enemy would leave a piece of information behind, saying who they were. But alas, that much wasn’t even given. The enemy knew who they were… but had no clue as to who the enemy was. Maybe they were lucky, and Netero’s sense of humour failed to show what they look like to the enemy. If that was the case, they could listen out for people mentioning their name.

The three boys suddenly felt like eyes were on them, staring holes into the back of their head. The voice that followed was cold, calculating… one would dare say even nightmare inducing “You must be Killua, Daniel and Gon.”

All three turned around, prepared for the attacker. However, none of them were prepared for what awaited them. It was a lone woman, long, jet black frizzy hair hiding her face and body.

She belonged in a horror flick, specifically **the grudge** or **the ring**. Dark brooding aura surrounded her, spreading out to unsuspecting victims. She was pale, thin and was wearing only a long pink dress with some basic sandals. What caught the boy’s attention were the bandages wrapped around her wrists.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Palm. It’s a pleasure…” Her mannerisms were catching the attention of unsuspected passer-by, ones who were curious to find out more about the strange person, while being afraid of the answer at the same time.

Daniel’s eyes scanned the rest of the area, attempting to find the other two assassins still in hiding. If anybody was going to be an assassin, she’d fit the bill wonderfully.

Palm caught onto the boy’s gaze, well aware of the concern “No need to worry, or be so tense. It’s just me… I imagine the Chairman probably didn’t provide many details.”

“First!” Daniel held an accusing finger out towards the enemy “the 80s called, they want their horror tropes back!”

“Don’t taunt… that!” Killua retorted back, partially scared of the _creature_ before them. Who knew how she’ll act when being taunted at. For all they know, she’ll be able to rip their heads off with one look “Allow me to explain.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped; surprised she was able to remain so calm. For all they know, she’ll lead them to their demise. When the woman’s back was turned, she continued, unaware of the onlookers staring right at her “Why don’t we have some tea?”

Daniel brought his hand up to his mouth, closing it as he looked towards his friends. He wondered what they’ll do, and whether or not they’ll follow her. A look of concern was shared between them, but unfortunately, she was the only one so far to disclose any kind of information.

As much as they hated the idea, they followed after her, lagging far behind just in case she decided to attack them.

“~”

Palm had led them to a small café, calm, relaxing and way more pleasant to look at when compared to herself. She still had that terrifying aura leaking out, causing others to avoid their table, or any near them at all costs.

One waitress dared to serve them, faking a smile the whole time as she took their order. When she left, only Palm had ordered a strong black coffee; now that they were alone, Palm spoke more of the supposed ‘deal’ while giving more details on her backstory, and why she was involved “I am a student of Knov-Sensei. He said I would only get in his way-”

The waitress returned the same fake smile as she placed the coffee in front of Palm, as well as a pot for refills later. Once being ‘thanked’ by Palm, she left in a hurry, not wanting to stay any longer than she’d have to.

Palm picked up the spoon being supplied and begun to do the strangest of things; she added sugar to the coffee, not stopping the repeated process while she spoke “He said I would only get in his way… But I insisted on accompanying him.”

Daniel openly stared at the woman continuously adding more sugar to her drink. He wondered when she was going to stop adding spoonfuls of sugar and just grab the container and just pour it in. She might as well, considering she just added a fifth spoon, and shows no signs of stopping.

“Who’s that?” Gon asked, trying to act unconcerned about the woman’s extremely sweet coffee.

“She probably means one of the guys with Chairman Netero…”

Daniel drew his attention away from the woman towards Killua whom already forgotten “The one with glasses, not sunglasses… glasses.”

“Yes,” Palm agreed, after adding her seven spoon, already moving on to her eighth “and also wearing a black suit…”

The sugar covered the coffee, turning black with the now peaking mountain of white sugar already escaping the top of the coffee. She really had no plans of stopping when she reached for another spoonful “My teacher is an incredible person.”

_The only thing incredible is that sweet tooth of yours… I think you’ve surpassed Killua’s chocolate appetite with that mountain of sugar._

“Cool, intelligent, composed… Ah, composed and cool mean the same thing! Oh, but I only respect him, that’s all. There’s nothing romantic about my feelings…”

The boys’ eyes drew to the coffee, now terrified of the woman. She still hadn’t stopped after the fifteenth spoonful. They were more concerned about her health than the story now “At least, I may wish that were the case. After all…”

Palm stopped the spoon, letting it hover over the cup. Was this her last, or was she actually going to continue “When it comes to falling in love, respect is a major factor.”

The sugar was dropped into the cup, making that the final spoon; she stopped after the twentieth, stirring the sugar in like it wasn’t weird at all.

Palm began to blush from the thought of love “Ah, my teacher knows nothing about this, of course. I haven’t said a word to him, and I don’t intend to.” She raised the cup after stirring to her lips, gulping the ‘sugar coffee’ down as the boys shook in terror.

Daniel tried to ignore the slurping noise, instead focusing on an earlier part of her conversation. **When it comes to falling in love, respect is a major factor.** Daniel believed that part of the conversation, the words meant more to him than he was letting on. He respected Killua’s feelings for Gon, but at the same time, he didn’t wish they existed.

A part of him was jealous of Gon, but at the same time, he was also worried about Killua. He knew Gon had feelings for Sakura, but he didn’t know if those same feelings extended towards Killua and himself. Gon kept that part a secret, and maybe if Gon did have feelings for either, or both of them… maybe he respected Daniel’s feelings enough to not say a thing.

As Daniel thought to himself, Killua was left staring at the now empty mug. He may have had a sweet tooth for chocolate, but he’d never go as far to consume twenty spoonfuls of dark chocolate in his coffee, then again… at least that would have been more normal than what Palm just drank.

Palm smiled a little, coffee leaking out from the sides. It was terrifying to watch, especially when she began filling the empty cup once more. Hopefully, this time she won’t add sugar.

Unfortunately for the boys, Palm began the vicious cycle of adding sugar once more “No one can say what will happen… After all, love is a spontaneous thing, don’t you agree?”

“You can say that again…” Daniel casually agreed without as much thought. He didn’t think he’d get three different reactions from that response. But judging by Killua’s fake smile and Gon’s sincere one, he knew he was bound to get in an argument later if he continued.

However, the blush Palm gave made him more confused of his own response. She was the one making the statement, so she shouldn’t be giving any reaction other than a smile, and nod.

The table was silent, Palm returning to add more sugar. Since Daniel was the one to make the table silent, it was only fitting he actually dug himself out of the mess “In any case, you were talking about Netero, so I would assume you are one of the three assassins…” _Although, I should be arguing your looks and dishevelled hair makes you more of an assassin that your argument of knowing Netero…_

“Huh?” Palm stopped mid spoonful, her cheeks tinting redder by the second. She had gone off a tangent, forgetting why she even approached the boys in the first place “Oh, dear… Yes, sorry… I apologize. The chairman and my teacher said I couldn’t accompany them any farther.”

“And that has to-” Daniel opened up, expecting her to finish her statement, but she instead began to ramble further on the topic of ‘pointless’ montages “But I insisted on going with them. It feels like I spent a lifetime just trying to convince them of my determination. And finally, they relented, with one condition…”

The boys stared blankly at her, while listening to the cackling of witch of sorts coming from Palm. It didn’t sound like they were going to get any actual information if she continued down this train of thought, arguing only on the ideas of what didn’t concern them in this moment time.

Killua opened his mouth, hoping to anchor Palm to reality “We are asking about-”

However, Palm was far too gone. She kept rambling on and on, ignoring the boys’ looks of dismay when she failed to answer their actual question “My teacher may appear a cold person, but he’s actually quite gentle. But you have to spend a lot of time with him to realize that. Ah, by **spending time with him** , I don’t mean-”

“Please!” Daniel interrupted her before she could continue “Move away from that topic… I’ve already had this discussion. And I’m not about to have another one from someone I’ve just met…”

Killua awkwardly agreed, embarrassed after Daniel’s sudden outburst. He didn’t need to know the gory details of _sex_ , considering his already watched porn several times already “Agreed… Can we, just… get back to the conditions. What do we need to do?”

“Knuckle and Shoot’s defeat...”

“Knuckle and Shoot’s…” Daniel paused, wondering if it’s involving a game, or actual people with those names “Is this a game…? Or are there actual poor guys, or girls out there that have those names?”

The glare Palm gave Daniel made him reconsider the situation. It most definitely wasn’t a game “So, we have to find and take down Knuckle and Shoot, correct?”

“Oh, not just defeat…” Palm’s aura intensified, swallowing their side of the room in seething hatred “Kill… TO THINK those _vulgar_ , barbaric unmannered brats will be allowed inside NGL before me…”

Her aura surrounded the cup, forcing extra coffee to brew from the mug. Daniel didn’t think it was possible, for Enhancers to affect liquids other than water. With that idea planted in his head, if Gon and Killua were to team up, they could make an endless supply of Hot Chocolate flavoured water… but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about cheat codes on how to make Chocolate water.

Daniel reached for a serviette, wiping away some of the mess “STOP!”

Gon attempted to help stop the overflow of coffee from Palm’s raging aura as he pleaded for the woman to stop “Palm-San, turn off your _Hatsu_!”

I took a few minutes, but eventually she stopped, a few seconds before the boys had the coffee pants for the remainder of the day. Even with the near accident, it did help them discover what kind of _Nen_ user Palm was, but not her ability.

She was an Enhancer, able to strengthen her body, even though it countered her actual appearance. Then again… they never met an Enhancer other than Gon and Wing, so a frail Enhancer is something new to them.

Killua waited until the storm ended, when Palm was drinking her sugar overdose coffee “So, whose Knuckle and Shoot? Not our code name… hopefully…”

“No…” Palm moved a fraction of her hair out of her face, making no difference whatsoever “That’s right. After all, I’m not the one who’s supposed to defeat Knuckle and Shoot. You three are…”

Palm held an accusing finger to the boys, which made Daniel more curious on the matter. So far, Palm has mentioned only two ‘assassins’. If she’s not the third one, who is? “Palm, you’ve only mentioned two assassins… whose the third? Not you, considering you’re helping us, by telling us who our enemies are…”

The woman held a finger to her temple, trying to recall the third. It was a blank slate, nothing coming to mind. No names or appearance, come to mind when it came to the third, nor their gender, or where they even come from. But one thing was for certain, she felt as though there was a third “I don’t know…”

“Do you know their name at least?”

Palm shook her head at the question, before blankly staring at the table.

“Whose student are do they belong to?”

Palm bit her tongue at the question, the same blank slate returning to her mind “I don’t know…”

Daniel slunk down into his seat as he clicking his tongue in annoyance. They had no clue who the third assassin was, which meant getting the third token, was going to be a hassle. Without all three tokens, one of them was going to be left behind…

“Knuckle and Shoot are Morel-San’s students. They, including the third too, received a condition. I don’t know what that condition was… But whether it’s us or them, only one group will be allowed into NGL. The deadline is one month.”

“Then there’s only one thing we can do…” Killua frowned at the thought. He constantly tapped the table in front of him, objecting to the thought of striking first without a plan “We find them, one-by-one… and take them out.”


	87. NGL X Tag-Team X Endless Pain

The tavern was filled with smoke, some patrons smoking away as others drank their fill of booze. Two men and a single woman sat at their table, eyes gazing between each other.

The female kept her eyes on both men as she adjusted her hair, curling it every so often back into place. From what she knew, both members were students of Morel, a man she hadn’t met before. She didn’t have a clue who he was, and neither did she care at the moment. All that mattered right now was getting to know her ‘supposed’ allies.

She crossed one leg over the other, expecting the first or second man to go first.

“Since we were told to keep these tokens for a month, that means someone will come for them.”  The man with long hair started. He held out his hand containing the token, letting aura swallow it whole.

The woman watched it get absorbed into his hand with wide eyes, somewhat impressed with the ability as she took in the man’s features. The man was rather tall, thin and pale skinned, and for some reason or another, he also had no eyebrows.

He had his long, purplish-brown pony tail pushed to the left side of his head, and wore a long, purple robe with a large flowing sleeve on his left side, and a large piece of his right collar extended far past his face.

Apart from those direct features, she also noticed that not once had the man ever used his left hand, it always remained hidden under the long flowing sleeve. Maybe it had something to do with his ability, and how it worked.

The pony tailed man looked up at his old friend, features schooled to show no emotions “What do we do, Knuckle?”

“That’s easy…” Knuckle smiled widely, looking more sinister against his calm friend.

Knuckle’s black hair was styled into a pompadour, and wore a white overcoat, that has multiple golden rings holding it together, baggy white pants and black dress shoes.

It looked plain in comparison to his friend’s exotic style clothing.

“He who strikes first, wins!” The man’s words were met with laughter from the third member, one he had no clue who she was. But unfortunately for him, he was forced to work with her for just this mission.

Apparently her skill was considered an ‘asset’ to the team, able to change something or another. He didn’t care much about her, only about his friend who he has worked alongside with since forever “HUH, what’s so funny?! We find ’em… And kill ‘em!”

The woman was silenced immediately, he eyes growing colder the longer she stared at Knuckle “You touch him… you die!”

“Huh?!”

The woman had no clue why she agreed to this deal; working beside a group that were complete polar opposites. There was no point to this team up, besides being given the chance of stopping her little brother from stepping into a fight, she knew he couldn’t win “You touch my brother… and I’ll kill you. I had no qualms with the other two. Do what you want with them. But leave…”

Fiery red hair fluttered in aura, as green eyes stare back into black ones “Daniel Darkscryer out of this… his mine!”

“Hmph, I could deal with all three of them on my own… and I see no reason for why you should be here Zaikaria. For all we know, you might help them!”

“I don’t… which is why I’m not going to bother helping you. We just have to keep these tokens for a month. Knowing my brother, he’ll want his friends to go without him if they win. WHICH, is why I plan to remain hidden… or at least keep the token out of his reach. I win, and he loses… it’s a win-win for me.”

Knuckle frowned, barely hiding his features from Zaikaria “Well you do what you want to do. But if at any point he attacks me, I’m gonna sock him in the face.”

“And if you touch him… you’ll die!”

Lightning shot between the two, a silent heated battle being waged as the third was left to watch “Lis- Listen… we should be working together.”

“No way, Shoot! I’m not going to work with this woman! I’ll take all three-“ Zaikaria kicked Knuckle in the knee, making sure to have a connection before using her ability.

“OW- TWO-”

“Two… out… myself?!” Knuckle stared blankly in front of himself, wondering why he said two instead of three just now “wait, what? What did you do to me?”

Zaikaria grinned at the man, hand held up “I simply, used my ability on you. I can’t have you attacking my little brother…”

Knuckled growled at the woman before getting up “This is why I don’t trust you. I don’t know who dragged you into this, but I’ll do things my way, and you do it your way! We’ll see who beats who at the end of the month!”

“We’ll see…” The woman growled back before getting up to leave “My brother isn’t going to win… not without my say so!”

“~”

Daniel followed Killua in stride, route unknown to either of them. Killua had to unfortunately lie in the situation, withholding the truth, and the reasoning as to why his friend needed to be left behind. His reaction if they do stumble across the enemy could’ve been disastrous…

Some way or another, they had to find all three enemies. The problem was where, and when. From a couple of rumours being spread, there was a crazy person ranting throughout town, giving a message to specific people, without as so much naming them…

Given that there were no other leads, this was as good as they were going to get. Daniel had hardly talked to Killua, engrossed back on the off-topic with Palm. She was talking about _love_ for a man, that went unnoticed, or at least by the sounds of things it was going unnoticed.

From what he could tell, she deeply cared about Knov, but he, not so much for her. Daniel so badly wanted to bring up the topic again to his friend, but judging by Killua’s facial expressions, that would have been an unwarranted topic for the moment.

The closer they got to the target, the louder the person sounded. He was screaming, ranting the same message over and over again in the megaphone. It was amazing how the man’s voice didn’t get raspy over time. But then again, who knows how long ago he started the screaming session.

“My name is Knuckle Bine! I am a Beast Hunter! I challenge the two-THREE punitive force candidates to a duel! Come tonight at midnight sharp, and face me! I won’t try to run or hide. I won’t bring any weapons or allies. It’ll just be me and me alone. So come and fight me! A man never turns his back on an enemy. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth… You won’t get away!”

The moment Knuckle mentioned ‘get away’ the three of them crossed paths, only Killua and Daniel had gathered a form of information. The man was none the wiser, having just walked past his enemies.

Knuckle repeated the message again right after, never once mentioning the location of where they need to go. He had made the same mistake with how many enemies he wanted to fight, as if he was fighting the idea of having to fight three people on his own. Or maybe it was for some alter motive…

Regardless of the situation, they only had one clue, which was what the man looked like and what he was wearing. He might change attire before the fight, so attire could be less helpful later.

He had a huge banner attached to the back of his shirt; the sign saying **Bring it on**. He looked nothing remotely like an assassin, more like he belonged in a thug gang of sorts. Although, not many people had their hair styled into a pompadour. At least that was an easy feature to remember for later.

Killua’s features remained blank, staring off into the sky as they got further and further away from the enemy. It was only when they were out of ear shot, was when Killua said anything “Well… that was weird.”

“Huh…?”

“You know, the guy screaming… telling us to meet him in a spot he failed to mention.”

“Oh, yeah…”

Killua turned to face his friend, expression still unable to be read “Were you even listing?”

“Knuckle Bine… Thuggish clothing… Pompadour… Yelling at us to meet us at an undisclosed location… I was listening…”

“Hmm…” Killua turned to face the road ahead, hand being raised to point at one of the many side streets “We’ll head back through there. By the way…” Killua started as the boys waited at the lights; they needed to look the least suspicious in order to not draw any unnecessary attention. It was only once the lights turned green did Killua relayed his thoughts as they were crossing “If he did mention where to go, I still wouldn’t have trusted him.”

“Right… you think he was lying, about the whole ‘alone’ thing?”

“There’s three of them together, so… so the oth-” The boy stopped mid-sentence. Daniel was beginning to worry, desiring an answer from his friend, which was only met with a ‘shush’.

Killua was like a cat, hairs raised as his eyes scanned the area. Someone was nearby, watching them intently. They couldn’t go back to Gon, not while eyes were digging into him. Killua barely whispered the concern “We’re being followed…”

“By who…”

“They’re great, but not perfect... I can feel their presence, but not their location. This is a trap. We’ll make a break for the street, and avoid all side streets and alleys from now on. When I make a break for it… run.”

“~”

Zaikaria watched from above, green eyes digging into the white haired boy. She didn’t expect to run into them so soon, especially with numbskull, blind and obvious Knuckle, walking straight past them. She would’ve alerted him, but something about Daniel’s movements disturb her.

He was acting strange, on edge; as if something was weighing him down, without him realising it. She needed to get close, to read his thoughts. But With Killua reacting like a cat that had its tail just stepped on, it would be impossible.

She’d have to hit Daniel from afar with her ability, transferring her mark without either of the boys realising it. She’s never done it like this, but there’s a first time for everything.

Zaikaria picked up a rock, flooding it with enough aura to not disturb any of the boys. Once she’d finished, that’s when her brother and Killua ran “Shit!” The woman cursed under her breath, aiming the rock with as much precision as she could.

Reeling her aim back, the woman released the rock before ducking. _Please work…_

“~”

Daniel felt a pebble hit him across the shoulder, barely nicking him “Ow…”

“What happen?!”

“A kid threw a pebble, or something at me. Good thing it missed.”

“Your back… Are you ok?”

“Yeah, nothing too painful… I’ll be fine.”

“Once we reach the street, we’ll lose them in the crowd.”

“~”

Unaware to the situate change, the boys continued with their plan, even with an onlooker watching them from afar. Though to her dismay, the ability didn’t work to its full extent. Whether it was from the range, or lack of proper transfer, she could only read Daniel’s _current_ thoughts as if she’d just tapped a phone.

But any edge was a benefit to her cause. She’d just have to wait, hoping the boys would give a clue eventually to their whereabouts. For now, or she could do was follow them with _Zetsu_ … it’s the best she could do for the moment.

“~”

The boys made it back to Gon after making several detours, with the intent to lose their follower, if they even had one to begin with. The moment Daniel was hit with a pebble, something about the situation seemed off.

It didn’t feel as though they were being followed. Maybe Killua had gotten paranoid over nothing… Given the situation, Daniel being hit by a pebble was probably the cause of some kids pranking them. But only a part of him believed that thought. They weren’t out of the woods yet, considering the person couldn’t be sensed to their location… so he wasn’t about to rule the danger out entirely.

He’d have to make sure they were more careful.

Gon watched everyone of Killua’s moves in silence. The boy was on edge more so than usual ever since he got back. Given Killua’s reluctance, there was only one way to draw the information out “What happened?”

“Just some kids pranking us…”

Gon puffed up his cheeks “What did you find out?”

“About the rumour? It’s just a decoy… His partners are probably hiding somewhere, watching. I thought we may have been spotted-”

“Spotted?!”

“-but that might have not been the case...”

Daniel brought up his hand to his chin, thinking about seeing anyone that was watching them with suspicion. No one came to mind, everyone seeming as normal as they could be. _I wonder if we were being watched…_

“Whether we were being watched or not at the time, there was definitely someone there to see if anyone reacts suspiciously. According to Palm, they don’t even know our names.”

“Yeah…”

 _Palm…_ Daniel thought about the older woman for a second, remembering her words about the conversation about who was to come. One question did come to mind about the situation though… how did she know who they were, but Knuckle and Shoot don’t know about them. Something strange was going on about Palm “Actually, now we think about it…”

The more the boy thought about it, the more stupid the idea sounds. She was waiting next to the board where they had signed off their name… expecting them to show up. She was obviously a lot smarter than Knuckle. Shoot had yet to be revealed, so he may be the one skulking in the shadows to find them “We know who Knuckle is. But not Shoot… However, don’t expect us to tell you where Knuckle will be waiting, because he decided to never tell us…”

“Exactly!” Killua butted in, a smile forming along his innocent face “That would leave their current goal… to smoke us out. No one’s stupid enough to do all that for real.”

Gon had been taking a long sip of his drink, only stopping once Killua and Daniel did. They hadn’t said anything about Knuckle, his strengths… weakness… Nothing, but the man’s looks and physique…

“Did he look strong?”

“He’s pretty strong…”

“What will it take to defeat him?”

“I have no idea!”

Daniel takes a sip of his water before joining in the conversation “He’s probably a muscle head. And I don’t mean that as an insult. I think he might be an Enhancer, or something of equal playing field. He didn’t carry himself as someone who would…” Daniel paused, thinking of a way to not sound harsh. There was no way to bring up the Manipulator or Transmuter category without sounding harsh “What I mean to say, is his ability would best lie in overcoming, people with strength. He doesn’t carry that feeling, as if his trying to hide something or control the situation…”

“Hmm…” Gon pondered the thought for a moment.

“But taking a first, or even a second glance I couldn’t tell you what that ability is… he’s just on par with an Enhancer, strength wise…” Daniel quiet down after his argument, staring off into Gon’s features. He wondered what Gon would take from that information, or if it was useful to argue.

Daniel grabbed one of the plates of pasta laid out before them, remaining untouched during the whole discussion. He decided to take a bite now before it got cold.

Killua continued along “One of the Hunters with the Chairman said that **In a _Nen_ battle, nothing is certain.** So, according to him, it’s wrong for us to judge if a fight can be won. I disagree…”

Killua dragged one of the plates towards him, deciding to eat now. Although, he still couldn’t help but continue his thought as he twirled the fork in the pasta “If you want to survive, you must increase your odds of victory. Gauging the strength differential between you and an opponent is crucial.”

Killua stuck the pasta in his mouth, munching down with the left side of his mouth without even bothering to stop talking while he ate “If you’re up against someone you can only beat once or twice out of a hundred times, don’t bother.”

The boy stuffed his mouth once again, speaking with a mouthful “You need at least a fifty-precent chance.”

Daniel was about to tell Killua to not talk with a mouthful, but his friend was already swallowing. He dragged the fork back to his plate, this time speaking without a mouthful of pasta “If possible, greater than seventy precent is preferable. To reach that, we must do two things… Work on our fundamentals, and learn more about our opponents’ abilities.”

“Right…” Gon agreed with a nod as Daniel listened carefully.

Gon began to eat as well, stuffing his mouthful with a sandwich as Killua continued the argument “If we know our opponents’ abilities, it’ll be easier to plan ahead. Like we did against Genthru...”

Gon frowned at the idea. The gap was on a larger scale now, and he didn’t want to spend the whole month closing in on the distance between them. He wanted to beat all three enemies as quickly as possible “I’m half agreed, and half opposed.”

Daniel pointed his fork at Gon “We have a month to get this done. That… creature felt way more destructive than Knuckle. We should play this more carefully, build our strength then wipe the floor.”

Killua stared blankly into Gon’s eyes. He had no clue as to why Gon would be half opposed to the idea. Hell, even Daniel agreed, arguing with him and not Gon “What do you mean?”

“I think we should work on our fundamentals, but I don’t think we need to know their abilities.”

“Huh…” Killua blinked at his friend several times, wondering why on earth Gon believed that idea. It was pointless to run into a fight with at least having some idea of what the enemy had in his hand “Why not?”

“Actually, I agree with Gon at that point… to some degree. As long as they don’t have an ability which can banish us to another realm like a _children’s card game_ , we shouldn’t need to play it super safe.”

“Like a children’s… what? Wait, don’t bother! That’s exactly why we should play it safe… because we don’t know what they can do! Running in blind, just increases the chance of losing!”

“Well, we know this guy can’t do that… well at least I hope he can’t.”

“Nothing good can come from believing that ideal!”

Gon frowned at the argument between his friends. He had no clue what the card game was, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was the situation of what was going to happen in the future “But that’s what we’ll be facing in NGL.”

Killua’s mouth dropped open, staring into the face of his friend. How could he forget about that? And by Daniel muttering **‘he’s got us there…’** didn’t help the situation.

“Our goal isn’t to defeat Knuckle and Shoot… It’s to become stronger, and return to NGL and save Kite.”

Gon had won the argument, with just simple thinking. Both Daniel and Killua had been overthinking about the situation, forgetting the most simplest of arguments **‘they don’t know…’** They had no clue to the powers of the enemies, which really threatened them in the future.

The argument continued, brushing on every possible branch involving the enemies. They needed to at least agree on one method involving how they planned to take down the enemy.

“~”

The walk to their ‘hideout’ was long, and not once did their debated plan ever end.

Gon was leading the conversation as the argument realized its maturity, and incidentally at the same time they reached place where Palm was currently staying “In other words, we must be strong enough to defeat enemies we know nothing about. Winning here with advance preparation is pointless.”

“Don’t tell Palm that…” Daniel interjected, opening the front door first as both Gon and Killua’s mood, soured at the thought of having telling her anything “Yeah…” Killua and Gon sighed in agreement.

Daniel closed the door behind them, and then ran to catch the elevator with his friends before they left him behind.

Killua continued on the ride up “That’s true, but we still have to defeat these opponents first.” Stepping off the elevator, they entered their floor level “After all, we only have a month.”

Gon stopped at their door, hand pressed up against the handle “That’s too long.”

“That ironically, just happens to be the main difference in strength between us and the enemies…” Daniel interjected, a frown pursing his lips “Whether it’s to prepare for the fight now, or the one to come ahead… we have only a month.”

Gon’s features hardened at the thought of having that long, hand turning to open the door slightly “One week! In one week, we’ll be stronger, and heading back to NGL!”

“We had-” Daniel had no time to argue the thought, a fist flying through the crack of the door into Gon’s face. Both Killua and Daniel freaked out at the same time, hands flying up into the air like they were a bunch of wind dancer air puppets.

Never have they ever been freaked out so much from a sudden attack. It wasn’t until they heard a woman’s voice, was when their brain clicked, and gears turned to decipher who the voice belong to “Are you an idiot?!”

It definitely didn’t sound like Palm’s, the voice sounded way meaner than her mellowed, drained voice. It most definitely wasn’t Zaikaria’s, because she would have punched him first, as well a say something completely different. That left only one possibility…

Bisky stepped out through the crack of the door, hands planted on either side of her hips. She was pissed, and possibly rightfully so.

“Bisky!”

She had a wardrobe and hair style change since last time they saw her, but nothing else had changed. She was still annoyed, and she still managed to look way younger than them. Although, Palm; the grudge looking monster behind her didn’t help the situation…

“And that’s not all…” The next voice didn’t belong to Bisky, nor did it belong to Palm.

Judging by the tone, the voice belonged to a pissed off female. But that wasn’t that what made Daniel’s eyes widen in terror. Without having to see the person, he knew who else was in the room with the girls.

It was a complete blur, Bisky’s skirt getting kicked up by air from the speed of the person. It was followed by Daniel being slapped across the face by none other than his own sister.

The boy’s cheeks felt red, blistering from the sudden impact. He half expected that, even dared saying he deserved that. He made no effort to talk to his sister, or even go home to visit his parents. He broke the promise with her, just so he could stay even longer with his new friends “H-Hi, Zai…”

Zaikaria pulled Daniel into a hug immediately after slapping him. She wanted to at least hold her brother, a little before probing him for anything “Don’t ‘hi’ me! You have a lot of explaining to do…”

As Daniel returned the gesture, Killua glared at the woman holding her brother close. He remembered the last encounter with her, and the threat she made towards him.

**If you ever hurt him... I'm coming for your head, regardless of Daniel's feelings!**

The fact is he has hurt Daniel… not physically, but emotionally. But he couldn’t predict that moment ever happening. Nor could he predict Daniel falling for him, let alone himself falling for Gon at the same time… at least that’s what he thought happened.

Although, he’s sure Daniel’s sister won’t find out about that. The boy won’t say anything… at least he hoped so. But the strangest thing was he felt jealous about Zaikaria holding Daniel so close…

A part of him did wish he was the one holding Daniel close. Killua’s cheeks reddened as he was forced to look away.

Daniel pushed his sister away when he felt her hands get too close to his hair “Don’t!”

The boy hadn’t changed that much, still otherwise refusing such an intimate gesture. The time for reunions had passed and gone, and the desire to find out what has transpired. Without any more time wasted, she focused on using her ability, while making sure no one would notice.

Once the link was made, she offered a smile as she siphoned through the boy’s recent memories.

Daniel offered a smile in return, this time more curious about her reasoning for being here “Zai, what are you-”

Without warning, Zaikaria picked Daniel up by the throat, glaring daggers into him. It had taken everyone aback by surprise. She went from happy to see her brother, to wanting to kill him in mere seconds.

Something was wrong, so Killua acted, hand reaching out to grab the sisters arm.

Zaikaria’s mood soured after recalling a few days from her brother’s thoughts. He had almost experienced death, and that had caused her to react so violently. He was stupid for almost sacrificing his life for his friends.

All of them should’ve run the moment Kite had told them to! But instead they stood there, dumb-folded. All of them could have died… and she would’ve lost a brother.

Pressing down hard on her brother’s shoulder, Daniel clenched his teeth together. She could see her brother didn’t want her to know about the damaged he suffered. She didn’t care if she opened those wounds… all she wanted to do was punish him for being stupid.

Zaikaria brought her hand down again, only to have it slapped away. She was expecting Bisky or Palm to step in, NOT the white haired boy “Let… him… go!”

Killua had attempted to stop her from harming her brother. And from what next flooded her mind, was a lot to siphon through. From what she could gather, there were three main topics she’d need to pry about:

**The wound on his back…**

**The confession…**

**Killua’s answer to said confession…**

She expected to be able to read the boy’s response through Daniel’s thoughts, but it wasn’t that her brother was mentality blocking her from reading it… he was blocking himself from thinking about it. This was the first instance, where she’s failed to read something, even if it was so trivial, from Daniel.

She was so taken aback between Killua’s reaction and Daniel’s thoughts she failed to notice a second pair of hands gripping the hand still attached to her brother “Please…”

Zaikaria’s eyes glanced at towards the second person, green eyes being met with super innocent big caramel ones. It took her a second longer to realise who this boy was. It was the same boy she’d met all the way back at the Hunter’s Exam.

Gon, she believed his name was…

So, Daniel wasn’t the only one to not give up with saving Killua. The three amigos had stuck side-by-side, but what happened to the other two she saw with Daniel at the Hunter’s Exam.

That was of no concern for the moment. After everything she just relived through Daniel’s memories, she needed to go through with her original plan. Whether they liked it or not, she was going to drag Daniel back home “Gon, I believe you name is…”

Gon gave the biggest smile; hand otherwise remaining clutched onto her arm “Can you let Daniel go?”

“No, I will not let Daniel go!”

Gon whined at the woman, eyes seamlessly gaining in size. She knew this look, and it wouldn’t have worked on her with anyone else. But for some weird reason, the innocence this boy showed off with those ‘puppy dog’ eyes made it that much harder to resist. _Damn it…_

Reluctantly, she let go of Daniel, but made no move to create distance from her brother “Fine… But!” Leaning down, Zaikaria shoved her face right into Daniel’s own “You have a lot of explaining to do! And, no matter how hard you try, you’re not going to convince me to leave you behind this time!”

Killua ripped Daniel out of Zaikaria’s attempt at holding her brother in place. She’d been too invested in Gon and her own anger being directed at Daniel’s stupidity for so long, she failed to at least make it impossible for her brother to escape.

“Daniel is staying with us! You can’t take him away!”

“Yeah, Daniel is our friend.”

Daniel had never had been so happy to hear his friends speak about how much they loved him as a friend. But at the same time, now he knew how puppies felt whenever two people fought over who wanted to hold the cute puppy more. But the warmth he felt while Killua was being overprotective, holding him closer than he would have thought imaginable, was so hard to maintain a ‘cool’ pretending not to exist straight face.

Zaikaria’s eyes glared daggers at Killua for holding Daniel in such a possessive manner “Let him go!”

Bisky could only stare at the three of them bickering like little children. Daniel stuck in the middle, being fought over like he was the crown jewel. It was getting out of hand, especially after Zaikaria’s random attack on her own brother. And it didn’t help with the frustration oozing out of Palm’s aura behind her.

“YOU FOUR…” Everyone stopped mid argument, glaring daggers at the older woman. But the glare she returned was way more terrifying, especially with the darkness now surrounding Palm behind her. The three of them that had been arguing remained silent, waiting for Bisky to talk.

“Thank you… You three, couch! You, Zaikaria, chair!”

Zaikaria so badly wanted to fight the woman, demanding that she’d be free to take Daniel and leave without questioning. But a part of her knew she’d lose in a fight with this woman. And judging by her glare, she knew the facts didn’t match up.

Her story about her father leading her to Daniel’s whereabouts, and even asking her to help out was now rendered false after her attack on her brother.

She believed the most simplest of stories, would have been the best route in order to get close enough without alerting anyone of her ulterior motives. But that cover was blown the moment she slammed Daniel into the wall.

The group looked over each other, certain members glaring at each other. Sooner or later, one of them had to talk in order to defuse the situation. Gon was the first to speak “Why are you here, Bisky?”

From behind Bisky, Palm’s eyes lit up; more terrifying than any monster Wes Craven could conjure up. She looks as though she belonged in a zombie flick rather than reality “I asked her to come.”

The boy’s freaked out, unaware of the friendship these two had. It had to be a lie, considering Palm’s attire and features were the complete opposite of Bisky’s.

“Huh…? You know each other?” The three boys asked as Daniel thought about asking for his sister’s relationship with Bisky. But the silent aggressive aura clashing between Zaikaria and Bisky made him think otherwise. Something, just didn’t add up about the situation.

His sister was hiding a secret… and he had no clue to what degree the secret affected all of them.

“No…” Palm shook her head “I looked into your backgrounds.”

“Ahh…” Daniel started as Gon finished him with eyes blown wide open “How? We only know Bisky because…”

Palm laughed in a mocking manner, while never once breaking from her constant blank stare “Once I use my power, it was quiet simple. Now, there’s no time to spare. Let’s begin… The plan to slaughter Morel’s disciples…”

“Um, no…” All three denied her request, now staring at Daniel’s older sister. How did she fit into this?

Sensing the already bellowing question, Zaikaria knew there was no way she was going to get out of this. She couldn’t lie, not with Biscuit Kruger onto her “I’m the third assassin.”

It had taken a lot longer for not only the boys, but for Bisky and Palm to register what she said as well.

Palm’s aura glowed a dangerous purple, defused only by Zaikaria’s quick denial “I don’t have any clue who this Morel is... But I’ve met with Shoot and Knuckle. AND I have no desire to work with, nor against them. I was hired by Netero, through Vastorie-”

“Dad?!”

“Yes, to help out with training you. This is just a bonus, considering that he also told me it was a life or death situation. And it would also explain why half of the things have transpired, including your new ‘X marks the spot’ scar…”

Gon looked towards Daniel, more worried now after finding out what Daniel and Killua have kept secret. Both of them were looking away awkwardly, but the sudden stare coming from Bisky was now something else to consider.

Zaikaria wasn’t the only one being over protective. Bisky was to an extent as well, but something else snapped to attention, more so considering now she had a better idea of what Zaikaria’s ability was. But she won’t say it out loud, especially with the tension in the air “WHAT SCAR?!”

“It was an accident…”

“ACCIDENT MY ASS…” Daniel’s sister snapped back, glaring daggers at little brother for even attempting to use that route in front of her. He knew better than to lie in front of her, especially with her ability.

Bisky bit her tongue at the thought of yelling out about Zaikaria’s lie, but the more this fight went on, the more agitated Palm got. Sooner rather later, they’d need to start training “Given your position, you are a threat to the boys. You just stated that you are the third assassin in Netero’s little game. That means, one of these boys is going to have to beat you… and seeing as you are also here to train Daniel, which means you also won’t mind starting that training now.”

Zaikaria frowned at the idea of having to train Daniel for a ghastly mission to come ahead. She only knows bits and pieces, considering Vastorie wouldn’t tell her the whole story. And considering he knew about how her ability worked, reading his mind wouldn’t be an option “Right… So-”

“We are doing this my way!” Bisky held her finger out towards the large patterned carpet, stating that the training was going to begin without giving anyone time to question her “Let’s get started!”

“~”

Zaikaria was forced to sit on the chair across the room, remaining as silent as her breathing allowed her to be. Bisky wouldn’t allow her to talk, now that she lied to the older woman’s face.

Even though the woman looked incredibly younger when compared to herself, there was no way this person was older.

Bisky has had experience in the past, and she acted way more like a mother figure, when Zaikaria compared to herself. She’ll give Daniel one chance and one chance only. It’s the only thing she can do, considering she’s seen how Illumi treated Killua in the past, although briefly. And even if it was a brief snippet, she also shared similarities with him.

Zaikaria was being over protective… and she needed to calm down and survey the situation with her own eyes. People can doubt themselves, she did too in the past…

_I’ll give him only one chance… Nothing more… nothing less…_

The three boys stood side by side, staring directly at Bisky as they waited for her next order. They were forced to stand with the exact same posture as they did, when first learning to control the flow of _Ten_.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“Osu!”

Without missing a beat, Bisky stomped over to Gon, giving the boy a knuckle sandwich without warning. Off to the side, Zaikaria snickered in surprise. That wasn’t the first thing she was expecting to happen.

Killua and Daniel stood there, froze in fear from Gon being punch, and afraid they too will get sucker punched.

It was one thing to sucker punch Gon, and another thing to do so without warning. Gon gripped the back of his head, the point of contact throbbing in pain from his master’s sudden attack “What was that for?!”

“I’m picking up where I left off. Are you stupid? That old man’s famous for his nasty nature.”

All three stared dumb-folded, Bisky continuing without acknowledging the staring contest “If he tells you to do something in a month, it probably should take an entire year.”

“WHAT?!” Zaikaria freaked out in the back, the older woman hushed her without responding “Shush! You won’t defeat them after a week!”

“But we have to hurry back and save Kite…” Gon countered, more concerned about Kite than actually listening. Judging by the boy’s reaction, what Bisky just said went over the top of the boy’s head.

“What…” Bisky’s eyes widened, more confused about the situation. Who was Kite? “What are you talking about?”

Gon started at the end of their journey with Bisky, explaining everything that had happened involving Kite and the Chimera Ants they fought. He could see off to the corner, Zaikaria, Daniel’s older sister getting more agitated whenever her brother’s name got dropped into the conversation.

Once everything was explained, Daniel was shitting bricks. Blood thirsty red eyes stared back at him as her fiery red hair was flowing in the air. It was as if someone placed a fan near his sister’s hair.

After Bisky dealt with them, his sister was going to rip him a new one. If he had a chance with staying with his friends, it was now lost after Gon’s story.

 “I see…” Bisky murmured, pacing back and fought between the boys. Gon thought he had an open shut case, but the woman stopped in front of him, slouching as she let out a sigh of frustration “This is why, you shouldn’t be returning without proper training!”

Gon was staring blankly at the woman as she continued to abuse his feelings “What if you make the same mistake again?! Got it?”

Killua could only watch the reactions being shared between his friend and master. He knew without a doubt, the arguments that were coming from Bisky were ones from experience. _So typical of her age... she’s always ready with a lecture._

Gon was sulking after his lecture, depressed from his lack of foresight. All he had wanted to do was save Kite; he didn’t care about the finer details, the things he should be really worrying about “Osu…”

Zaikaria was impressed at how well she dealt with Gon. The woman was definitely older than she looks. She was dreading about having to deal with Bisky later. Zaikaria needed to come up with a plan later. But first, she wanted to see how far Daniel has gotten from bouncing from one _Nen_ master to the next.

“Alright…” Bisky let out a sigh of relief as she took a few steps away from Gon. During her lecture, she had forgotten about having a comfortable distance. Once she was a meter away from Gon, she kept walking towards Zaikaria. She picked up the magazine, opening it to the last page where she left off “Let’s get back to training. Begin with _Ren_!”

She watched the boy’s aura flow, carefully examining it for any kinks in its chain. Nothing was abnormal; it held the same amount of aura as it should be projecting. She raised three fingers before speaking “Maintain that for three hours.”

All four were mortified at the request, but were unable to argue seeing as Bisky had already raised the magazine to continue reading. Zaikaria was impressed at how evil Bisky could be on the drop of a hat.

Judging by the aura, she’d given each boy no more than an hour before passing out. But then again, she shouldn’t judge a boy by its cover. Once she thought Bisky could surprise her no more, Bisky whispered to her.

“Can you kindly undo what you did…”

“Hmm?”

“Remove that seal, or ability you used on Daniel.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Zaikaria could catch the glare being sent her way by Bisky, cold eyes staring into her soul. For the sake of gaining her trust again, for now she’d need to follow the older woman’s lead “Fine…”

As Zaikaria was quietly talking with Bisky, for who knows about what, he couldn’t help but stare at the magazine. Gears were turning in his head. It didn’t help that the magazine was ‘promoting’ men… and that his mind was substituting each man for an image of Killua.

If this was only the beginning of puberty, he dreaded having to spend the next five to nine years having to deal with it. He was engrossed in the magazine, practically ignoring the idle chatter around him.

Gon turned to Killua in concern after hearing they’d have to hold their _Ren_ for three hours, and it wasn’t only him that was worried when Killua returned the gaze “Killua, how long can you last?”

“In top condition, I can manage around fifty-five minutes, max. What about you…” Killua stopped once he saw Daniel’s eyes were focus elsewhere.

Gon was even beginning to get worried about Daniel’s distraction. The boy’s aura was even wavering from the lack of attention “Daniel?”

“Huh? What! Yes…? Yes…?”

Killua puffed his cheeks out at Daniel’s lack of attention “How long can you last?”

“I’ve never done it before…”

Killua’s cheeks flared up, his aura dissolving into nothing. Did Daniel’s thoughts go deep into the gutters?

“Yes you have… We did it a lot in Greed Island…” Gon tilted his head to the side, confused as to why he would make such an argument. Although, Killua’s reaction to the boy’s statement, made Gon more confused on the matter “ _Ren_ , Daniel! _REN_!”

“Oh, yes… You were talking about _Ren_ …” Daniel was embarrassed that his mind was going way out of bounds, focusing on the things that didn’t matter in the moment “I can last-hold my _Ren_ for roughly an hour and thirty minutes. And that’s on a good day...”

“EH?!” Killua freaked out from Daniel’s statement “But, how?”

“Do you know how much focus it takes to control my ability?”

“AND DO YOU KNOW how much time you’re wasting by not focusing?! Get back to training! Until you each complete this, we can’t move to the next step. Train like your lives are one the line!”

All three returned to training, Daniel and Killua blushing from Daniel’s last questionable statement. That was a secret best kept to one’s self, and thank god Zaikaria wasn’t watching… or listening for that matter. Blurting out something perverted is one thing… but doing so while one’s sister is within ear shot is another.

If they were going to survive Biscuit’s training, they’ll have to focus. One hour and fifteen is the average best they could last, and that was nowhere near the three hour mark.

Zaikaria’s eyes shifted towards her brother, the situation leaving her just as confused as when Bisky yelled at them earlier for not paying attention. Were the three of them talking about menial tasks while she wasn’t listening?

Zaikaria drew her attention to her brother, and immediately, she felt as though this battle was being fought on an uphill slope. The strength of the boy’s was nothing, when compared to Knuckle or Shoot, let alone her own aura. _This is bad…_

“I know…” Bisky quietly whispered, a page being turned. When she received a look of distraught, the woman made no attempt to give Zaikaria her undivided attention “You have that look…”

Drawing her attention back to her brother, Zaikaria frowned. _Shit…_


	88. Tag X Your X It

Zaikaria turned her head, looking at the clock every time one of boys stopped, unable to keep their _Ren_ up.

Gon at fifty-six minutes…

Killua at fifty-nine minutes…

She could tell the two of them were really pushing themselves, far past their original limit. But their breathing was heavily strained, and the chance of them actually reaching three hours was impossible at this point.

Zaikaria then moved her attention to her brother. He was still going strong, but wasn’t fairing any better. The beads of sweat were showing, dripping down into the carpet below him. Checking the watch again, the time showed five minutes past the hour mark. Impressive…

Bisky frowned when she looked up from her magazine “Come on… You didn’t even last an hour. Daniel’s doing better than you, and he can’t even use _Zetsu_!”

“HEY, that’s no fair… talk about a low blow!” The boy grumbled back, frowning from the fact his sister now knew about his terrible skillset when it involved in blending in with the crowd.

“I knew… a long time ago. How else would I have been able to throw that rock at you, and track you all over the city?”

Killua shot a glare at the older woman. With all that heavy breathing, panting… he look no more threatening than a baby who was yet to learn how to speak. The woman gave Killua a smug smile, shifting in her seat in a way to look as though she was looking down on him.

Killua hated her expression, while Bisky completely ignored the girl off to her side “Okay, let’s get back to work. Keep going!”

The boy and Gon straightened their stance, _Ren_ surrounding them once again. Daniel finally broke down, kneeling down in front of his older sister and Bisky.

“Impressive, one hour and fifteen minutes. However, that’s not long enough! Get back to work.”

Daniel forced himself to stand once more, aura swallowing him whole. _Damn, below my average… I have to work harder!_

Bisky pulled the magazine back up to her eye sight, a frown being shown “They say it takes a month to add ten minutes to your _Ren_ endurance. You won’t have time to sleep…”

Zaikaria frowned at Bisky’s words. That statement was true, to those of the medium and lower class _Nen_ users. If she was to place a bet, she’d say the boys would reach the three hour mark on the third week. That would give them one week in order to beat both Shoot and Knuckle. But then again, she was no betting woman. Either way, this wasn’t looking so good.

“~”

“Okay, you can rest for today!”

All three boys collapsed at Bisky’s words, falling asleep long before they hit the floor. None of them knew what she said next; their brain had shut down the moment ‘rest’ was mentioned.

Zaikaria kicked up her foot, balancing it across her knees as she simply watched. She had no idea how these collapsed members are going to wake in the next thirty minutes… but Bisky said it will happen.

Bisky allowed herself to smile at the sleeping boys. They looked so peaceful, even though they were completely dead to the world around them “Looks like it’s time for me to use my power.”

“Oh…” Zaikaria hummed at the words, eyes glued to the woman’s back “How do you propose to wake the dead in thirty minutes.”

The woman frowned as the person behind her continued to stare. She had still yet to interrogate Zaikaria for information about her ability. Maybe this could be a great Segway… a way to gather information which she hopes to use later against the girl “Why don’t we start with you? Sharing is caring…”

Aura spewed forth from Bisky’s fingertip, beginning to summon **Magical Esthetician Cookie-Chan** “Well…?”

“Even if I told you, I could always _erase_ it from you…”

“I’ve gathered that much already.”

“Oh…” humming at the thought, Zaikaria began to worry, though only slightly.

“You have the power to manipulate memories. I gathered that much. But to what extent… is how I would like to know.”

“You would be correct… and wrong at the same time. I can _alter_ memories, but my power isn’t _just_ altering. It’s mainly- why, do you plan to tell my brother?”

A young woman formed out of Bisky’s aura, skin perfect, as if made out of porcelain. The _Nen_ person kneeled down beside Gon first, fingers gently digging into the sleeping boy’s backside. It was if the _Nen_ figure were playing a piano, nursing the tired body back to life.

“No! It’s up to him to figure it out. But, I still don’t trust you. This is but the first step of many…”

“Daniel won’t fight Knuckle… not until I’m dead.”

“It’s not about you! He’s what… thirteen… moving onto fourteen? He’s not a child anymore. I remember when I was eighteen-”

“Eighteen?! That’s a big jump from fourteen. He has his own life ahead of him. He shouldn’t even be participating with this fight involving _Chimera Ants_ …”

Bisky pouted at Zaikaria’s quick judgement. She hadn’t even begun to explain her past, and already this girl was objecting to the idea “What were you doing at thirteen?”

Opening her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. The past was a landmine for her; territory which she wished to never navigate again “It doesn’t matter what I did. What matters, is this boy’s safety. While his out cold, please let me take him… He doesn’t deserve-”

“Would your brother want that?”

“No, but-”

“No ‘buts’! Daniel, will make his next call… not you! Now, what’s your ability?”

Zaikaria grit her teeth as she remained silent. She wouldn’t dare tell Bisky, not now… not ever. The girl chose to remain silent on the matter, which earned a sigh from the older woman.

“Fine… This here is Cookie-Chan, the Magical Esthetician. She is currently doing a Piano Massage. It helps relieve stress… and make them wake up feeling relaxed, as if eight hours had past.”

“Sounds handy… I’m still not telling you. As long as danger is involved, I’ll always hinder him. Until, his at least ready to stand on his own two feet…”

The older woman sighed. Daniel’s sister was being over protective, hindering her brother from learning a valuable lesson for the future. The world wasn’t forgiving… He needed to learn the lesson his sister was trying to protect him from. If he wanted to become stronger, he’ll have to fight this battle and learn from it…

Bisky drew her eyes to Zaikaria, narrowing them slightly “Look! If you want him to learn something… don’t stop him. I’m his, Gon and Killua’s current _Nen_ mentor. If you attempt to stop him… or me, I’m not going to-”

“Excuse me…”

Bisky stopped at the requested, looking over her shoulder to the one who interrupted her. Palm was standing five feet away, hands constantly rolling over each other. Palm was more agitated than usual.

Had her argument with Zaikaria have caused Palm to break, slowly being more consumed with rage “I hope this won’t offend either of you, but I’ll let you decide how to train them. Since my power told me that you, Bisky would be the answer. And I did also look into your background, Zaikaria…”

Zaikaria’s eye twitched, but Palm paid no mind to the dangerous field she was stepping into “As much as I don’t like you impending on either of the boys, you too could help. However, if they cannot defeat Morel’s disciples after one month, I doubt I’ll be able to restrain myself. I absolutely must go to NGL. Honestly, I want to depart this moment. So, after I’ve waited…”

Palm broke down, sounding like a tape recorder stuck on the last two seconds. She repeated ‘and waited’ over a dozen times before continuing “if this fails now, I’ll probably kill all of you…”

The room grew silent. Zaikaria and Palm shared a moment together, agreeing without words.

_Truce…?_

_Truce…_

As much as Zaikaria want to be over protective with her brother… a woman like this who could possibly peer into the future would be a threat in the long run to her brother. No matter what, whether she likes it or not… she’ll have to help her brother and friends beat Shoot and Knuckle. And that means altering the original deal…

The young woman tapped her finger on the chair several times before speaking for the two of them, considering Bisky was only staring into the Palm’s eyes without battering even an eye “Did you just threaten us…?”

“Oh, no…” Palm relaxed the grip between her fingers, a calm breath following by “it’s a warning. I’m worried about you all. So if you think they have no chance, I recommend that you leave…”

Her arms soon relaxed, dropping to either side “Speaking from experience, I’m less likely to lose my temper that way.”

“In that case, Bisk-”

“Hush!”

Zaikaria glared at the older woman. For the second time that day, she had been hushed by Bisky. She crossed her arms, pouting in her chair “This is stupid…”

“Now, where was I…?” Bisky hummed before dropping one fist into her palm like a tea cup “Oh, you should be telling the boys this. Once they’re awake, you can tell them. Oh, and Zaikaria…”

“Hmm…”

“You should listen to what your brother wants.”

“Over my dead body…”

“I could arrange that!”

“Try me… Bitch!”

Palm stared at the two fighting once more, both now getting physical than the verbal abuse they had been throwing at each other verbally “This won’t do…”

“~”

Daniel freak out once he woke up. A scuffle of some sort had ensued, his sister taking the most damage. Something had happened between his sister and _Nen_ mentor. He was sure she wouldn’t say anything, but the constant glare she was throwing at Bisky behind her back wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

If she took all her frustration out on him, he wasn’t too sure if he’ll survive by the next night. Hopefully, when it came to fighting her… if he has to, she’ll have calmed down drastically.

But on the off chance she hasn’t… he’s sure he’ll be walking away with more than just a few open wounds “Killua, on the off chance I do fight my sister… you can have all my Mangas, and weapon.”

“Huh?! I’m sure she-” One look of the woman’s feature made the boy reconsider his thoughts “On second thought… I’ll take your games as well.”

“Sure! I’ll just write out a contract… don’t want my dad stopping you.”

Killua raised an eyebrow, now this was starting to sound like a joke his friend was rolling with. While he joked along with Daniel after seeing his sister’s sinister stare, he was starting to reconsider the idea of taking his friend’s stuff after his death by his sister’s hands “Are you kidding?”

“No, not really… I think she’ll really kill me.”

“She’s your sister…”

“And I’m a male. But look at that stare… LOOK AT IT! She’s going to kill me if she releases all her anger out on me.”

“On the off chance she does attempt it…” Killua looked away as he finished his statement “I’ll protect you…”

“Thank-”

“You kinda are accident prone, constantly throwing yourself or walking into danger.”

“Rude…” Daniel shifted his body slightly, breaking his stance, and ultimately his aura flow so he could restate his original comment “Seriously, thank you… without you or Gon, mostly you though… I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Killua’s cheeks flared from the thank you, stained red like a tomato. Complements always made him embarrassed, shocking him to the core from how willing his friends were so quick to thank him with kind words. Couldn’t he have just one day, where neither of them said more than ‘thank you’.

“Shut up…” the boy quietly whispered, caught by neither of the boys in his vicinity. Gon had been talking to Palm and Bisky for a long time, for unknown reasons. He felt a little jealous inside, wishing he could have gone with Gon. But the thought didn’t help his already stained checks. In fact, they made it worse.

He wondered if there has ever been a time where he could openly accept a compliment. But his thoughts were so muddled, shut out by so many random thoughts not relating to the matter drowning out the ones that really mattered to him right now.

A silhouette randomly popped into his head, flashing before his eyes for a mere second. Shock encompassed his features as his mind desperately tried to remember. It was a really young girl, but other than that… nothing else came to mind.

Tears streamed down the boy’s face, completely catching him off guard. Who was the girl, and why did she mean so much to him. He tried again and again to recall the silhouette, but nothing came to mind. It came just as quick as it left.

“Whoa, Killua what’s wrong?!”

“Huh…?”

“You’re crying…”

Killua shifted his attention to the nearest window. He was in fact crying, and he had no idea what it was about. He brought his sleeve to his eyes, wiping them all away as he drained out all emotions. He was crying over a shadow, one he had no clue who it was, and why she even mattered to him “It’s nothing!”

Even though the boy said that, it did matter to him. A part of him was desperately calling out to the memory. Killua soon felt his body tense when he felt a pair of arms rope around him “It’s ok…”

The boy allowed himself to take a deep breath. He thought calmly on the matter. Of course the girl mattered to him, in some way or another. But he had really pressing matters, one that involved a life or death situation “Daniel, I’m fine. I just had a… really unique thought.”

“You can speak to me about it…” Daniel pushed back before returning to training.

“I’ll tell you all about it… when I have a clue as to what that thought was about.”

Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at Killua “It could be about me…”

Killua slightly tipped his head to the side “As much as I would like to admit it… you don’t look like a girl.”

“Oh, good god… did this turn into a four-way love triangle?! PLEASE SAY NO!”

“No! Hell NO!”

Zaikaria had the worst timing, stopping just outside the doorway to see what the other two are up to. Daniel was just done with hugging Killua, and it infuriated her. But she had to react calmly. The past was the past, and now is now.

As much as she would like to bring up the past, the thought of Daniel’s memories returning to him would make the situation more problematic. She’d have to deal with two sets of memories. Getting rid of one day’s worth of memories is easy… getting rid of one day mixed in with one and a half years’ worth is a hassle “Alright ladies! Back to work…”

“Zai… what are you doing here?”

“Impending, your _romantic_ gesture…”

Killua glared at the woman with rosy cheeks “Take that back!”

“Alright, fruitcake…” Zaikaria sat at the chair across the room from them “You still have one to two hours of _Ren_ training to catch up on. From my point of view, I’m not impressed. You have no chance of beating Knuckle or Shoot from my point of view. _Try_ to prove me wrong…” Zaikaria plucked a magazine from the stand, uncaring of its contents.

She’ll stop Daniel from remembering… and when the time comes, she’ll pluck him from this trial; ultimately, removing him from all danger. _Good luck…_

“~”

Day after day, the boys continuously failed. They were slowly reaching the time Bisky set for them to beat… three hours. It was a gruelling task, every time they fail. The time was reset, and each boy was forced to start from the beginning.

Time was crawling by, beads of sweat falling, which was then collected in the carpet beneath them. It was a struggle for either of them to stand, especially after forcing their _Ren_ to be exerted to such a state.

Just when they thought they wouldn’t make it, Bisky raised a finger without ever once looking away from the _men’s_ magazine “Okay, all done!”

Once letting go, the boys collapse on the sweat filled carpet, filling more _wetter_ than usual. They continuously struggled to breathe as Bisky got up.

Zaikaria sarcastically clapped her hands at the new milestone reached. But she still felt as though it wasn’t enough.

“You finally lasted for three hours…” Bisky smiled at the three boys lying on the carpet beneath her feet.

“We did it…” Killua complained, even after reaching the milestone. He felt numb to the core, unable to move his body in the slightest. Gon felt the same as Killua, and was unable to move as well “That was hard!”

“I know…” Daniel sighed. Even though he knew he still had his friends beat in this category, he was still only thirty minutes ahead of them. He thought he would have been able to create an even bigger distance between them, but alas, he wasn’t as good as he thought he was.

“Can someone bring me a couch? I can’t move an inch…”

Bisky rolled her eyes at Killua’s words. Even though she was sure she had been in Killua’s shoes at one point, now wasn’t the time to be lazy. The woman clapped her hands together, in a way a mother would do so to get her child to get moving “Alright, alright… What are you talking about? Stand up. We’re going out.”

There was an echo of ‘huh?’ followed by Bisky’s statement. Everyone was confused as to why they were going out now, and after collapsing right after training too.

Killua opened one eye “Where to?”

“To see Knuckle… Why else?”

If the boys were tired before, they definitely weren’t now. They shot up in shock, unable to believe their _Nen_ Master “Wh- Why?” It only had been a few days, and not only that, they only just reached the milestone she set of them.

“See…? You CAN move. Let’s go!”

Killua scowled at woman for dodging his question so easily “I demand you to tell us why we’re going to see Knuckle!”

“Jeez…” Bisky sighed after having just reached the door. What’s the point of this question, if they already knew the answer to it? They had to beat Knuckle “don’t ask questions with obvious answers. To fight him!”

“Huh?!”

“Well, jokes on you… we don’t know where he’s at!” Daniel chided with a smirk. Neither of them knew about Knuckle’s whereabouts.

“Huh? He’s at the park twenty blocks away from here…”

“Huh?!” Daniel repeated in disbelief along with his friends. How did the woman find out that information “H- How…?”

“Palm… Okay, let’s go!”

 _No way… I’m not letting you get away with this so easily!_ Killua stood up, acting defiantly against his _Nen_ Master “What are you talking about? We still have time. What if we lose?”

“You just try again!”

“Huh…?”

“She’s got us there… As long as they don’t take our tokens, we can have as many chances to take them out.”

Zaikaria smiled at her brother’s words. Now he was really thinking about the situation, as he’s listening to the woman’s words. But there is another problem, she was also their enemy. And at any point, she could get up and take the tokens as long as she knew where they were hiding the tokens.

“That’s the idea. Whether you win or lose isn’t important. All that matters is who ends up with the tokens, right?”

“Yeah…” Gon hummed in agreement with his Bisky’s words.

“Which means…” Bisky pointed a sassy finger at her students “you must take theirs. If it looks like you’ll lose, run. Then try again the next day. From here on, you’ll practice Ren for three hours a day. After that, you’ll challenge Knuckle.” Bisky shot the boys a glare as she was ending her argument “And you’ll continue until you win…”

The boys’ jaws dropped, remaining open the whole time Bisky was explaining the situation to them. Neither could of them speak, dumb-folded as their mentor educated them on how they can win.

Pointing them in the right direction, the boys left to confront Knuckle.

Bisky closed the door after the boys left, now turning her attention to the young girl still seated “Now, we can have a heart-to-heart talk.”

“Oh, whatever do you mean…?”

“Don’t be sassy with me. I’ve had fifty-seven years of experience. Are you going to tell me your ability, or do I have to clobber it out of you?”

“You guessed it… to alter memories.”

“You must have altered your memory, because I vaguely remember you saying **It’s mainly…** and then you changed the topic. If I had to guess, your ability is based on memory manipulation, which would make you a Manipulator… or a Specialist! So, which is it?”

“Yes, which is it…?”

“Don’t play coy with me, missy!” Bisky argued back, fists being pressed into her hips. If she wasn’t going to get Zaikaria to admit her ability, there was another question lingering “Fine then… why did you let him got to face Knuckle? So you can steal his tokens?”

“Nope… he has to learn the hard way…” Zaikaria leaned her head against her hand, a smug expression showing “That he has had no chance since the beginning. It’s a great way to demoralising him into giving up.”

Bisky tapped her chin at the girl’s words. Zaikaria was right in a sense, but she didn’t factor in two people to her calculation. Daniel has an obsession of Killua, wanting to protect the boy to the best of his ability. And Gon was like a magnet, dragging the two of them along into endless waves of adventures.

Even if by some miracle, Daniel begged to give up. Gon would drag Killua into that mess, which would ultimately also drag Daniel in as well “I wouldn’t bet on that…”

“If plan A doesn’t work, I’ll put plan B into play… I’ll make him give up!”

“You have a weird obsession with your brother.”

Zaikaria pulled her head back a little, confused at the woman’s words “How so…?”

“What has Daniel done for you, which has made you so over protective of him?”

“Nothing…”

Bisky turned her back to the young girl behind her, uncaring if she chooses to attack. If it wasn’t Daniel, it had to be someone older… Someone, who has an uncanny appearance to that boy “Vastorie…”

“What about him?”

“Are you by chance, paying back your father by attempting to stop his son from barrelling into danger?”

“What is it to you?”

“Ah ha!” Bisky exclaimed loudly as she turned around, smacking one fist into an open palm “It does have to do with your father! So tell me, what has Mr Sad and Brooding done while off the radar?”

“… What?”

“I used to study under Netero with your father.”

“Nathaniel or Vastorie… I’m sure Daniel has mentioned we have two, fathers.”

“Both, and I remember Vastorie being a little… what’s the children calling them these days? Emo?”

Zaikaria raised a curious eyebrow at the older woman’s description “Maybe when the dinosaurs walked the earth… but not now.”

“Did…” Raising her fist, Bisky charged Zaikaria “Come here!”

“Oh, shit!”

“~”

Daniel felt a chilling wind pass him. Instinctually he ran both hands down his arms, feeling as though an impending doom was headed their way. But there was no way it was going to be coming from Knuckle. They’ve yet to reach him.

“What’s with you?”

“I feel an impending doom approaching for some reason…”

Killua chuckled at Daniel’s response, the feeling of death looming being nothing more than his own imagination “You’re just scared of having to fight your own sister.”

“Huh?!” Gon tilted his head to the side in a quizzical manner. What did Killua mean by that? Daniel had no reason to fight with his sister “Why would he need to fight Zaikaria-Sama?”

“Call her Zai. She won’t mind…”

“But-”

Killua held out a hand to interrupt Gon “Did you already forget? She’s the third Assassin. If there’s one for each of us, she’ll likely fight Daniel without holding back.” The boy’s fist began to shake as fought back the rage to yell about her. She ticked him off “She’s arrogant… wanting to take Daniel away from us. I don’t believe she trusts us enough to…”

Killua’s cheeks began to redden at the thought. Was he thinking about wanting to say he wanted to protect Daniel? No, he couldn’t focus on the ‘what ifs’. Right now, they were walking in the forest, heading right towards Knuckle.

They needed to get their head in the game, if they were going to beat that man “F- Forget it! We have Knuckle to worry about right now. He’s strong, so I don’t know if we’ll be able to beat him on the first go…”

Daniel raised an eyebrow before nodding at his friend “Right…” He then turned to face the path in front of them. They were reaching a clearing, and judging by Palm’s directions, they should be reaching their target. Daniel took a deep breath before continuing “You and I saw him. Do you think he was lying about being alone…?”

Killua shrugged at the response “I don’t think so… but that doesn’t mean his friend also didn’t follow him. So keep your eyes out… just in case!”

Gon and Daniel nodded at Killua’s advice. He was the brains of their team, able to come up with well thought out plan on the spur of the moment.

Once reaching the end of the forest, more of the land opened up. Like the man said, he was alone, technically. A small or medium size dog lay under his feet, attracted to the older man.

It looked as though it didn’t want to go away, even as Knuckle pushed it away to address them.

Gon looked slightly startled at the man; he was stronger than he anticipated. The boy could see why Netero pit them against this man “Is that Knuckle?”

“Yeah…”

The three of them stopped five meters away from the man, waiting for him to address them. He looked perplexed, as if he didn’t believe they were standing there. Or maybe he was just surprised to see three kids half his age, ready to fight.

Knuckle remained still, silently judging them. Only when the boys made the first move to intensify their aura, did he finally address them. He was irritated at the scenario “I guess they must not respect me…”

The boys freaked out from the man’s sudden change of mood. He walked with long, decisive steps towards them, more pissed than he was a second ago “If I’m being compared to a couple of kids, they must not think I’m very strong…”

Knuckle stopped right in front, his body looming over the kids before him. How dare Netero and Morel, compare him to a bunch of kids. There was no way these three could ever compete against his team, even if he was on his own, he could still beat them. This was a joke, a sick and twisted one at best.

Daniel gulped at the looming figure above him. Now he could see why Zaikaria didn’t stop him from leaving. She wanted him to bear witness to the type of enemy Netero pit them against. But still… he didn’t hold the same presence as the Chimera Ant they had to deal with. That creature felt like they were staring death in the eyes…

Knuckle altered his perspective, leaning over to stare down at the boys from their own height “A duel is a battle to the death. Serious business! It’s best to fight five hours after a good night’s sleep. So what’s with you kids? You’re completely worn out!”

Daniel opened his mouth to make an argument. Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of any witty say with _Ren_.

The fact neither of the boys had any arguments only intensified Knuckle’s rage “Were you just out swimming or something, eh?”

“Well… we would be a lot more wet-”

“TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!”

All three freaked out, taking a step back, which in-turn only forced Knuckle to take another two steps closer. He wanted to be really close when he made the next point; he didn’t care if he was infringing on the boys’ personal space “You kids can never defeat me.”

A switch flipped inside them, forcing the boys to stand their ground. They had to beat him, now or on another day. Taking a step back, they prepared to fight.

Right as they were getting ready, Knuckle started to shed tears. What possessed the man in the moment, to start shedding tears right after yelling at them? Did he have a soft spot deep inside him, or was this the product of having demoralised kids after a few seconds of meeting them. His mood shifted from pissed, or tear jerking in less than ten minutes. It wasn’t as bad as a five second time gap, but that was still way to fast when it comes to changing moods.

Gon was more concerned for the enemy that he should’ve been in the moment “Are you crying?”

Knuckle was immediately shocked by the boy’s words, flipping out as he took a couple of steps back. He pressed his sleeve against his eyes, wiping all the tears he was so desperately trying to pretend never existed “S-Stupid… Wh- Why would I cry?”

_OMG, I’m looking at thuggish, less charming and embarrassed version of Killua…_

All three stared blankly at the man. Maybe Palm led them to the wrong Knuckle, and this assassin was pretending to be the real one, so that the fake one could spring his trap.

“I’m not upset about this…”

“I see…” Daniel mocked in a dry tone. A part of him still couldn’t believe this was one of their enemies. An emotional thug, and an overprotective sister… who’s the third, a tear jerking comedian mime?

“Shut up! Th- Th- These are just. Well, uh… Tears from laughing too much, fool!”

“Hai…” The three acknowledged together in a ‘trying not to laugh’ mocking tone.

“I’ll kill you, get it? So don’t tell anyone!”

This man had to be crazy! He was taking the boys’ emotions through a rollercoaster. They didn’t know whether to be embarrassed, sad, angry, irritated, happy, or laugh at the situations being presented before them.

Just when they though it couldn’t get any weirder, Knuckle turned around and glared daggers “Punch me!”

“Huh?”

The man gave the boys his undivided attention, acting a lot calmer than he was seconds ago “I’ll show you how much stronger I really am. And you’ll realize that I don’t need to bother dodging your punches. Hit me as many times as you like. But if I don’t take a step from this spot, leave your tokens behind. This is the best chance you’ll have! You kids would need a hundred years before you could try fighting me!”

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow at the man. He’s strong, but… that’s the dumbest request to ever make. One well-placed move could end up getting him killed. The boy turned to Gon, wanting to whisper something to his friends “Gon, Killua… can we have a quick talk…? Knuckle, one second.”

Once the boys were out of ear shot, Daniel forced his friends to huddle close “I think I know how to beat this madman…”

“Huh?”

“Gon, we are going to need your help to beat him.”

Gon clenched his fists tight, his expression changing to pure determination “What do you want me to do?”

“You remember when we played dodge ball against Razor?”

“Yeah…”

“Hit Knuckle as hard as you did the ball? The man said he won’t dodge, so it’ll be an instant KO. Killua, in my opinion will be the second best in this situation…”

“Hey!”

“I don’t mean that as an insult! Look at Gon… Look at the smile… do you expect a person like that to punch a ball so hard into someone, it makes them slide halfway across a building, as you so adequately explained?”

Killua rolled his eyes, but he’d have to agree with Daniel here. No matter what, Knuckle won’t expect Gon’s punch to be so devastating. And if he keeps to his word, by standing there and not moving… it will be an easy win.

“Alright, so we have the plan… before you execute it, make sure he will keep to his word. He might be a Transmuter.”

Killua shot Daniel a dirty look “That’s not fair...”

“I couldn’t _lie_ my way out of a paper bag. You lied about the painting back in Yorknew… and you did so with the cutest smile I might add.”

Killua looked mortified at his friend for making such an accusation “D- Don’t say weird shit Baka!”

“Gon, do you think you can do it?”

Gon looked down at his clench fist. Apart of him agreed with the idea, but he didn’t know if he liked the plan. But the other part of him wanted Knuckle to eat his words “I can do it…”

The boys broke their secret meeting before walking back towards Knuckle. The man stood there, still irritated “Well…?”

Gon took a few steps closer to the man, making sure he was within a metre distance “You promised not to move?”

“You have no chance of moving me on your own…”

“I won’t stop hitting you until you move.”

“Enough talk… Just get to it!”

Gon altered his posture, moving into a sumo stance as he pulled his fist back, ready to punch. Gon moved on, pressing his other hand, an open palm into his fist. Aura channelled into his fist, growing with each passing second “First comes rock!”

One minute passed by, the man starting to sweat from the idea of being punched with that much aura contained within a single fist.

“Rock… Paper… Rock!” Gon removed his palm, sending his right fist full of contained aura towards the man. Gon’s fist was soon colliding with the man, square in the man’s belly.

Daniel could have sworn he heard the sound of something cracking under pressure, but it might have been a figment of his imagination. The force of Gon’s attack sent the man tumbling across the floor like a wheel flying off a car.

After rolling across the ground for what seemed like four perfect cart wheel length, Knuckle remained motionless. All three stared in shock and surprise, for being taken down so easily. They were expecting at least three hits before Knuckle broke down… not one.

“Ah…” Daniel piped up “Are you… ok?”

Knuckle was still lying down on the floor, not a single muscle being moved. Shocked from accidently killing another Hunter, the three approached the man.

“Knuckle-San…?” Gon asked as he approached the man with his friends.

When they had gotten closer, Killua asked the man again “You okay?”

Knuckle moved his head slowly, wanting to look at the boys with a huge smile “I… trusted… you…” Dropping his head, the man failed to move anymore.

“Oh god… we killed him!” Daniel freaked out as Killua looked at his friend in disbelief “No, he’s still alive…”

“Are you sure…? He’s not moving!”

Gon shared a glance between his friends “Is he… going to be ok?”

Killua sighed from both of his friend’s reaction. He raised both hands to his hips, resting them on either side as he gave them ‘are you an idiot’ look “Obviously… his just a hundred percent total idiot.”

“What do we do now?”

Killua sighed once more “We won, so technically we take him back until he wakes up.”

“That doesn’t seem fair though…”

“He lost, we won…”

Gon looked down at his fist “But, it’s not fair…”

Killua let out another sigh from his friend’s reaction “Fine, we’ll take him back to Bisky to get fixed up. But don’t expect Palm to not kill him. She does after all want Knuckle and Shoot dead.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she secretly still wants Zai dead as well…”

Killua picked up Knuckle, slinging the man over his shoulders “Well, no point waiting here. Let’s head back. Well see who wins in an argument… Palm, Old lady, or Gon…”

“Killua…” Gon whined as he chased after his friend.

“She is old!”

Daniel chuckled as Gon and Killua argued back and forth. The boy stood there for a few minutes before looking back at the scuff mark on the ground. _It’s a good thing I’m not Gon’s enemy…_ Chasing after his friends, Daniel yelled out to them “Hey, wait for me!”


	89. Tag X Hell X Training

At some point during the walk, a dog secretly followed them, wanting to be by its new owner Knuckle. It was impossible to get rid of the cute animal that yipped, and barked at them, begging for half the tip to also be taken too.

Gon had taken the dog up into his arms, carrying it. It began to snore half way through the trip, becoming bored. It wanted to sleep instead of watching the forest surrounding them go by.

They had a hard time explaining what had happened, including how they managed to beat Knuckle. Palm was furious out of the three, agitated that they failed to kill the man. When she offered to do so, Bisky instead pushed her out of the room and told her they still needed the token.

An argument ensued between the both of them as Zaikaria frowned at the three boys and man. She didn’t expect them to win, they must have cheated somehow.

The boys were forced to watch over Knuckle as they trained. He slept soundly, and surprisingly, he didn’t snore. Half the time they had forgotten he was there because he was so quite.

Zaikaria infringed on the boys’ time “There is no way, you beat that guy…”

Killua glared at the older woman, a bad taste settling in the pit of his stomach from the woman’s accusation. She gave him no reason to like her, and every reason to hate her. While she wasn’t as bad as his brother Illumi, she was getting there “We told you! He gave us a free punch, and Gon knocked him out…”

“By accident!” Daniel argued once more in their defence.

“A man who threaten to take you out, does not just simply give you a free punch!”

“Ask him!”

“I will… when the beef cake wakes up. Still, on the off chance you _are_ right, and the idiot did give you a free punch… kudos to you, Gon. You have one a strong arm… Learn something from Gon, Daniel…”

Daniel sighed at his sister’s response, especially how the woman looked at him after leaving the room. She showed no sign of trusting any of them, for anything relating to the battles to come ahead.

The boys sighed in relief, the peace and quiet overcoming them as the puppy slept with he’s owner. _Ren_ training became normal to them, bouncing in and out of training whenever they had to leave for the toilet or grab a quick bite to eat. They always made sure one person was in the room, especially with Palm still hovering around the building.

When Gon had left the room to go the toilet, and also grab a couple of drinks for them, Daniel decided to ask Killua a few questions, unrelated to their surround issues “Hey, Killua?”

Killua’s eyebrows furrowed at the prospect of Daniel asking him a question or stating an argument in defence, about his sister “If it’s about your sister, no! I do not want to know…”

“Ok… grumpy pants...”

“I’m not _grumpy_ … she’s just annoying!”

“Not here to argue about that. Did you come up with any answers about that random… tears of… anguish, moment?”

Killua’s cheeks blushed from the fact Daniel so calmly brought up the issue again. He had no clue as to whom, or how the person relates to him. To the boy, it was nothing but a shadow, a part of his past. For all he knew, she could have been a past target.

But he didn’t remember getting close to any of his targets, at least not to point it was able to cause waterworks. The boy remained quiet on the matter, focusing only on his training which in-turn also made Daniel return to his training as well.

The thoughts soon muddled his mind, distracting him from his training.

Daniel made no attempts to point out the issue, only watching the boy’s features contort every so often when he tried to force the memory back out. Daniel realised he did look creepy to an extent whenever he watched Killua’s distracted moves. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but watch. To Daniel, Killua was his caffeine fix. The boy was more interesting to him, now more than ever.

Killua rarely showed emotion, at least not without getting embarrassed about it…

“I still have no clue…” Killua eventually muttered, eyes glancing over to Daniel “Why do you want to know so badly?”

“Because I want to help... Several good deeds deserve something.”

The boy shifted his attention elsewhere. He didn’t want to focus on the possibility of something in his past bothering him. Again, for all he knew… this girl could mean not that much to him now. But, the possibility of her meaning something more was likely.

He didn’t want to think about it right now, but a part of him was pushing to discover its meaning. Killua once more bottled the feelings, leaving them deep inside to think about later “Like I said earlier, Daniel…”

“ **I’ll tell you all about it… when I have a clue** , right?”

“That’s beyond _creepy_ …”

“I prefer the term **caring** …”

“How about **caring** in a _creepy_ way?”

Daniel sighed as he rolled his eyes at Killua. He’d just have to settle for the middle ground, and agree to disagree for the moment. While he agreed that he can be creepy at times… he does really care for Killua “Fine…”

Killua brought up his hand, patting Daniel across the hair as if the boy were a puppy “Thank you…”

Daniel made no effort to remove the hand, instead relishing in the comfort of the boy’s gesture of kindness. He loved the feeling of being touched, and would make no movements to removing the offending hand.

“~”

Half a day had passed before Knuckle even began to stir. The sound of the blanket rustling as the man sat up caused the boy to look at the creator of the sound. They half expected the dog to be the cause, not Knuckle.

Gon was the first to notice the man already awake “Oh, are you awake?”

Knuckle sighed at the situation. He felt well rested, but to be stuck with the boy who knocked him out in one punch took a blow to his ego. He was saved by the boys who knocked him out “You’re stronger than I thought. Guess I underestimated you…”

Killua grinned smugly at the man as soon as he turned away. A boost to his ego, at the loss of his enemy’s own; that will teach the older generation to think twice before they _dis_ them.

Seeing Killua’s smug expression made Daniel smile a little on the inside. It had nothing to do with the plan, just seeing Killua smile in whatever form made him too feel giddy inside. Maybe it was puppy love, but who cares! He felt happy in the moment, and that’s all that mattered.

Knuckle had been searching his pocket, checking to see if he was missing something. To his surprise, he pulled out the token that was still in his pocket. Why hadn’t any of the boys taken it? It was his loss after all “Why didn’t you take this?” Knuckle argued as he stared back at the boys, whom still had their _Ren_ still active.

“Huh…?” Gon looked in confusion at the man asking the question. Gon would’ve thought he’d still be happy to hear he still had his token.

“You should’ve taken the token and ditched me.”

“We didn’t want your token…”

“Actually…” Daniel butted in; he frowned at the boy’s use of words “We did… Gon didn’t. He wanted to win it fair and square.”

Gon whine at his friend for butting in, but that was for only a second. The moment Gon was done whining, the boy turned to give Knuckle a genuine answer “What we want, is the strength to defeat you in a straight-up fight. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure…” Knuckle turned to smile at the tokens “go ahead...”

“Why did you become a Beast Hunter?”

Knuckle turn to look at the boy in confusion. What was this about? It had nothing to do with their fight “What do you mean?” Gon’s look didn’t help with the matter; he was just plain curious to the reason as to why the man was a Beast Hunter. Sighing, the man began to speak once more “It’s a long story… And it brings back bad memories.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow from the curious answer, but made no objections in order to get the man speaking. It wasn’t for them to pry into that. But then Gon just had to open his mouth once more, but this time for a completely different part of the story “Then, why did you volunteer for the punitive force?”

“Simply put, to keep it from doing its job.”

The response made the boys more curious than before. Neither of them expected the man to give the opposite answer to the reason why he became one in the first place. That sounded like a man becoming a thief, just so he can stop other thieves from stealing. But the man didn’t stop there, he went on further, explaining the reasoning as to why he wanted to impeach other Beast Hunters “I don’t like the idea of cutting off whatever doesn’t fit the mold. My teacher says I’m just a softy. But…”

Knuckle looked back at the boys whom were still training their _Ren_. Something about the situation annoyed him, but he didn’t want to comment on it as of yet “You can’t judge something that you’ve never seen before…”

 _You won’t be saying that if you saw what we saw…_ Daniel argued to himself.

“First, you have to exchange blows.”

Killua rolled his eyes from the man’s response. That was the best way to get someone killed. _You aren’t evil in my books… so let us punch each other until we agree to fight seriously…_ _That’s how you get yourself killed!_

Gon smiled at the man. He liked the man’s thinking pattern. It was genuine… sincere…

“You’re a good kid.” Knuckle soon found himself smiling at the boys “Now that we’ve fought, I see that.”

As Killua and Daniel looked into each other’s eyes, they thought the exact same thing. _He’s lucky he didn’t die…_

“You, too…” Gon pointed at the man’s crotch.

He looked down, noticing his neither regions come to life, moving in a pattern that wasn’t considered normal for a man his age. It wasn’t until he felt a pair of tiny paws dig into his legs, did he began to realise it was something else under the blankets with him. Removing the sheets, he found the same dog from last night hiding under the bed sheets with him.

This stray dog had followed him all the way back, wanting to be with him. It happily whined at its new temporary owner.

“You!”

“He wouldn’t leave your side.” Gon stated as Knuckle reached out to the dog, picking him up as he held him to the sky. He was treating the dog as if he was trying to get better reception on his phone.

Gon continued, his smile widening as the man played with the dog “They say good Hunters are well-liked by animals.”

A part of the boys were half expecting it, while the other half of them weren’t prepared for it. Knuckle started to shed some new tears as he place the dog down. He quickly began to wipe them all way just as new ones replaced the old ones “S- Stupid! I’m not crying… Don’t tell anyone! Or I’ll kill you…”

Killua’s expression said it all; he had the face that said ‘you aren’t fooling anyone…’ while Gon was trying so hard to smile without raising an eyebrow in concern.

The amount of sass just being expressed by his friends’ was impossible to not laugh at. However, the boy also didn’t want to ruin the moment. He instead looked at the opposite wall from Knuckle; the need to laugh was SO hard to control.

But unless he wanted to ruin the moment, he needed to hold it in for as long as he has too… hopefully, he’ll last until at least lunch.

“~”

Knuckle walking into the room, calm after the crying fest from just over an hour ago. He wasn’t expecting to meet one of his team mates already joining their enemies “What are you doing here?”

“Why did you get knocked out so easily?”

Knuckle shot the woman a death glare. He didn’t expected Zaikaria to have already joined the enemies, but it wasn’t like he was any better. He was forced into submission, after being knocked out by a kid he hadn’t expected to hold that much power in a single blow “I asked first!”

“I followed them… Like, you know… normal detectives. You even walked straight past them. But you wouldn’t have noticed because you were too busy challenge them to a fight, while also forgetting to mention the place…”

“Sh- Shut up! I just wanted to challenge them like real men.”

“You didn’t look like a real man when they dragged you in here. Unconscious, mind you...”

The man sat down near the food, fuming. But he couldn’t say anymore. She was right, and he was wrong. But he and the boys agreed to disagree. No one had won that night.

They will continue to fight, until one of them wins on equal footing. How the boys would win, Knuckle had no clue. But a part of him wanted to push them, to see if they could end up beating him. Why else would Netero, Morel and Knov decide to pitch a couple of boys against adults?

Letting out a deep breath, Knuckle made quite possibly the worst decision he could ever make “Fight me any time you want. I’ll give you as many tries as you want. But it’s impossible for you to beat me in twenty days left.”

 “I’ve been telling them that from the start…” Zaikaria pitched in as she pointed her chopsticks at the man “This is a sick, and twisted match up in my opinion.”

“No one asked for your opinion!” Killua butted in.

“Age trumps skillset!”

“Listen here, Velociraptor…”

“Velociraptor?!” Daniel and Zaikaria freaked out at the same time.

Zaikaria then continued after her and her brothers momentarily connection “What you mean by that, snowflake?”

Daniel snickered at the childish name calling which neither Zaikaria, nor Killua liked “Age doesn’t trump experience… Exhibit A.” Killua then pointed a thumb at Knuckle.

“Huh?!”

“He’s a special kind of case…”

“What?!”

Neither of the two answered Knuckle’s questions, or glares they were receiving. They were more interested in each other, and how to deal with future arguments. Maybe the two by some miracle can agree to disagree on something.

A wicked idea then came across Killua’s mind. As much as he wanted to argue some more with the older woman, a part of him also came to the realisation. Daniel’s sister was a treasure trove to the boy’s past. Daniel hardly said anything, so asking her was the next best thing… but the chances of her saying anything was pretty slim “You’re Daniel’s sister, right?”

“Yeah…” Daniel and Zaikaria asked in concern.

“You must have some really funny, embarrassing stories about Daniel, right?”

“Yes, and no…” Zaikaria ended the topic before it could even begin.

Daniel allowed a momentary breath of relief to be released, which was then only sucked back up moments later in fear once Killua got a third party involved “Gon wouldn’t you like to know as well?”

“YEAH!” The boy smiled widely, scooting really close to the boy’s sister in hopes of hearing anything related about the boy “What was Daniel like as a child?”

Daniel was mortified as Zaikaria considered the thought. What was it, with Gon and his bright smiles to persuade anyone to give up juicy details “No! Don’t say anything…”

Zaikaria pondered the idea further. She didn’t want to say anything to Killua, but those big puppy dog eyes were making it hard to resist Gon’s request “I can’t…”

“Eh…?” Gon’s eyes widened, almost tearing up in disappointment.

 _God fucken damn it! That’s too damn cute…_ “Fine!”

“YES!” Gon and Killua agreed in unison as Daniel followed behind them in fear “NO!”

Zaikaria took a deep breath before continuing “Did you know Daniel once made Chocolate Cake with egg shells?”

“No, not that story!”

“~”

Daniel was mortified how their evening lunch went. So many juicy stories were told about the boy’s failed adventures. And now Killua had ammo to fire off on him if he so much as tried to embarrass the boy.

They had been given an hour break, and Killua was probing Daniel “I can’t believe you did that!”

“Stop it! Haven’t you done that by accident?!”

“Strut downstairs, half naked, with a bad case of bed hair…? TO THE POINT it looks like I have little cat ears? Nope, never…”

“You are evil incarnate!” Daniel felt like he should join a roaming circus, fall off the side of the planet, something to end his embarrassment. No one… should have this kind of incriminating evidence on anyone. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

And just when Daniel though it could get worse, Killua surprised him “It’s funny and all. But… a boy who can’t cook, but can bake… how in hell do you achieve that?”

For a moment, Daniel saw a glimmer of hope in Killua. Maybe the boy just wanted to hear more about him, and he just failed to tell those stories before Zaikaria “Why…? Why do you want to know…?”

Killua scratched the side of his chin while trying to look indifferent on the matter. Maybe he should have asked Daniel personally, but he just couldn’t bring it up “Because… you confessed to me.”

Daniel saw the slight blush on the boy, and it made him smile. But that smile was soon lost once Killua continued “You hardly say anything about yourself, and then you confess to me… You been doing nothing but teasing me for the past year, and then decide to say **you like me**. Granted, you did tell me why you like me…” Killua’s blush spread further “but, you did also hardly tell me anything about yourself.”

“You’re right…”

“Huh…?”

“I do _like_ , _like_ you more than a friend. And we do hardly know each other’s past. But… you know what, that line of thinking is stupid! I like you, more than friends, despite your past history. But secretly, you and I are both the same. We do want to find out more about each other. But, isn’t that cool about us…? I know stupid line of thinking… But we want to know more about each other, despite me sucking very badly at cooking, and you with your whole family wanting to shape you into something you’re not!”

Killua hide his cheeks from the whole argument. While he’d secretly admit he likes Daniel a bit more now, he just still doesn’t see himself falling for another like Daniel describes himself, with his feelings towards Killua.

But, at the same time he doesn’t see the same with himself towards Gon either. While the thought that crossed his mind earlier made him reconsider the idea for a second, it could be something that also goes with his own ideals. He just doesn’t see himself loving someone else… for any reason. At least in the way Daniel describes it… or in a way if Gon were to describe it.

“Killua…?”

“Huh, what…?”

“You went quiet…”

“I still think about that every day. And I get the exact same answer every time… I don’t know how I feel. And by you, or Gon describing it won’t change my answer...”

Daniel held out a hand to rub Killua’s shoulder gently “I know… Take your time because it took me at least a year to figure out mine. It hurts, but it’s also understandable. My feelings are not yours… as much as I want them to be…”

Gon had been listening to a partial section of the conversation, wanting to hear what his friends think on the matter of more than friendship. Now after what he heard, and thought about, he’d been neglecting Sakura as well. Gon took the opportunity to text the boy.

While he loved Sakura, he also loved Killua and Daniel as well. He cherished them more than he could possibly deserve. They had been travelling the world together, falling into one battle after another, fighting enemies even stronger than the last.

They had been together for this long, and neither had Gon, nor Killua’s by the sound of things feelings have changed. Gon’s had to a degree, though he won’t admit it, because he knows Daniel likes Killua more than a friend. And he wouldn’t want to hurt the friendship on the slight chance Daniel also likes him as well.

Although, if the four of them loved each other, would it make the situation better or worse?

Gon’s phone was soon buzzing in his pocket, letting him know Sakura had replied. The boy was hasty with checking the contents of the message, almost forgetting immediately about his original thought.

Sakura was still having fun like him, but not the dangerous kind.

**Long time no talk… Where are you now in your grand adventure to find Ging, and the one you are having with Kite?**

**-Sakura 3:44**

The boy soon found himself lost in text, talking about everything that had transpired since their last text. Between the deal with beating Knuckle, Zaikaria and the third member, he had so much to tell Sakura.

No matter what, he won’t confess to Sakura until the ants were dealt with. But that still didn’t mean he couldn’t say anything else. He’ll tell Sakura about the deal to beat Knuckle, Shoot and Zaikaria, and wanting to save Kite. No need to stress out Sakura about the smaller details.

**I have so much to talk to you about!**

**-Gon 3:58**

“~”

“Okay, three hours! All done! Well, then… Get going.” Bisky shove the tired boys towards the door. As they were leaving, Zaikaria walked in to stop her brother from leaving “Daniel, stay here! It’s time you start trying to beat me… I’ll leave Knuckle and the third to Gon and Killua.”

Daniel looked at his friends with perplexity before nodding at his sister “Alright, sorry… you can beat Knuckle and… Mr. Third and mysterious. You know, Shoot…”

“Fine, but if you hurt Daniel-”

“The day I hurt Daniel, physically would be the day you punch me in the face.”

“Wait, what you mean by-”

Bisky pushed the boys out the door before anyone could argue “Shoo, shoo! You have someone else to beat!”

Killua’s eyebrows furrowed, but still did ultimately leave with reluctance. As Bisky closed the door, she stared at Zaikaria “Alright, I get to watch!”

“No, but… I’ll tell you what. You don’t watch our fight… I won’t wipe my brother and your memory of my ability, deal? I’ll even let my little brother tell you all about my abilities…”

“Deal!” Bisky left with a smile, bouncing one every step of the way outside the room.

Daniel soon felt the terror of having to deal with his sister as she led him to a vacant room. He had no clue as to what her abilities would ultimately do to him, but he was sure they were going to hurt one way or another…

Zaikaria stood a meter away from Daniel, so many questions swirling in her head “Alright, how long can you last with _Ren_?”

“Three hours and thirty five minutes, why?”

Zaikaria pondered the statement. There were so many ways she could train her little brother, but which way would work best? She did want to also scare him from pursuing the enemy, so maybe a ‘threat’ would work best “I’m just thinking… Dad wanted me to train you, and told me that in whichever way I do so, would be the best approach.”

_Please do not let it be beating me to a pulp…_

Zaikaria thought some more on the matter. The best way, in her own opinion where she can ultimately win her own game… would be to beat the boy down mentally, by showing off a fraction of her abilities… and she knew the perfect one to traumatise her little brother into giving up this foolish quest of his “Alright, I know the extent of your _Ren_ capabilities more or less. Let’s see the physical part…”

Zaikaria stood her ground as she pointed a thumb towards herself “Alright, attack me like you plan to capture me. Use whatever skills, Weapons or _Hatsus_ , you have learned or taught yourself this past year or so…”

Daniel pushed his foot back, gulping as he took hold of Wolfbane. He was in for a rough fight, one he wouldn’t walk out of bruise free “Will you be attacking me back?”

“Attack, no… Counter, yes…”

Unsheathing his weapon, Daniel charged his sister. Zaikaria avoided the first strike, leaning back as the boy swung the blade in an arc. Twisting his hand, the boy swung the blade upwards which was avoided once again by a side step.

“Sloppy…” Zaikaria frowned.

Daniel growled in disgust, releasing the shackles just as he was swinging the blade once more. Zaikaria caught the weapon with ease, closing her fist tightly against the shaft of the weapon as her brows furrowed.

But the attack didn’t stop there. The moment his sister caught the blade, Daniel activated his ability. Shadowy hands crawled out of the ground, lashing out at his sister. Zaikaria had no time to deflect the attack. She raised her knee, blocking the first set of attacks.

Taking a step back as she avoided the next set, she tugged the chain towards herself.

Even though Zaikaria broke the boy’s ability when she pulled on the chain, he used the momentum to his advantage. The boy brought up his leg as he was thrown towards his sister, aiming to get in another attack.

Zaikaria blocked the attack, and rather than reflecting or countering the attack, she grabbed her brother’s leg and pulled him forward. _Ability number one…_ Zaikaria flooded aura into her hand gripping the boy, activating her ability to read the boy’s mind first.

She wanted to be able to tell what the boy was thinking, and to use that to her advantage to further break him. The moment her ability was able to read the boy’s first thought, that’s when she activated her second ability. She didn’t care how it went… all that matters is the boy thought that’s what really happened.

Daniel saw it in a complete blur. Aura flowed into his sister’s arm as she was bringing her elbow down, while she was pulling him towards her. Bone connected with his knee, cracking it half.

The boy let out a scream of agony before being thrown back. He clutched the leg, desperately trying to push the bone back in place.

Bisky was already running into the room when she herd the boy scream. What she expected, was not what she was seeing.

The boy was holding his leg as if it had been snapped in half or something of equal pain. The smug expression the boy’s sister held made her think otherwise. Taking her leave, she was sure to find out what happened later. Daniel was in on immediate threat, at least, not from her view.

Zaikaria waited a minute before she said anything “What you crying over?”

“You cracked my knee bone in half…”

“Reality check, I just used my ability.” Stomping forward, the woman pressed her hand into her brother’s face, covering his eyes as she reversed the ability.

Daniel let go of his leg, no wound in sight. No blood oozing out of the wound, his leg still firmly attached without a bone protruding out. It was as if whatever happened was happening only in his eyes or at least in his mind “Wh… What did you do to me?”

“I made you think I snapped your leg in half…”

The boy forced himself up, taking a step back as his eyes shook in terror. What was going on? One minute his leg was broken, and the next it was as if nothing happened.

And just when he thought the situation couldn’t get any weirder, his sister decided to speak once more “You big baby… Get your head back in the game. I could have killed you several times over while you were distracted!”

“But- But how?”

“Stabbing… Maiming… insert gruesome death here…”

“No I mean-”

“How did I make you believe I cracked your leg like an egg? My ability…”

As his sister took a step forward, he took a step back “Is this where you give up? What about your bravado? **I’ll save Killua… I’ll protect you no matter what…**? One broken leg can make you crumble in terror? What you intend to fight, looks and feels like it would do worse. What you, Gon and Killua plan to take on doesn’t have a sense of morality. It won’t stop if you start crying in pain… and you want to protect your friends from that? Oh, please… come home… We’ll help you grow, and then one day you can come back and actually help out. Don’t you want that?”

Daniel clutched his fist tight, fingers going pale. No, this was a trick. It was a trial for him to complete, and show to his sister that she was wrong. Taking a step back, he prepared himself for the mental abuse he was about to receive.

Frowning from her brother’s reaction, her fists tightened “Fine then… try to survive for an hour!”

Releasing a scream, he charged his sister once more. _I won’t give up!_

“And I’ll make you give up!”

If his sister could read his mind by some miracle, he’ll find a way to beat her…

Even if it’s the last thing he’ll do…


	90. Tag X Hell X Proposal

Daniel was countered one after another, brought down to the floor and even forced into submission by his own sister. Each take down demoralised the boy further. It made him feel way weaker than he should have been.

He would have thought he’d at least get one hit in by now, countering his sister on one of the returning strikes by now. It felt as though something was completely wrong with the situation. It was as if…

No, his next thought couldn’t have been right. The chances of his sister being able to manipulate his memories were doable, as he had seen with the shattered knee mere hours ago. _But… there’s no way my sister could also…_

“Read minds…?” Zaikaria interrupted the boy’s thoughts without a second thought.

The boy looked more dumb-folded than he was a second ago; he was staring at his sister, mouth agape. She just read his mind. No, that thought wouldn’t have been right. She had been reading his mind since the start.

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever realise that I had been reading your mind, predicting when, and where you’ll strike. You, are no exception… Most people unconsciously think of their next move as they are striking.”

Zaikaria threw back her hair, fluffing it up as she continued “Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if getting beat up is your go to fight instinct. I have my work cut out for me…”

“But… I thought you wanted me to go home?”

“I do… but I also know you are stubborn. You like to do things your own way… BUT, I still want you to come home with me. So, why not strike a deal…? If Gon, or Killua loses… You’ll come home with me. Is that ok?”

“No!” Daniel stood up, tightening his raised fist “If Killua loses, I’ll go home with you… after you completed your mission.”

Zaikaria frowned at the boy’s request, but still… he did agree to going home still “Alright, pinkie swear?”

“I’m not a little kid…” _Even though I’ve seen Gon do it once… maybe twice…_ “Hand shake on it?”

Zaikaria gleefully took her brother’s hand in her own, shaking the boy on it. She was sure the boy would eventually go back on his word, one way or another… but even if that was the case, she could always just take him back by force “Deal! Now, would you like to rest a bit, or explain the situation to Bisky and your friends when they get back?”

Daniel pondered the thought for a second. Maybe it would be best if he fought later rather than now. At least he could formulate a plan how to get around his sister’s main ability.

“Good idea…”

As Daniel walked out the room to find Bisky, he grumbled under his breath “This is going to be a lot harder…”

“~”

Bisky nodded at the boy’s words, listening carefully to how Zaikaria’s ability works. Judging by what the boy has detailed, the girl would fall under three different categories **_Manipulator_** , **_Conjurer_** and **_Specialist_**.

If she had to guess, Zaikaria would fall more under **Specialist**. Daniel’s task was about to get more difficult, but something bugged her a little. Underneath the boy’s concerns, there was something he was keeping for her.

Maybe it didn’t matter to her, but in either case, she wanted to help the boy “So, let me get this straight… Your sister can actively read thoughts… and manipulate them at will.”

“I don’t think so… She could have altered them on multiple occasions…”

Bisky fumed at the boy’s response, Zaikaria was actively altering the boy’s thoughts, and he didn’t see it being performed in front of him. The girl was able to read thoughts, so merely stepping off to the side, or blocking each and every one of the boy’s attacks without getting hit once, would be actively manipulating Daniel’s thoughts.

Given that Bisky already had a sneaking suspicion how Zaikaria’s mind reading ability worked, getting around that ability would be easy for her… not so much for Daniel. The same way Gon was using _Gyo_ to predict and defend against Genthru’s attacks, would work perfectly in the situation.

However, she knew it would also fly under the boy’s radar as Zaikaria also used a variation of _In_ when activating the ability. Daniel hadn’t learnt that, so he need to eventually learn to counter Zaikaria’s _In_ by preforming _Ryo_ , to adjust his aura equally to focus _Gyo_ on his eyes as he distributed the rest of his aura between his attacks and defence for longer periods of time.

Vastorie had secretly become more cunning over the years. He must have known at some point Daniel’s ability would rely on a form of _Ryo_ , and given that Daniel’s fighting style completely relied on interchanging from one move to the next with seamless transitions, would imply Vastorie had cultivated that skill.

But something seemed a little off also… someone else had instilled a separate fighting style on the boy. And if her suspicions were true, Zaikaria was the one that did so. The girl treats her brother as if he was fragile. It was as if he was the one that needed to be protected at all times, and it shows in his fighting style, and the story they told about the Chimera Ants.

Not once, did Daniel ever manage to kill a Chimera Ant; neither did Gon, Killua, nor Daniel ever mention a death at the boy’s hands.

Bisky pondered the thought, leaving the poor boy to fume at his mentor’s silence “Biscuit…”

“Oh, right!” Bisky slammed a fist in her other hand “You want my advice… you’re screwed! Good luck…”

The boy was mortified at the response, almost shifting into a statue at that point. His mentor had no faith in him… none, at all! But just when he thought all hope was lost, Bisky smiled once more “Have you ever thought of not thinking at all…”

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern as Bisky left the scene. She must have other issues to attend to, like hunting down his sister for another endless argument. Or maybe to pry more information… or even gloat about the fact she knew how to counter her ability. Regardless of the case, that left only one more group to inform…

That… was his friends…

“~”

Daniel was met with different ideas when Gon and Killua came back, although not before they arguing against each other on who had the most wounds. Surprisingly, Killua had suffered the most out of all of them. Daniel was expecting Gon, if not himself, to be suffering from the most wounds… that boy didn’t know when to quit.

But alas, Daniel didn’t have time to worry about the boy, considering Bisky worked like clockwork. She once more pushed back into a vicious cycle of Ren training which ultimately worked them back into a collapsed state.

Bisky’s ability worked wonders, considering after all those bruises they suffered the night before, would vanish after half an hour rest.

Daniel had to choose his time properly, somehow working his conversation into their _Ren_ training without being distracted, and ultimately suffering with his training.

“So, any ideas on how I can beat someone who can read my every move…?”

Killua brought a finger up to his chin, thinking out loud on all his opinions “I could think of a few things. Your best bet is to develop an **eidetic** **memory**.”

“Eidetic…?”

“Basically, photographic memory; try to develop a way of thinking of multiple things at the same time, while remaining focused… You could also try thinking of distracting thoughts, which in-turn should also distract her as well…”

Daniel hummed aloud as Gon spoke next “You could also try not thinking as well…”

“Gon…” Daniel and Killua spoke at the same time, almost in sync. Daniel stopped only so Killua could say what they were both thinking “Name a time when you have not thought of something, and when you’re in a deep sleep… does **not** count!”

Daniel and Killua chuckled at Gon’s response when he stuck his tongue out at them. They probably deserved it anyways, but that didn’t deter Daniel when he brought up something else Killua said “Wait, you said distracting thoughts…” Daniel brought his face close to Killua so he could whisper to the boy “Do you think if I think about _you_ , she’ll be distracted?”

“Not if you want to die!” Killua had accidently yelled the thought a little too loud, which ultimately ended his _Ren_ prematurely. The boy was blushing profusely which only made Gon more confused “What did Daniel say?”

Killua looked mortified at Gon “Wh- What?!”

Bisky disrupted the conversation before it could continue as she flipped to the next page “ _Ren_ up! You won’t be beating anyone if a simple conversation can distract you…”

The boys forced themselves back into training as Gon repeated his question “What did Daniel ask you?”

“It’s not something for your ears, Gon… It was a weird question Daniel thought of!”

Gon pouted at the statement, but otherwise returned to training. But from what the boys could gather, Gon wasn’t finished with the question. He’ll most likely bring it up again during the night.

“~”

Training had returned to normal, no hiccups. But from gathering the new and improved inflicted bruises on Daniel, his training wasn’t going so well. He thought his distracting idea would go well, but the fists to his face, and the insults flung at him proved his method did not work.

Apparently, Zaikaria was jaded, immune to the process of having someone think about others in a _suggestive_ manner. Actually, if anything… Zaikaria only punched him harder whenever he thought about Killua’s words during his battle.

She has some serious grudges against Killua, and finding out those answers might be hard. As much as he wants the answers to his questions, would her fists of fury be something he could handle and survive?

“Wow… you’re messed up!” Killua hummed aloud, although, he wasn’t fairing so well either.

“Like wise…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“That I wasn’t the only one beat up…” Daniel stuck out a tongue to the boy “you’re just as bruised as me!”

“Well, mine don’t look like revenge sucker punches…”

Daniel rolled his eyes at the boy, but his astute guess was a pretty good one. He was absolutely sure his sister sucker punched him every time he thought about the boy, even when it wasn’t in a suggestive manner “My plan didn’t go well…”

As the boy left out a sigh, Killua blushed “You deserve it, b- baka!”

Daniel let out another sigh; he couldn’t argue with the boy. Now what he was going to do… if she could read his mind at all stages, that meant he had no chance of getting in a sneak attack, at any time during his practice sessions with his sister. He needed a better plan, and how to counter it…

Gon suddenly piped up, surprisingly distracted from his friend’s own conversation. Something more important must have been plaguing his mind “Hey, Killua… Daniel… Why wasn’t Knuckle-San good enough?”

Killua’s head snapped towards Gon’s direction “Huh? What are you talking about?”

Gon fumed at the boy, hand held out to the boy as he turned towards Killua “Why didn’t they let him go to NGL? He seems really strong to me…”

“Well…” Killua held up his hand to his chin, humming his next thoughts aloud “that’s true…” Where was Gon heading with this thought process? Was Gon going to imply Knuckle might be weaker in some aspect?

“In terms of physical ability he’d be a match for Kite.”

“Then it’s probably a mental thing.”

“Mental…?”

Daniel stepped into the conversation after Gon’s confused tone “Knuckle might have a weakness for the enemy, is what Killua is referring to, right?”

“Yeah…” Killua smiled as he pressed one hand into his hip while offering the other one out to Gon “His approach isn’t in line with this mission’s objective. He’s _way_ too soft... And it doesn’t help he gets attached to animals too easily.”

“And he did end up volunteering to help us, somehow…”

Killua countered the thought “The number of dogs around keeps increasing…”

“When I came, he had one… how many could he have gathered now?”

“What was it… eleven now?”

“Yeah…” Gon agreed as an awkward smile showed in the process “There are ten new dogs now.”

“He has a dog army now?!” Daniel gawked as Killua waved his hand at the boy “He doesn’t call upon the dogs to attack us… he just happens to be looking after eleven dogs now…”

Daniel bellowed into laughter, the conversation shifting more onto what they’ve gathered from Knuckle’s personality. He does have a real soft spot for animals, and it shows when he cares for and feeds the stray animals so easily.

“~”

Lunch soon crept on the boys, an eloquent Lunch well prepared for every one in the group. The meals had sauces, eggs, beef, pork, shrimp, rice and who knows what else was lurking between the dishes flavours.

The boys were drooling as Palm offered a hand out “Help yourself…”

“Thanks!”

As everyone was digging into their own portions, Palm raised some concerns “What do you think?”

Gon swallowed, a huge portion of the food stuffed into his mouth being devoured in one go. Clearly the boy was starving, so much so he didn’t want to savour the flavours… or maybe he just didn’t have enough time in his day between Bisky’s rotations of training regimens to actually savour it  “Oh, this is really good!”

“Not that!”

As soon as Palm raised her voice, that’s when the woman’s darkness began to consume the room, inadvertently taking the mood along with it “We only have ten days…”

“Time flies b-” When Daniel looked up, he closed his mouth. This… wasn’t the moment to make any light hearted jokes. If it weren’t for Palm’s self-control, she’d be ready to rip into anyone at this point, just so she could vent all her frustrations.

“From what I’ve seen, you’re only two-thirds through your training to become strong enough to force Knuckle into using his full strength…”

“Huh? Is that true, Bisky?”

“The bruises you and Killua come back with every time should have be the indicator alone…”

Gon stuck his tongue out at the boy before looking at Bisky. She remained quiet, the only sounds coming out of her from between sips of tea. She didn’t exactly say Palm was right… nor did she deny them.

Gon looked back at Palm, his trademark smile returning with a vengeance “But it’ll be fine! We’ll definitely beat him before the deadline!”

Palm argued back “How can you be so sure?! The situation hasn’t improved at all…”

Daniel noticed the woman’s hands clenching her legs, bunching the fabric between her legs and fists. If she grabbed anymore of her dress fabric, they’d be seeing a lot more than pale, hairless legs.

Palm clouded the room in her dark, depressing aura, further decreasing the already soured mood “You said it was all right for me to speak up, so I will. You have no chance to defeat Knuckle! They didn’t give you enough time… Lately, I find myself gripping a kitchen knife, staring at it to calm myself.”

 _If using a knife calms you down… I don’t want to know what you stare at increases your rage._ Daniel kept the thought to himself as he chewed slowly. There was absolutely, no way to calm this demon down once the train of thoughts got rolling.

Zaikaria took a sip of her herbal lemon tea, wishing for a split second she could just reach over and deter Palm’s rage. But in order to do that, she’d need an hour and a good grip against someone who isn’t thinking rationally… there was no way anyone would get away without scars once Palm’s rage tips over the edge.

She’d need to catch the woman completely off guard, and that would be no easy feat at the moment.

“That means I’m nearly over the edge, so if you run at once, before it’s too late, I probably won’t try to chase and kill you...”

 _Great…_ Zaikaria groaned on the inside. _This killer’s rage is about to flood forth, and no one hasn’t high tailed it out of the room. That alone, should be a reason to move far away from this person, and regroup in a different hotel at least so they could continue without having to worry about a crazy demon stabbing them in their sleep… at least that’s what I would be doing in this situation…_

“We aren’t gonna run away! How many times do I have to say it?”

Zaikaria stopped drinking, just so she could stare at the back of the oblivious boy’s head. _I would… this ship is about to crash! Abandon all hope!_

“What else can you do?” Palm asked, eyes glowing red from the surrounding dark aura. She was right on the cusp, meaning any second now… someone was about to get stabbed “As you currently are, you cannot defeat Knuckle!”

Gon pulled out his hand; pinkie extended “We’ll win! Pinkie swear…”

The room froze, everyone blankly staring at Gon now. He just issued a Pinkie swear… to someone who was threatening to kill everyone in the room if the mission failed. No one knew which idea was worse…

Not running away from Palm’s obvious threat…

Or the ‘Pinkie swear’ which had just absolved Palm’s raging sinister aura…

“Come on… Gon didn’t wait for Palm to respond, which from her facial reaction was still quite stunned. He grabbed her hand, interlocking both pinkies together in a tight grip “Hurry up!”

The moment the two pinkies were interlocked, Gon was smiling. He brought both their hands up and down, bouncing to the rhythm of the boy’s sing-song rhyme “I pinkie swear that we’ll beat Knuckle and Shoot before the deadline. If I break my promise, I have to swallow a thousand needles… Pinkie sworn!”

Everyone returned to eating, still shocked but otherwise questioning how the boy managed to get Palm to ‘rage quit’ her own rage. It wasn’t an easy feat… but damn, a skill like that comes in handy. No wonder the boys were still surprisingly alive. Gon had a skill to end most people’s rage.

Palm was still in shock. She couldn’t believe what Gon had just done with her pinkie “On the island I’m from, there’s another part.” Just when she thought it was over, Gon pulled their hands together “You go like this and put your thumbs together.”

The boy slowly pressed both their thumbs together in a mimicked kiss “Sealed with a kiss! Okay, now it’s a promise…”

Gon made small talk with Palm as everyone silent judged the boy in their own way.

“Is this… normal?” Zaikaria asked, hoping one of the remaining boys would answer her.

“This isn’t just normal… this is Gon normal…” Daniel broached before leaning close to Killua so he could whisper to the boy “I bet someone’s feeling jealous right now…”

Killua’s eye twitched, not just from the comment made by his friend but also intensified by the fake kiss issued by Gon. However, just as his mind was about to continue down that dark path, the boy’s cheeks tinged in embarrassment. Was he just about to think **no one should be kissing Gon except me**?

That was a bold statement to be making, even if it was all just in his head. They were **just best-friends** …

Nothing more…

Nothing less…

Killua needed to think of something else to get his mind off the thought. It didn’t matter what at this point. Anything would do “Gon’s getting really good at handling Palm...”

“I suspect she’s the one leading things in that direction…”

Killua’s finger twitched, snapping one of his chop sticks in half. There was no way… Bisky just said what he thought he heard her say. Bisky was insinuating Palm was the one leading the boy into her own arms. If the boy had any say, he’ll rip Gon’s hand right out of Palm’s grasp. That was his friend, and no one… not even Daniel could take Gon away from him.

The boy’s cheeks were colouring once more from the boy’s thoughts. Shifting his mind, Killua’s grip tightened around one chopstick, pretending as though he hadn’t cracked it just now.

Unfortunately for him, everyone except for Palm and Gon whom were stuck in their own world… had noticed the slight movement.

Daniel was worried for Killua, especially knowing Killua’s feelings for said boy. He felt his sister’s pair of eyes staring directly at him, as if he was supposed to say something. But he’d sooner take that thought to the grave than let his sister use that information against him.

When the boy felt a hand reaching out to him, Daniel scooted around to the opposite side of Zaikaria, making sure Killua and Bisky were the closest one’s to the woman. He trusted Killua more than himself to keep those thoughts from being used against him, especially seeing as he was also harbouring feelings for Killua.

Bisky’s eyebrow was raised the entire time during that scene, questioning what had just happened. She had her suspicions, but no proof to back up the claims she was thinking of “By the way… Ten days left.”

Killua looked up from his food, shooting Bisky an intense glare “Don’t say that like a countdown to our death!”

“Same for you, Daniel…”

“Don’t remind me…” Daniel hissed under his breath at Zaikaria, which earned him a concerned look from both Killua and Bisky. It seems as though Daniel and Zaikaria were running their own sort of deal under the table, and neither Killua nor Bisky knew what the deal was.

Maybe Killua might probe Daniel for the information later… The boy was sure Daniel would let loose what sort of deal he cracked.

Killua moved his attention back to Gon and Palm whom were still talking, the jealousy settling in the pit of his stomach once more.

Maybe it was because the boy was talking to Palm…

Maybe he didn’t like how she soured the mood just to gain the boy’s attention…

Or it could’ve been because of Bisky’s words. **She’s the one leading things in that direction…** When the boy focused on those words, his jealously felt more intensified. And just as he was about to open his mouth, Daniel interrupted him “Hey, Killua… Yoink!”

Daniel snatched a piece of pork out of his bowl, quicker than his mind could register. It took Killua even longer to realise the boy had stuffed it in his mouth. Soon the boy’s mouth twitched into an evil smirk, snatching some pork out of Daniel’s bowl “Yoink!”

Rather than Daniel whining, fussing over his food being stolen, the boy was smiling. Killua turned away, lips pursing into a small smile. The boy was attempting to try cheer him up, or more importantly divert his attention away from Gon and Palm’s distracted conversation.

Killua grabbed some food with his chop sticks, stuffing into Daniel’s mouth before he could realise what was happening “Don’t smile like a doofus!”

Zaikaria’s eye twitched at the two playfully fighting with their food, unconsciously feeding each other as if they were an intimate couple. She didn’t like Daniel being this close to Killua…

It felt unnatural, alien, to her… Not in two boys can’t be together way. More in the way of **‘that kid belongs to a family of assassins, and you are playfully feeding each other’** kind of way…

_Don’t you realise Killua-_

“Leave them be… you should have seen the three of them back on Greed Island.”

“It’s not… normal…”

“Says the girl with two fathers…”

“Not in that way… it’s just…” Zaikaria let out a long sigh “You know what… forget about it! Your generation is too old to understand…”

“My GENERATION!” Bisky punched Zaikaria clear across the room, making the rest of the group stare at her. Without warning, Bisky returned to her original stance, sipping on the tea which was still warm to the touch in her fingers.

Daniel could only stare, Killua still shoving food down his mouth as Daniel did the same to his friend. _What the...?_

Even with Palm’s souring mood and Zaikaria random knuckle sandwich, the meal returned to a delightful conversation, the weirdness soon being long forgotten.

Even though Daniel was playfully fighting with Killua by shoving food in each other’s mouth, he couldn’t help but secretly crack a smile.  Killua was so distracted, his attention was too focused on winning the game to realise what he was actually doing.

He liked it… but he wouldn’t tell Killua ‘he liked it’, out of fear from the boy suddenly becoming self-conscious enough to end the scenario.

“~”

A few more days had surpassed, the training getting more rigorous with Zaikaria. She had lessened the times she would counter, dropping from every open chance to once every few minutes.

Daniel first thought he was getting better, but those thoughts were soon dashed because of his sister’s ability to read minds. He still hadn’t figured a way to block her from reading his mind. Hell, he’d yet to figure out how it’s activated.

Did it occur from here being so naturally close to him, or was it activated alone from physical touch? The more he thought about it, the more confusing it got. It didn’t help he could tell his sister was agitated, as if she knew he knew he had the answer, and he was just overlooking it.

Besides physical contact, there wasn’t anything else being used. No residue aura flowing in the air… meaning it wasn’t activated by a field of aura. If it was something inside her that can be activated, which allowed her to read thoughts… she hid that ability well.

Just as Daniel dodged one of Zaikaria’s attacks, something clicked which he failed to pay attention to. It was the way his sister attacked. Before he couldn’t notice it, because he was too busy dodging and attacking at the same time however, now that the time span between each attack was more distant compared to the last few day, he could see it clearly now.

Daniel finally stepped back to point an accusing finger at his sister “Touch!”

“Finally… It only took you three weeks. You have to be more attentive to the situation… if this weren’t training, you’d already be dead. You should have already known that from all your pass fights…” 

“I know… but at least I know now. You know I’m a reverse attacker. Block first, attack later… but you use open palm strikes in all your attacks. And it’s not because that’s your fighting style, it’s because it also works best with your ability… you need physical contact, in order to activate your abilities.”

“Correct, but that also has its weakness. For instant… let’s use someone we both know; Hisoka knows about my ability.”

“WHAT?!”

“Not important right now! His ability would allow him to hold me in place, or stop me landing an attack, which in-turn renders my ability useless. With training, your ability too would work great against mine. I don’t do so well against ranged _Nen_ users… But neither do they do well against me, provided they learn about my ability’s weakness. It’s a double edge sword.”

Zaikaria paused for a few minutes, allowing her brother to think about her words as she did the same for her next level training. He had improved vastly, and was able to last a lot longer with his _Ren_. All he needed now was to discover about _In_ “Alright, now you need to learn about another department of _Nen_ , _In_ … I use a different variation. I usually apply the ability on the first hit, and then use _Gyo_ mixed with _In_ to make my next few hits match the same amount of aura I used on the first blow, so that they assumed nothing different had happened between the last few hits… it also makes people believe that I’m naturally reading their mind.”

Lifting a nonchalant hand, the woman explained more about the ability “Once they figure out the ability, it does start to lose its weakness. However, IF they figure a way to counter the ability itself, as in block me from reading their thoughts… the situation gets a bit more dangerous. I have situations for getting around it, but you won’t figure out how to get around it anytime soon!”

“Hey-”

Daniel was interrupted when Zaikaria raised a finger to silence the boy. If the boy really thought about it, he already used the answer. All she needed to do was wipe the person’s memory. Once he has forgotten, it’s only a matter of rinse and repeat.

Although, it would depend on how long the fight had been going on, and how many times she had altered the person’s memory already within the fight “So, no need to tell you that example… Furthermore! It only took me five minutes to figure out how your ability works, and that you use your hands to coordinate those attacks. Less longer, if I were to read your mind on how your ability works.”

“So… I had no chance since the start at beating you?”

“Naturally…” Zaikaria admitting with a smug expression “But the point of your training here and now, is to understand it… and how to block the initial attacks.” Clicking her fingers, Zaikaria undid her ability “You should have felt a subtle change.”

The boy did. He felt lighter, as if something was holding him earlier was now gone. It was slight difference… one he should’ve noticed earlier. Actually, now that he thought about… he should have realised soon that she could read minds by what she said.

**I’ll save Killua… I’ll protect you no matter what…**

He only thought that, and then told Killua and Gon months later when they were at Heavens Arena. Unless she was watching him nearby, she wouldn’t have known. And that wasn’t the only time… the scar as well would have been a dead giveaway.

She knew about his scar before they said anything, but that could’ve also been his brotherly connection to her. She always knows something is up, eventually…

“I did…”

“Good! Now let’s move on. Your objective now for the next few days is to learn to stop getting grappled. Once you learn how to do that… You should be strong enough to survive most situations.”

“Meaning, I could technically break our contract and continue with Killua and Gon?”

“No! You’re grounded mister! Training only gets more difficult from now on…”

“Damn…”


	91. Tag X Hell X Reassurance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I'm addicted to **History Maker - Dean Fujioka** damn you **Yuri on Ice** … with your super feminie, hot guys that would’ve definitely turn me gay, if I wasn’t already gay to begin with…
> 
> Rant aside, enjoy the next chapter =>_<=

Today was the second last day, the night before the last chance of obtaining two tokens. Killua hadn’t mentioned anything about Shoot, and Zaikaria remained unresponsive in her seat, too busy rocking back and forth in the seat. If it weren’t for the creak every half an hour, none would have noticed that she was still there.

“Okay, that’s three hours!” Bisky stated in triumph, letting the boys know their lesson was done for the night.

As Killua allowed his aura to relax, he looked surprised at his teacher “Oh? Already?”

“That seemed fast.” Gon smiled at the thought, stretching his legs out from standing still for far too long.

Daniel joined in soon after with his friends “Time has sure flown by these past few days…” The more days that went by, the lesson wasn’t as long their training would usually last. No, that thought wouldn’t have been right. Training no longer felt like an eternity had gone by…

Bisky glanced at the clock for a second before saying any more on the matter “Then I’ll give you thirty-minute break.”

“Huh?” The three retorted in confusion. Now wasn’t the time for them to be relaxing… It was the second last day; the chances of grabbing those tokens being reduce to only two days.

Bisky flipped a page as Gon argued that fact with his mentor “Aren’t we supposed to fight Knuckle now?”

“You can go once you’re rested…” The woman folded the pages out across her knees, a smile widen soon after. She was proud of what they had achieved so far, but she still had that nagging feeling in the back of her mind… **_They still aren’t good enough_** “Defeat him! You have a little over a day before the Chairman’s deadline.”

Even when those thoughts of failure played across her mind over and over again, she hid them from the boys. They needed to learn something else from this “This may be your first and last chance!” _As long as they can identify what they’re missing, then this training was a success…_

Daniel smiled at the time frame given to them. They had time to talk before their battles “Two more days… I believe you can beat Knuckle and Shoot… though I can’t say the same for myself…”

Daniel glanced at the woman rocking back and forth in her chair as Gon spoke up “Huh? I know you can beat her!”

“Easier said than done…” the boy retorted as he looked back. Gon, even when knowing the details, he still had no idea how hard it was to beat someone who knew your every thought. He grew up with Zaikaria, so she’s known him ever since he was born. She knows his weaknesses… and he doesn’t know any of them, yet.

But, there was still that nagging thought. Why didn’t Zaikaria confront him about Killua, instead of diverting his attention or smacking him around? He knew she didn’t like him, but she hasn’t said why…

It can’t be because Killua was an assassin… he no longer plays by his family’s rules, assassinating every contract. The only people his killed so far, are Chimera Ants. And it can’t be because of his scar, he did that… not Killua…

The boy had been so distracted; he hadn’t heard Killua clicking his fingers in front of him “HEY! DANIEL... EARTH TO DANIEL…?”

“Huh?”

“Finally… how are you going with your token grabbing?”

“I have no chance… but we’ve agreed to-”

The room went deathly quiet, the sounds of creaking, followed by glowing red eyes looking at them “Long story short, I have a chance!”

“Right…” Killua shivered from Zaikaria staring directly into his eyes. It was as if the woman was telling _him_ , good luck in a sarcastic tone without words. Even though he wanted no part of this, it looks as though he was dragged into this somehow “What’s her problem...?”

“I… don’t… know… but good luck!” Daniel let out the biggest, enthusiastic smile he could muster; the smile felt fake, even to him. Until Zaikaria told him why, he had no clue why Killua was on her ‘shit list’.

Just when the boys felt it couldn’t get any worse, Zaikaria faked her own bright smile “Daniel, today’s your day off… you may join your friends in beating Knuckle.”

The three, including Bisky shifted her head to the side, head tilted in a manner that showed only confusion. Given the room’s reaction, Zaikaria gave a nonchalant shrug “I’m busy thinking of what to do with tomorrow, so you’re on our own for now… Enjoy your time together…” When his sister looked at him, without the need to read her mind… he knew what she was thinking.

_It could be you last…_

Even when he knew that thought wasn’t true; the statement could be applied later on. As soon as his sister was finished with her job, it was going to be a reality. She’d take him home… and that was the end of his adventure… the last day he could possibly spend with either Gon or Killua. And he didn’t know if he’ll ever get to see them again.

They could still manage to fight the Chimera Ants without him, and die… Netero only said they couldn’t join him in NGL. That didn’t mean their fight wouldn’t span to other continents if the Queen managed to birth the King.

Daniel swallowed thickly, clenching his fists tight at the thought. Killua will win… He knows the boy will… He’ll trust him no matter what, and if Killua loses… he’ll make sure to cherish every last day with the boy…

He has to!

They might be his last…

“~”

Daniel lagged behind his friends, unsure of how Killua and Gon’s training goes with Knuckle. Maybe Shoot will show himself now, being the last of two days. If Shoot doesn’t show himself, Killua should win automatically. The man had yet to show his face after all…

Knuckle had upgraded on dogs since last time, now having thirteen instead of eleven. Someone has been busy collecting dogs in his spare time…

Knuckle looked up when the dogs began to growl, running away before the enemy got any closer “Seems you kids are serious tonight. You even brought backup...”

When Gon and Killua stopped, Daniel wondered what happened next. Would the three of them fight a single man at the same time? Or is this like Survival match, where Knuckle fights them one-by-one, one after another.

If that was the case, he wondered if the fight would slowly weaken Knuckle, or that the man wouldn’t even reach the moment he would have to use his full strength. Waiting in silence, Gon stepped towards Knuckle, announcing to the man he would be his enemy.

Daniel took that moment to stand side-by-side with Killua “So, do you fight next or something?”

Killua let out a long sigh, followed by a glance in his friend’s direction. The look said it all. It told the boy that no matter what, he usually doesn’t get to fight at all. Gon’s stubbornness stopped Killua from ever fighting once… and who knows for how long this had been going on for.

Gon stopped a few meters away from the man, glaring at him as he spoke “Before we begin, I want to know where your partner is.”

“Huh?” Knuckle raised a curious eyebrow before commenting. He too wondered what his friend was doing all this time, while he and the kids were exchanging fists “Oh, you mean Shoot?”

“Yeah…”

“Why do you want to know that…? You’re about to get the crap knocked out of you.”

“We need both tokens.”

“That’s a riot! If you defeat me, I’ll tell you.”

Killua took the opportunity to yell from the sidelines “We might not get a chance to ask you then! You might be out cold…”

It looks like Killua struck one of the man’s nerves. Knuckle smack his fist in to his right palm, rage consuming him “You’re no longer amusing me…”

Daniel glanced at Killua “How long has this been going on for?”

“A week… at least... Gon fights Knuckle, Shoot doesn’t show up and I end up being a spectator because of Gon’s stubbornness.”

“Uh, huh…” Daniel acknowledged his friend’s statement loudly without meaning to. Poor Killua had been doing nothing for the last week. Well, not completely nothing. He was sure the boy had been giving his friend pointers from the sideline. At least that would’ve been something more than absolute nothing.

Gon and Knuckle began to have a stare off, aura swirling around the two of them. Gon had put more effort into his own, showing off a larger amount than Knuckle seemed to care to give. Here Daniel though Killua and Gon were surpassing him from the sidelines, but instead they were moving at the same pace.

Knuckle wasn’t even using a fraction of his strength in order to beat Gon...

The same could be said about Zaikaria with himself…

Neither group was able to make a dint in each other’s enemy’s strength. While that felt relieving, it also felt troubling to the boy. If Killua hadn’t the faintest of clues about his enemy, Shoot’s strength… did that also mean he would lose the bet with his sister?

He couldn’t tell Gon or Killua about his deal, but that also meant he’d somehow had to make up a lie if Killua did win against Shoot. But what would that mean if Killua and he won? Would that mean if Gon lost, and was left behind? Now that he thought more about the situation, one or all of them would have to depart if either of them lost.

Daniel would have to depart because of his deal if Killua lost…

The two of them would depart together, away from Gon if the boy lost…

And if the both of them lost, Daniel would have to depart from them as soon as his sister came back…

There was no winning in either scenario, unless all three of them won at the same time. Daniel brought up a fist, cheering loudly at his friend “Whoop his ass!”

Knuckle charged Gon, incited the fight. The boy pushed his body pass his limits, hoping to land the first blow. Just as he was getting the first attack in, Knuckle appeared behind the boy, landing the first blow.

Gon barely had time to react. He contorted his body, taking the man’s punch with his arms.

The forced knocked Gon backwards, sending him flying across the floor like a skipping stone across water. Killua was surprised by the attack, the first time Knuckle hadn’t held majority of his strength back in an attack “Are you ok?”

Gon forced his hand into the ground, stopping his body from bouncing anymore times. He shifted his body, standing up staring with a searing glare. It hurt, but at the same time he didn’t want to show any pain.

Knuckle allowed himself to smile slightly, appear more as though he was smirking. This was going to be an easy win if that punch sent the boy flying across the floor. Gripping his opposite arm, Knuckle allowed his muscles to relax, stretching the muscles as he prepared himself to continue attacking.

He had gotten a little rusty after having to deal with only Gon and Killua the whole time “After another four of five warm-up punches, I’ll get serious… Better watch yourself. I warm up fast.”

Gon eyes narrowed once he felt Knuckle’s aura began to shift, becoming more potent than before. He knew he was up against a strong enemy, but at the same time, he also had to prepare for far stronger enemies in the future if he hoped to go back to NGL to save Kite.

 

Kicking off the ground, Gon charged Knuckle this time. The man blocked the boy’s attack, countering with his own. Gon was surprised that the force of the man’s punch broke his own guard, leaving him wide open for another attack.

Rather than aiming for Gon’s ribs, Knuckle ran around the boy, pummelling him back across the field as he was playing tennis with himself. Unfortunately for him, Gon just barely managed to bring his arm down to block the attack.

However, Knuckle didn’t stop there. Running back across the field to behind Gon, he placed a well-aimed blow across the boy’s back “Behind you, fool!”

The force sent the boy across the field; however, Knuckle didn’t follow up the attack with any others. He allowed the boy to land on the floor, gripping it with enough strength to bring him to skidding stop. Gon slouched forward as he stood up. It was painful to breathe.

Knuckle wasn’t lying when he said he warmed up quick.

Daniel and Killua could only look away, squirming at the sight of Gon getting pummelled. Their friend wasn’t going to last long if Knuckle continued down this road. Gon would lose, and they wouldn’t have pushed the man into at least using half of his strength.

Knuckle grinned. If Gon was struggling this early on, he wondered how far he can push him “Hey, aren’t you going to use that **First comes Rock** thing? Well, even if you tried… you won’t be able to use it on me. It’s flawed, after all.”

“It’s flawed…?” Killua asked himself, bewildered from the man’s bold statement.

“Well, technically… it is?”

“What, and you only saying this now?”

Daniel gave his friend a sassy look, frowning from Killua not coming to the same conclusion as well “It has a long cast time… And it’s a channelling ability…”

“Well, yeah… I already knew that…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering if he should pursue for more information, although after thinking about it… maybe he shouldn’t. Killua might have been thinking Knuckle know something more than just the blatantly obvious.

“A word of advice…” Knuckle held out an accusing finger at Gon “If you try that technique, I’ll stop you in your tracks.” The man closed the distance between himself and Gon, continuing his thoughts from where he left off “In a one-on-one match, you’d better not try it…”

“Your technique…” Knuckle stopped a few meters away from the boy, holding out two fingers as he exclaimed the next bit loudly “has two weaknesses!”

Killua was shocked from the bold statement as Daniel raised an eyebrow. _Your eyes, what are those two weaknesses…?_

“So, Gon… What did you name that technique?”

“Ja-janken!”

Killua and Daniel blankly stared at their friend, expecting a more serious name. Although, their responses were completely different:

“Wow, zero effort…”

“Yup, no surprises here…”

They expected a little more, than a tumble weed whistling by in the wind for no reason. He could have at least mixed the name up to make Kenjan. At least then it wouldn’t have been that obvious at first sight.

Knuckle however wasn’t thinking on the same level as the boys, reacting in a more surprised, ‘that’s a brilliant idea’ kind of way “Jajanken… I understand. You combine **Jajan** for **ta-dah** , with **janken** for your attack, **Rock-Paper-Scissors** … That’s brilliant!”

The three paled at the man’s words, more shocked than scared at the man’s obviousness. Anyone within an earshot would have realised the first ‘Ja’ was an accident.

“Ah, no…”

Knuckle was silent, to busy thinking to himself to overhear the boy’s words. He eventually piped up, a smile forming “Not a bad name, kid!”

The three turned whiter, appearing more as though they were cardboard cut outs. Knuckle was really oblivious.

“Uh, yeah... Guess I’m ok with that…”

“You are?!” Killua freaked out, accidently yelling the thought out loud. He immediately covered his mouth, blushing from the sudden reaction. He hadn’t expected to say that aloud, although Gon didn’t hear it… Daniel did, but he was just to busy being concerned for Gon as much as Killua was.

Gon was clearly being dragged around by Knuckle. There was no other way to look at it, other than Gon had fallen to Knuckle’s trap of obliviousness.

“Gon,” Knuckle once again held out two fingers at the boy before him, returning back to the main discussion… Gon’s major weaknesses “Gon, your Jajanken has two huge weaknesses. First, it takes too long to charge.”

“Duh…” Killua and Daniel groaned out loud, that statement being the most obvious.

However, the boys groaning off to the side didn’t deter the man from continuing his explanation “During a fight, you don’t have time to stand still for several seconds. I wouldn’t count on having time to change it.”

_Clearly… this man hasn’t watched cartoons or animes… Everyone knows a villain just blankly stares at his enemy while they transform… It makes the situation funnier._

“I know that…” The boy argued back, eyes closing slightly, showing the very frustration hidden deep inside.

“Second, it’s too risky. When you focus aura in your fist to increase power, you have less aura for defence. One attack to the wrong place will take you out, fool!”

Daniel and Killua raised an eyebrow at the same time. That was an obvious statement as well. He pointed out things that even Gon should know by now. The man was pointing out major concerns, which everyone knew about.

“I know the risks…” Gon’s aura flared up in preparation to fight once again “That’s why I spent the past month training to compensate for them!” Kicking off the ground, the two charged each other, exchanging a flurry of blows.

From the side, the two watched their friend keep up with Knuckle. Regrettably, that didn’t last for long. Knuckle shifted the battle, landing blows on the boy every few seconds.

Gon struggled to stand up after minutes of his continuous beating. Killua grit his teeth together, struggling to hold himself back from running in to help his friend “Damn…”

“His aura is too expressive, right?”

Killua nodded at Daniel before tuning to face the battle once more “His giving away his every move!”

“His also being very… illustrative…”

 

Killua nodded again “His been like this for the past month. It’s not only degrading… but infuriating to watch also! Although, Gon will beat him!”

“Yes…” Daniel agreed with his friend. Gon will beat the man… He has to! It’s just only a matter of time before he does so. It doesn’t matter how Gon beats Knuckle, he just has to win. But something tugged at the boy’s hope. With only two days to go, he didn’t know if Gon could beat the man in such a short timeframe.

“Okay, then…” Knuckle smiled once again, showing off his cocky side as he wound up his arm in order to relax the tightening muscles “Time to throw a real punch. Don’t blame me if you die.”

Gon pressed his hands together, as if he was planning to use Jajanken. However he didn’t get far into powering up his ability. Knuckle closed the distance, booting the boy away as if he was a football the man planned to score a goal with.

After kicking the boy away, the man’s eye twitched, especially after having explained why Gon couldn’t pull off his own ability. It was a waste of time, aura and effort to even thing it was possible to do “I told you that you won’t pull off that attack. Don’t fool around with me!”

“That was your full strength…?”

Knuckle stopped dead in his tracks, surprised at the boy’s words.

Daniel smiled at Gon; the boy was learning to play games with his enemy. Even if Gon can’t beat him now, he could at least weaken the man’s confidence in one way or another. _Yes, Gon! Hit him not only in his pride… but his confidence as well. Level the playing field, and show the enemy you’re not here to play games!_

“Which one of us is fooling around?!” Gon stood up after being used like a boxing bag. He was being defiant, standing up even if his legs couldn’t carry him anymore “It’s supposed to be a serious fight! You should be fighting to kill, Knuckle!”

Bringing back his hands together, Gon attempted to use Jajanken once more. Unlike last time, Knuckle stood his ground; he lacked the confidence to break the boy’s stance. Because of the man’s lack of courage, it gave Gon just enough time to power up his ability “Here I go!”

Knuckle forced himself to react, bringing his hand down once more. As his hand connected with Gon the boy had already moved “Over here!” Knuckle recklessly swung his arm behind him, only to have been dodged the second time that minute.

Gon was now leading the battle, taking out the enemy’s grounding. Broken from his stance, the boy brought his arm up, smashing Knuckle clearly across the face. Even if the boy didn’t do any damage, Daniel still fist pumped the air.

He was giving Knuckle a run for his money.

Once Gon landed the punch, throwing the man completely off guard, he attempted to use Jajanken for the third time. Knuckle however was more attuned to his surrounding, round-housing the boy with the back of his foot.

Gon was kicked back, no effort being put into Knuckle’s attack; it was barely enough to disrupt the boy’s concentration. Daniel’s jaw dropped, left baffled by how quickly his friend managed to turn the table. Daniel hadn’t even been able to land a single attack on his sister… Gon did that in a manner of minutes.

It didn’t take long for the boy or Knuckle to rise back up after hitting the floor. The main difference was Knuckle was still sitting down when Gon jumped up onto his feet. He was staring at the man as if Knuckle had just offended him “It’s obvious that you’re focused on stopping my special attack. Even I could tell exactly when your right arm was going to strike.”

 _I’m surrounded by mind readers…_ “Killua, I understand Gon had just whooped Knuckle’s ass… but what’s going on with all this mind reading?!”

“Gon’s not reading Knuckle’s mind… he’s playing mind games.”

“Well aware of that!”

“No! By calling out Knuckle for being soft, he has been thrown off. As a result, Gon managed to fake him out. But, I think this tactic would be more effective on those who know Jajanken’s strength…”

Daniel hummed at how quickly his friend managed to apply the rough plan, but it was still rough. A number of things could have gone wrong if Knuckle had thought about it logically. What if the man hadn’t been distracted? “True, but it still could have backfired, as long as Knuckle didn’t get distracted…”

“That’s why… opponents, who have seen the strength of the technique, will be more scared and likely to lose control when they see it coming. The fake-out will be more believable, and if the enemy steps back, they’re easier to hit with Scissors or Paper.”

Daniel hummed in agreement, playing the scenario in his head as Killua described it. It made sense, but some things could always go wrong if Gon didn’t play his cards right.

“Not only that…” Killua interrupted Daniel’s imagination, which in-turn made the boy tune back into his friend’s explanation “I always assumed Jajanken would be less useful once opponents figured out how it works… that it was flawed. I guess I was wrong. It can be adapted to any situation!”

“What about my technique…?”

Killua snapped his attention to Daniel, surprised by the question “What you mean?”

“Do you think my technique is, or was poorly designed?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“You’re cruel!” Daniel faked a sad face, pretending as if he was about to cry.

Killua however interrupted the boy “Now, I’m not too sure… If you mix your control over your shadows with short ranged attacks, you could effectively box the enemy in. As in… force them to fight on two fronts.”

“Huh…” Daniel rubbed his chin between his fingers “I hadn’t thought of doing that. But I need to improve on my concentration.”

“We have been doing that… for the past month.”

“Oh…” Daniel chimed in, which only annoyed Killua more “Where has you mind being going?”

“ _You_ already know…”

Killua’s cheeks flared up, head reeling back in shock from Daniel’s audacious forwardness “Ba- BAAAA-KA!”

The boys had barely any warning, the war cry being emitted by Gon seconds before charging forward. He may have been worn out, but he’d be damned if he didn’t win the fight within the next few attacks.

Knuckle welcomed the kid with open arms, accepting the challenge.

The two boys off on the side-lines watched the exchange of blows. While it was clear Knuckle had the advantage in physical strength, Gon was adapting ever so slowly. He still had a long ways to go… but that didn’t stop him from picking up one of two things along the way.

“So, Killua… It looks like Gon’s pushing himself to his limits.”

“Yeah…” Killua agreed with his friend. But at the same time, Gon was reaching that limit way too quickly “But his not going to last long. He’s been roughly fighting for twenty minutes. That, plus his fatigue… and the fact he used Jajanken three times already, means he’ll be lucky if he lasts another five minutes. Ten, if lucky…”

Daniel agreed with Killua’s statement. He was in very bad shape. Hell, he might not even win today, but he’d definitely win tomorrow… Gon will make sure of it. That still left Killua’s fight for tomorrow; Daniel’s one, and only chance to remain with his friends.

“Good luck!” Daniel offered Killua a thumbs-up and smile. He hoped that would be more than enough incentive to win tomorrow.

“HUH, WHAT FOR…?”

“Tomorrow…”

Killua raised an eyebrow at his friend “That’s provided if Shoot shows up… it’s been twenty-seven days. I don’t think he’s even going to show tomorrow. Then again…” the boy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, face turned away from Daniel. He was feeling a little embarrassed now, especially after what he was about to say “Thanks, I…”

“I…?”

“Idiot…” Even though he was just insulted, Daniel still returned the boy a smile, granted Killua didn’t even notice because he wasn’t even looking. He knew it meant something to Killua, considering the boy had yet to take a compliment from a friend without getting flustered.

Gon was knocked back by his enemy, followed by Daniel calling out his name and Killua forcing himself to look back to the fight. Gon shifted his posture as he rubbed at the throbbing arm. Knuckle hasn’t adjusted his strength at all, relying only on physical strength. It annoyed the boy knowing he hadn’t pushed the man into using his full strength.

“Gon…” Knuckle fumed at the boy in front of him. Here Gon was telling him to fight to the death, and was yet to be given a reason to do so. The boy was battered, barely able to stand… yet he still hadn’t gone down. Knuckle would commend the boy, but he still hadn’t been given a reason to do so “You told me to use my full strength, but you’re no match for me right now. You’re-”

Gon thought he was fighting Knuckle to the death, not to the half-way point. He felt his strength wane, reaching the very end of his maximum potential. He didn’t know how much longer he was going to last, so now was time for the all or nothing. Bringing his hand up to his fist, he began the chant for the last time.

Killua freaked out, Gon’s movement seeming unnatural for the moment. The distance between them wasn’t enough for Gon to land a punch. Yet, at the same time… Knuckle hadn’t moved in the slightest, the need to disrupt the boy’s attack being not needed for the moment.

But given the grievous situation, this most definitely going to be Gon’s last attack.

The situation took a surprising turn, Gon pushed out his hand, aura shooting out of the palm. The three of them had been taken by surprise, not expecting the boy to attack from a distance. However, Gon’s next move made Daniel grin.

The boy used his attack as a blind spot, keeping pace with the speed of his ‘paper’ attack.

Knuckle brought up his fist, knocking the attack aside just as Gon incited his next attack. He was already behind Knuckle, preparing Jajanken to land a direct hit.

Knuckle was taken aback, eyes widening in terror from knowing what was about to happen. He was still too busy getting over the shock of Gon using Paper, to even begin a counter attack.

Knuckle screamed at the top of his lungs, which surprisingly match a loud audience at a music festival. Although, given the situation, Daniel couldn’t contain his laughter. It didn’t matter Gon was about to win, because the scream alone out of context sounded as though Knuckle had just noticed his senpai walk by, and was calling out to be noticed as well.

Daniel didn’t hear Killua cheer. It forced the boy to stop laughing and to look at the outcome. Gon lay on the ground, unable to move an inch. The boy would dare say Gon was knocked out completely, but again it was hard to tell from the angle.

It was hard to not continue laughing, especially seeing the man’s arms out, posing as though Gon did land a punch. However, he wasn’t screaming… his mouth was just wide enough to let everyone know he was still in shock… but then again, all of them were still shock.

Although, Daniel and Killua’s reasons were way more different than to Knuckles, they were trying to get over the situation of Gon collapsing after being so close to winning.

The three of them stood there, watching Gon’s still body. Neither of them still had an inkling of a clue to how they should be reacting. Killua took the first step, leaving Daniel behind. He closed the distance with his friend, aiming to pick up the boy.

Gon had lost, be he also closed a very large gap in such a short time. Even with that loss, it still counted as a win on their side. Knuckle had been pushed right to the edge, his cockiness almost earning him a loss.

Knuckle swallowed thickly as Killua picked up his friend, holding him close against his back. Something needed to be said, especially now that Knuckle almost lost, and Killua was walking away.

The man summoned his fake bravado, yelling at Killua who was walking away from the battle “Where are you going, fool?”

“We’re going back… come on Daniel!” Daniel ran to catch up to Killua; a part of him was still in shock, but at the same time he didn’t want to be left behind.

“Aren’t you going to fight? I’m fine here.”

Daniel was confused, unsure why Killua didn’t bring Gon over to him. If the boy did so, he could look after Gon while Killua hands Knuckle his rear behind over to him. The white haired boy gave no time for Daniel to say anything “You can fight Gon again tomorrow. We have to take him back to rest…”

Stopping, Killua glanced in the man’s direction. He shot the man an intense glare, hoping his next few words would make Knuckle reconsider the situation “The outcome will probably be different. Just make sure Shoot comes next time… I’ll defeat him!”

After Killua was done speaking, he continued to walk away, this time Knuckle offering them something they never expected to hear come out of the man’s mouth “Tell Gon this. Tomorrow, I’ll be fighting for real. He’d better be prepared to die.”

Killua stopped once more. Something didn’t feel right with the man’s words. It sounded like an empty threat, one that held no truth, nor any convictions to back up the claims he was yelling “It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself. Are you sure you’re up to the task?”

“Hell, yeah, fool!”

“Because…” Turning around, Killua’s eyes waged a war internally, glowing with an indescribable rage “Because tomorrow… if you don’t… I won’t _forgive_ you. If you win, without getting serious, that will be fine for you... But, what will happen if you lose without fighting at full strength…?”

Killua walked off once more, this time repeating his last threat “I’ll never forgive you, as long as I live.”

Once the boys past the tree lines, neither one of them spoke; Killua focused only on making sure he was bringing Gon back. No matter if he walked or ran, he’ll make sure his mind focused only on getting Gon back in one piece.

Daniel was worried for his friend, Killua. Gon was already safe… it was just Killua that needed help to relax.

“Killua, are you ok?”

“Yeah…”

The boy didn’t sound ok. He sounded distant, and the warring rage in his eyes had failed to calm down. Daniel walked a fraction faster, cutting his friend off from getting any further. Before the boy could say anything, Killua was pulled into a hug.

Killua stopped dead in his tracks, almost dropping Gon in surprise. If it weren’t for Daniel’s arms squishing Gon against him, which ended up also pushing him closer to Daniel, he would’ve dropped his friend.

He felt his cheeks flush from the warmth between both of his friends. He wanted to push away so badly, but Daniel only pulled him even closer “It’s okay, Killua… Sure, you lost. But you still have tomorrow…”

Something didn’t sit right in the pit of his stomach with Daniel’s words. They didn’t sound hollow, they just sounded as though the boy was fraction scared. However, Daniel had no reason to be scared… he wasn’t fighting Knuckle or Shoot tomorrow. Gon and himself were…

The next words to come out of Daniel’s mouth made the boy’s eyes widen “Promise not to get upset? I made a promise to my sister… if you lose… I can’t stay with either of you.”

Killua’s heart dropped at the words coming out of his friend’s mouth “What?! Why…? What did you do?”

“If you don’t win… Zaikaria will keep her token as promised. I’m a little scared now. Not after seeing Gon lose, but after knowing you haven’t found and won against Shoot. I made the deal because I knew I had no chance of winning… I also made it because…” Daniel pulled away to look into his friend’s eye “I trust you.”

Killua remained quiet, letting the words sink into his mind. Daniel had faith in him, even knowing that he only had one, and only one chance to get Shoot’s token. He didn’t know how he should react, or what even to say on the manner.

Daniel didn’t need to hear any words. He just hoped that Killua didn’t push him away. If Killua lost tomorrow, this meant it would be his last, and only chance he could be this open to the boy.

After coming this far, he still hoped with the tiniest of chances that Killua would win. He didn’t want to leave now, not after becoming this strong. Not after those adventures… and especially now after seeing Killua’s internal turmoil.

The boy brought Killua even closer “You’ll win, right?”

Killua brought an assuring hand to Daniel’s back, patting the boy softly. He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but his mind was thrown into complete turmoil. The utter shock of being held so close made him unsure of whether or not to push Daniel away. One part screamed closer, another said to push, while others demanded to kill Daniel out of embarrassment.

Killua’s next words and action surprised him. The boy held Daniel closer, his flushed face begging to remain hidden from being so close to something who was giving away his inner feelings “I’ll win… I promise!”

Neither boy moved, remaining in the hug. They’ll continue on their path later, but for now, both of them needed some form or reinsurance. Even if Killua died from embarrassment, comforting his friend felt surprisingly good...

_I promise that Zaikaria won’t take you away… I promise…_


	92. Tag X Hell X Failures

Killua and Daniel watched Gon sleep, sprawled out against the bed in hopes of deterring everyone else from joining him. The light snoring made everyone crack a smile, except for those whom weren’t present.

Palm was off doing something else, most likely murdering dolls or drawings of them. It was hard to tell what was going on in her crazy mind whenever she did so.

Zaikaria had also alerted Daniel to come see her later, once he was done with helping Killua tuck in the knocked out Gon.

“Don’t worry…” Bisky spoke, her tone of expression calming the boy’s concern “I gave him a massage, so he’ll be able to fight in top condition tomorrow.”

“I still can’t get over the fact of how useless and beneficial your ability is, Bisky…” Daniel chimed in with a cheeky smile. Bisky’s obscure ability is useless in a fight, but damn it… it’s so useful for later on, relaxing the body after a painful knockout session.

“And you’ll be in bed groaning in agony from your ass beatings if it weren’t for my ability.”

Daniel nodded at the statement; however Killua had remained quiet, watching Gon way too intently to even bother concerning himself with his surroundings.

“Hey, Killua… I’m off. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure…”

Daniel brought his arms around Killua, pulling him into a hug.

“Wha-”

“I mean it! Smile like you usually do, and prepare to whoop Shoot’s butt tomorrow!”

“Alright!” Killua groaned out loud as he shoved Daniel away, cheeks tinged from the warmth. It was still hard getting used to being that close with some, especially when his mind was still conflicted on whether or not he should be embracing the situation.

Once Daniel had left, Killua let out a long sigh “Idiot…”

“~”

Zaikaria watched the night sky, stars twinkling without a single concern for the people watching them. She had no clue on how to spend the last night. She had thought about what would work best for Daniel’s next, and final set of training… but nothing was coming to mind.

All she was concerned about was taking Daniel back home, removing him from the dangerous fight to come ahead. He wasn’t prepared to deal with the Chimera Ants like she was. She knew it was dangerous, but the ants were also part human, and humans were easily persuaded with mind games.

The concerns for tonight however, was involving Daniel. Maybe it was time she sat down with him… speaking to him without criticism. She wouldn’t let the boy entertain the thought of staying with his friends, but at least she’ll be open to hearing the stories he could tell now.

The door behind her creaked open, the aura behind her alerting her of another’s presence; it could only be Daniel, seeing as Killua would still be with Gon and Bisky, and she was also the one to ask him to come see her. She didn’t bother turning around, finger pointed to one of the many seats behind her “Grab a seat…”

The boy sat down, expecting his sister to suddenly attack him. But atlas, she remained staring at the night sky “Is this a form of training…?”

“No, I thought we might have a _talk_ …”

“Great! What’s with you and Killua…” Daniel asked without warning, expecting some form of attack without warning. Yet his sister hadn’t moved an inch, and instead completely ignored the question “Even though I could’ve read your mind, I didn’t… So instead I’m gonna ask. What did you do after the Hunter’s exam?”

“I asked a question first!”

Turning around, Daniel’s sister glared at her brother “You’re _way_ too young to understand… maybe later. So,” turning back around Zaikaria asked again “What did you do after the Hunter’s Exam?”

The boy let out a sigh. When it came to stubbornness, the two of them were easily matched. Right now, he wouldn’t get the answers… but maybe later she’d be willing to depart with the answers he seeks “Fine…”

Daniel spoke about the stories he hadn’t told her, completely avoiding the story of their adventure to Killua’s home in hopes of removing the boy from his family’s clutches. If she wouldn’t talk to him about Killua, he wouldn’t talk to her about Killua.

He actively avoided all feelings about the boy, bouncing between his adventures from Heavens Arena to Yorknew, the Spiders and eventually leading up to Greed Island, the last stop before the Chimera Ants. There was no point touching on that ground since Gon had already spoke enough about it, and there was also no need to rile up the hornet’s nest any further.

Zaikaria hummed every so often, telling the boy to continue whenever there was a long pause. She wanted to let him know she was listening, to the good… the bad… and the unknown.

She could tell whenever he fibs, glossing over something important. While she could have forced him to fill the blanks, she also knew that it would’ve somehow manage to spark her hidden rage.

But if she had to guess, two of the things her brother was skipping over were about almost death situations… and Killua. She already knew how much of an idiot Daniel could be when it came to protecting others, going by Gon’s summary of the Chimera Ants.

That concerned her, although not as much as Daniel falling for Killua. She had her sneaking suspicions, from the way the two talked to one another. It was there, barely hidden, which everyone could see if they looked.

Either Bisky glossed over it, or she didn’t seem to care if one or two of them cared more for each other. However, she didn’t care about what Bisky… Palm… Knuckle… Shoot… or Vastorie thought about Daniel and Killua’s relationship if there was one.

Not after what Killua did seven years ago…

Daniel may have thought just because the old scar and his memories gone, that it no longer matters. But even then, the past has a strange way of repeating.

She never expected to see Killua at the Hunter’s exams…

She didn’t think Daniel would actively seek the boy’s attention once more…

Zaikaria turned around, facing her brother. She didn’t care if Illumi was one playing Killua’s strings that night. It didn’t matter if Killua was devastated after his actions towards a kid his age. As long as she lives, Killua will never get another chance at killing Daniel!

“The journey sounds wonderful… but for withholding information, well…” Daniel’s sister’s eyes glowed, showing off a treacherous hidden agenda behind her now forming smirk “You better learn how to dodge.”

Without warning, Zaikaria lunged towards the boy, giving him only moments to formulate a plan on how to survive the night.

“~”

“WHOA! What happened to your faces…?” Gon had broken into laughter from Daniel and Killua’s faces. Bruised from the repeated damage they had received all night. Both had suffered in different degrees:

Daniel was bruised and battered from Zaikaria extracting her revenge from him withholding information. He didn’t even get a chance to open his mouth to fill in the plot holes. She did hold back a lot… but that was only enough to not kill him. So many marks were left, and who knew how long it would take for every one of them heal…

Killua however was traumatised by his battle for survival. He never expected Bisky to have a buff… musclier figure… Her ripped muscles could have destroyed his body if hadn’t block all of them. And not only that, she forced the boy to promise he’d never tell anyone about her secret form.

As much as he wanted to tell everyone she was secretly a gorilla… he wanted to live more than spread the secret.

Killua hadn’t been able to show any expressions, nor speak properly for that manner. Every word his spoken since the fight, they have come out sounding mumbled and ghastly “I was training with Bisky… you know, as you normally do.”

Daniel however wasn’t forced under the same restrictions as Killua was “I withheld the whole truth… So, Zaikaria told me to start dodging.”

Killua punched his other fist into his palm, growling under his breath even though he had a warped facial structure “When I get my hands on her…”

Neither Gon, nor Daniel could withhold the laughter back even if they tried. It was funny to hear the boy threaten someone with those bruises; especially with him standing so proudly as if they were normal battle wounds.

“Training…? Lying…? Are you sure it wasn’t a lynching?”

“NOPE! Now, how are you? Are you okay…?”

If there was something else Gon was great at, it was being misled into another topic, while simultaneously ignoring the one they all wanted him to avoid “Yep, I feel great! I used up my entire aura, so I expected to be tired, but look!” Gon showed off his ability to use _Gyo_ , no dints or lacklustre breaks showing from having his entire aura absolved in a single fight.

“That gorill-!” Killua shut himself up before spilling the beans; Daniel however, caught it, wondering why Killua was about to say Gorilla. If Bisky overheard Killua finishing his last word, she would’ve left him in an unmarked grave “That old hag’s massage must have done the trick…”

What Daniel saw in Killua’s one functioning eye said it all, fear…

 _Don’t you dare say anything!_ Killua openly stared into his friend’s eyes, just hoping that the boy would understand from his own expression.

Daniel closed his eyes, slightly nodding at his friend to show he understood, or at least partially understood the secrets he held back.

Whatever Bisky did to poor Killua, the boy was way too afraid to speak about it. It troubled Daniel, more so than the fear hiding in his eyes. Here the boy thought he was the worst out of the two, but Killua had secretly been hiding how much he was suffering on the inside.

Gon tilted his head, wondering what the two were hiding from him. The secret exchange of looks between his friends now sparked a concern, especially now that Killua was turning around to let out a breath of relief “That was way too close for comfort…”

Killua remembered the smile… the smile of impending doom. He thought that there was no one worse than his family. But then he saw it… Bisky’s real ability. The giant, muscular woman, who could rip him in two with barely any effort; she held that secret close. And she threatened Killua to do the same…

No matter what, no one else could find out about Bisky’s ability through him “I thought she was joking…”

“Huh, what did you say?”

“Uh…” Killua stood up straight as he shook his hands out at Daniel “Nothing! I just thought… Bisky was weaker than us… nothing to be concerned about!”

Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern. As much as he wanted to probe the boy for more information, something told him all avenues of this topic was definitely off limits “If you say so…”

Killua let out another breath of relief before turning back around. He remembered their conversation after their fight vividly, the woman’s words cutting deep into his mind, and soul…

**_Now, do you know your weakness? You’re too quick to give up…_ **

**_You’re too cautious about fighting…_ **

**_Some might say you underestimate yourself. When facing an enemy you believe to be stronger, you fight on the premise of escaping. I realise that this isn’t your fault. It’s the fault of whoever taught you to fight…_ **

**_Habits that are burned into your body and soul aren’t easy to break. But I can say one thing for sure…_ **

**_Somewhere down the line, you’ll leave Gon and Daniel behind to die…_ **

Everything else she said after was a complete blur to him. The explanation between differences in physical condition, combat ability and even environment, meant nothing to him at all.

It wasn’t until Bisky brought up her finger, forcing the boy listen once more. If she hadn’t done so, he might have missed the most important, and brutal part of her argument. It didn’t matter that Bisky smashed his face in after. It was the final words that cut in deepest, leaving a scar not even time could heal.

**_If you can’t defeat Shoot tomorrow, you MUST leave Gon and Daniel’s side…_ **

Killua had no arguments to make, reasons to fight against the very words. He had to beat Shoot now. If he couldn’t, Bisky was right. He’d be a burden on his friends, and leave them one day for dead.

He’d be too afraid to fight…

All he’ll be able to do, is listen to his friends screaming out his name, begging him to come back as they draw their last breath. It was a morbid thought, but there was no other possible scenario that his mind can focus on.

Killua was forced back to reality, drawn away from his disastrous memories when he felt somebody grab him. It couldn’t have been Gon because the boy was clearly arguing with himself about winning.

Eyes drew to the person in front, Daniel holding him close. Something the boy was doing must have concerned Daniel. That was the one, and only reason why his friend was holding him close.

Killua tricked himself for the moment, grabbing at Daniel’s shirt to hold him closer. He allowed himself to have just a moment of weakness, anchoring himself to the one reality he wanted to stay in. He would’ve, but Gon just had to ruin the moment.

The boy was yelling rather loudly as he pulled both of his friends into a hug “That’s not fair! I want to join in as well!”

Gon and Daniel broke out into laughter as Killua faked his own. He wanted this to remain the same as always, the three of them travelling side by side. And if he wanted that, that means he has to beat Shoot… No matter what!

“~”

Bisky and Zaikaria waved goodbye to trio leaving. It was the boys’ last chance to beat Knuckle and Shoot, obtaining the men’s tokens in order to gain access to NGL, and in doing so also obtaining the chance to save Kite.

As the boys turned around after waving their last goodbye, Bisky and Zaikaria’s smile turned in a stern look. They had seen their students grow so much, however not as much as they would’ve liked.

Zaikaria couldn’t see Killua winning, at least not with so little experience and time left. Maybe if he had a week, sure. But there was something else she didn’t like about the boys leaving. Daniel was closer to Killua than she would like, and has seen in the past.

However, it didn’t look like the boy was being extra clingy. He seemed more… as if he was trying to comfort Killua from something.

Maybe that was how she was seeing it...

Daniel could have been showing her an altered perspective. He was a Manipulator after all… and he also did share so much in common with his father, Vastorie, beside looks. Regardless of how clingy Daniel was being, after today, Killua was the one who decides whether or not Daniel gets to stay with his friends.

Zaikaria shifted her posture, leaning over towards Bisky to obtain more information “What do you think…?”

“With who…? Killua or Gon’s chances…?” Bisky’s frown dropped even more from Zaikaria’s expression being unreadable. But if she had made a guess, it would have had to have been about Killua or Daniel. But considering Zaikaria was Daniel’s supposed enemy, the younger girl would be more interested with Killua.

Bisky however wouldn’t give Zaikaria the news she wanted to hear “Who knows… but one thing’s for certain, they’ll learn what they need to today…”

“That they can’t win…?”

“NO…” _Killua’s overly cautious style is the product of a smothering love. A twisted, self-serving love… That makes his habits stronger, deeper, and harder to break. Without extraordinary willpower, this curse cannot be broken._

_Or maybe… Daniel can eventually break through that thick wall. I noticed he’s wearing it down slowly. There were times when Killua seemed to have an… abnormal reaction. Not that I think ‘love’ can break through the ability but…_

Bisky internally swung her hips from side to side, screaming like a girl whom found a blossoming love between two young individuals. Taking a second glace, Daniel was most definitely in-love now that she thought about it.

And the fact Zaikaria was being more overprotective about the two being ‘closer’ was the dead giveaway. But that didn’t concern her for the moment, seeing the blossoming love was a wonderful sight. She’d seen it happen so many times in the past, but never between two of her students...

If they did fall in love, she’ll tease the two of them so badly, for as long as she wants.

The door creaking open behind Zaikaria and Bisky made the two of them tense up. They almost had forgotten about Palm, and the crazy bloodlust aura surrounding her. It was time to put their plan into action “Zai…?”

“I can’t say it will work for long… but it’ll give us a head start. As long as we run as fast and hard as we can… we should be able to cross half of Yorknew’s total distance.”

“Great! Time to make a run for it…”

Zaikaria turned around, slowly walking towards Palm as she allowed her ability to consume the hand behind her “Hey, let’s get back inside… the boys will definitely win!”

“~”

The boys stood in front of the men, Shoot looking surprisingly more different than they expected. They had anticipated a more thuggish looking man, and not an impeccably dressed man in a purple robe.

Daniel was the odd one out, standing behind his friends seeing as he had no enemy. That meant he could watch which ever battle he wanted…

Killua VS Shoot…

Gon VS Knuckle…

As much as he would like to see Gon’s fight, he didn’t want to leave Killua’s side. So wherever Killua went, he’d follow behind.

Knuckle was the first to open his loud mouth “The loser…” However Gon didn’t allow the man to finish the statement, instead doing so himself “Hands his token to the winner.”

The group split in two, Knuckle and Gon going to their own area as Killua, Shoot and Daniel headed into the forest. They barely caught the end of Knuckle’s statement before crossing the tree line “Gon… as promised, I’m coming at you at full strength!”

Shoot and Killua walked for a long time, far into the forest as Daniel followed behind. The man had led them so deep; neither of them could help out their allies, not that any of them would have done so given the chance.

Killua and Gon agreed prior, that none of them were allowed to help each other out.

When Shoot stopped, Daniel jump up into one of the trees, allowing himself to relax on the branches while the enemy could also see him as well. He didn’t want Shoot to anticipate him as being the enemy, nor distract him from the fight ahead. If Killua won because of Daniel’s help, the boy would never forgive him…

Shoot allowed himself to take deep relaxing breaths, each one becoming slower than the last. Taking one more deep breath, the man turned to face Killua. Aura had surrounded the man, a deep green, similar to lime in colour.

It radiated the strength of Shoot, while also giving no indicators to his ability. The man exhaled one last time before opening his eyes. The actions before, made it seem as though he was calming his nerves.

Killua got ready, mentally preparing himself for the fight to come ahead.

“I don’t like hurting other people. However…” Shoot rolled up his left sleeve, while removing his right at the same time. The action took both boys by surprise, while also leaving them to imagine future possibilities.

Shoot didn’t have a right arm, and instead had three hands and a cage hiding under the now removed sleeve. This could mean only one possible thing… Shoot, was a Manipulator like Daniel. However, the cage was too way small to fit an adult, let alone Killua inside.

It must have some other purpose, maybe hold a creature inside which Shoot could later control. But until the man opens it, neither of the boys knew the purpose for the cage.

“You boys have taught me that a worthy opponent deserves my full strength.”

Killua was taken aback by surprise, while also trying to still get used to the idea of their being three floating hands surrounding Shoot. Two of the hands levitated on their own, moving to hover on either side of the man while the third hand floated on top his head.

Killua calmed down, assessing the situation while Daniel watched.

 _Three hands could come in real handy…_ Daniel smile widened slightly. Using an ability like that, Shoot could have given himself a massage, or even grab something without having to move from his spot.

But as much as the boy wanted to humour his ‘being lazy’ ideas, he had to look at the floating weapons seriously; _Gyo_ surrounding his eyes. Daniel wanted to see how they worked. Not for Killua’s sake, seeing as he couldn’t help the boy, but for his own sake for his future abilities. How the man controlled them may help him learn how to freely control his own ability in the future.

The disembodied hands didn’t have any secret aura linking back to Shoot’s own aura; they moved on their own, at least from Daniel’s own point of view. But the cage was still a mystery. It was made entirely out of aura, much like the hands. The hands made sense… the cage didn’t.

Killua decided to prepare himself for any future attacks, fishing through his pockets to utilise the yo-yos. The boy wound the yo-yos back into his hand, waiting for Shoot to make the next move. One thing was for certain, those hands couldn’t touch him.

Shoot’s expression focused before sending in the hands to attack without moving a single body part.

Daniel needed to ask Shoot later how the man moved those hands, but for the moment, he needed to focus on the battle. Killua swung out the yo-yos, knocking two hands aside before twisting his wrist to surround himself with the ridiculously strong and heavy, weighted yo-yos.

While Killua was like this, no one should be able to reach through the boy’s defences.

Shoot was surprised by the boy’s quick defensive ability, the hands being knocked back before they could penetrate the boy’s defences. It was long before the man actually made a move, closing the distance between the boy and himself.

Killua was surprised once more, this time by the man’s speed. Before he realised what he was doing, he’s body was stepping back on its own. He felt someone speak to him, deep inside his mind. Killua willed himself to make another move. However, his mind had been in such disorder, he couldn’t land a strike, nor move back in time.

Shoot’s open palm smacked Killua in the face, sending him flying back.

Daniel felt his hand clench tight into his palms, but he didn’t move in the slightest, not while his friend’s one-on-one battle was still going. Something was wrong when the two were running; Killua was on high alert, facing the enemy while he ran backwards.

But that wasn’t the main concern with Daniel; the place where Shoot had struck Killua was now missing. But the odd thing about the situation was either Killua hadn’t noticed yet, or his was too focused on the fight to acknowledge he was now missing his left eye.

Daniel took off, sticking to the trees while he tried to catch up with Killua and Shoot.

 _He’s strong and fast. He probably has me beat in every area…_ Killua twisted his body, facing his back to the enemy while he continued to run forward. His whole body was screaming at him to run away, creating as much distance as he could from the enemy behind him.

Killua felt the words whisper again in his mind, this time now he was able to make out who the voice belonged to. It sounded as though Illumi is here with him, giving him tips he didn’t want.

**That’s right, Killua… That’s the way. Don’t fight an enemy you can’t beat.**

_I have to stop thinking that way!_

Killua came to a complete stop, facing the enemy with weapons ready. But he couldn’t move his hands. It didn’t feel like they were being held back, it was as if something else was controlling his body at the moment.

**You can’t win…**

Daniel stopped once Killua did so, swinging his body up to land on the tree. Something seemed amiss; Killua remaining static while Shoot was closing the distance.

If Killua didn’t move, the man will get in another attack. Daniel could see the boy start to visibly shake, moving erratically once again when Shoot was about to land a punch. Killua escaped only inches away from the attack, and then backed himself into a corner.

From this angle, it meant Shoot couldn’t attack the boy from behind, but at the same time, Killua couldn’t escape. Killua’s figure remained motionless, except for one of his hands shaking just under the eye that no longer exists. The boy must have just realised his left eye was gone.

That was a really long delay for Killua, and it concerned Daniel deeply. Usually the boy would react almost instantly, and make plan around plans. What was going in Killua’s mind, which caused the boy to have so many pauses between his executed moves and the ones being prepared for the future attacks?

Considering Killua wasn’t bleeding, it was safe to argue that the ability didn’t surgically remove it and instead placed it somewhere else. If he had to guess, it was either in the cage following Shoot, or hidden amongst his robe.

Shoot stood up, staring at Killua with an unreadable expression. Something felt a little… off about the situation. Did the boy intend to get hit, just so he could find out what his ability did? “That was a much better reaction…” _Was what happened earlier a fluke?_

Once again, Shoot slowly closed the distance between the enemy and himself. But the boy wasn’t move, acting as though he was unaware of his movements. He had to play it safe, making sure no traps were going to be secretly sprung by Killua.

Daniel was sweating, now on the edge of the branch. Killua hadn’t moved an inch, still in the same stance when he backed himself against the tree. What was Killua doing, luring the man into a trap? That had to be it… The boy was pretending to act scared.

Killua hadn’t stopped shaking. He couldn’t control his body to relax, and Illumi’s voice echoing in his mind wasn’t helping him.

**If you take damage without knowing why, get as far from the enemy as you can.**

Killua stood up, trying to calm his nerves. He then brought up his defences again, knocking the hands aside like earlier.

For once, he listened to voice, and it did save him just now. Maybe he should be listening to Illumi’s teachings more often. _My curse saved me… But that isn’t good enough!_

Daniel raised a fist in triumph, but it was only for a second because of Shoot landing another punch, this time on Killua’s left side. The missing eye must be making it harder for Killua to gauge how much of the area his actually covering.

While Killua was distracted by the blow, Shoot had hoped to gain another strike. Killua however reacted like he had anticipated, distancing himself off once more.

Daniel forced himself to move once more, getting not only closer to the fight, but hopefully in a position where he wouldn’t have to move again.

Shoot liked Killua’s reaction, the boy dodging him just as quickly as before “You reacted quickly.”

Killua grit his teeth together, mouthing shaking from disgust towards himself. He hadn’t been dodging… he’d been running away, his body was aiming to escape from the enemy. _No! I’m just running away! I haven’t been fighting at all…_

The word Bisky had said to him last night had been playing in the back of his mind at the same time as Illumi’s voice.

**_If you can’t defeat Shoot tomorrow, you must leave Gon and Daniel’s side!_ **

Those words snapped Killua’s mind, breaking him from thinking logically. His hands clench tight against the yo-yos, snapping the only things keeping the weapons bound to his fingers. He got up, running towards Shoot with no real plan, except a single hope of shocking the man into submission with his electricity.

Killua closed the distance, running towards the man like a cheetah. Even with Shoot sending out his fists to attack the boy, Killua knocked them aside like they were a minor annoyance.

Daniel felt himself smiling, body unconsciously leaning forward as he was getting excited. The boy saw Killua’s hands moving in a way similar to how they did back on Greed Island. He knew Killua was about to perform an open palm strike, although, the man will be surprised when he gets shocked instead.

Just as Killua was about to perform his ability, Shoot spoke in a questioning manner “Electricity?” Daniel was pretty sure he could hear a pin drop, echoing throughout the forest, even if it hit the dirt. Shoot jumping back to avoid Killua’s attack, and the man finishing his statement made the situation more questionable “Scary…”

When did Killua use his _electricity_? He couldn’t remember a moment where it was used, because there was no way Shoot was a mind reader, or skilled enough to know someone’s ability without them using it…

Did Killua unconsciously try to use it earlier, and neither he nor Daniel saw it being used? The boy was sweating, on the verge of tears. He looked so defeated from Shoot predicting his next move. Where did he go wrong? Why couldn’t he will himself to attack, even with Shoot knowing what his _Hatsu_ was?

_Doesn’t matter… Follow him…_

**_Never over pursue…_ **

_Please… Go after him!_

Daniel prepared himself, ready to make the next move if Killua suddenly snapped.

“How…?” Killua spoke, barely auditable to Daniel or Shoot. _Stop…_ “…did you know?” _What am I asking for?_ He didn’t feel like he was making sense even to himself. He was at a complete loss of words…

No matter how many times he tried to open his mouth, fighting against Illumi’s voice and his own mentality was impossible at this point of time.

When Shoot took a step forward, that’s when Daniel made his move.

Shoot watched the second boy land in front of Killua, arm being held out. The man considered this as a technical forfeit, but something about the move made it more questionable.

The boy hadn’t budged an inch; he was acting as though he was a mother protecting their child. Shoot half expected the boy to attack first.

Daniel ignored the man for now; he instead turned around to address the boy’s erratic shaking “Killua?”

Killua slump down onto the ground, the boy’s mouth moved like a fish with no words coming out.

Daniel frowned at the boy’s reaction, and how he had broken far beyond repair. He needed to do something, but something told him he couldn’t do anything while Shoot was around. So the boy did the next best thing. He brought his hand up, searching through Killua’s pockets.

Killua’s expression widened, half expecting Shoot to be searching him for the token since his lack of movement. But what his eyes met with were Azure eyes, belonging to the only person his known to have them.

As the boy was about to open his mouth, this time to speak, Daniel hushed him “Please, don’t speak… which pocket is the token in?”

The boy so badly wanted to argue, begging that he could fight for longer, but his entire body had already given up. He instead pointed at his right back pocket.

Daniel fished out the token, looking at it for a couple of seconds before flicking it over to the man whom already won “Take it and leave… Killua and I will come back as soon as we can.”

Looking down at the token, Shoot frowned. He half expected Killua to fight longer, but the fact he won like this didn’t feel right in the pit of his stomach. When the man wanted to argue, that same protective mother he had seen earlier fought back “LEAVE NOW… please…”

Shoot nodded, slowly walking away to return to Knuckle. He was sure the man had already won his match as well… But another part of him expected to see something surprising.

Daniel waited for Shoot to leave before giving his undivided attention to Killua. He was more concerned about the boy’s mentality than from the fact he lost “Are you ok?”

Killua was still shaking, focusing on everything except where he was. If it weren’t for a sudden warm embrace, he’d probably forgotten Daniel had spoken to him just a few minutes ago. Illumi’s voice returned with a vengeance, darkness threatening to pull him deep inside.

**Push away, Kil… You don’t need this ‘friend’. All you need is the darkness…**

Killua felt his hands tighten; he refused to listen to his brother. He needed some sort of anchor to ground him back to reality. He _almost_ didn’t care that the anchor was from the warmth of someone holding him close.

He wanted Illumi’s voice to stop… to shut up. The boy didn’t know how long it took, but eventually, the voice was drowned out. Killua felt his breath finally even out, relaxed even in his _unique_ position.

Eventually, Killua mustered the strength he needed, returning the hug, even when he partially didn’t want to do so. Being caught in this position would be hard to live down “Thanks…”

Upon hearing his voice, Daniel let go to look the boy in the eyes “Are you ok now?”

“Yeah…” Killua mustered with his weak voice as he looked away from the boy’s sight. He didn’t know if he could handle the boy’s gaze right now, especially in the weakened state he was in.

Although, a part of the boy did want to elaborate with his ‘thank you’… but that same part also couldn’t will himself to do so. Killua eventually opened his mouth once more. What Bisky said was right… He’d eventually leave his friends to die. He failed on one front, already going to lose Daniel to the boy’s sister. And now he’s going to have to lose Gon by running away. He can’t stay with either of his friends, if he’s going to end up running away from them eventually “I-”

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have put so much on you.”

“HUH…?”

“Well, I did set an unreasonable goal on you… You had to win the war on two fronts. I shouldn’t have pushed you to win against Shoot, only so I could get out of having to fight Zaikaria… If only I just fought her, you wouldn’t have had to push yourself to win. The need to win pushed you over your limits… and for that, I’m sorry.”

Killua looked away from the boy; Daniel was far from right. He had nothing to do with his failure… He failed because he couldn’t fight against his own programming. Whatever Illumi did to him, he couldn’t fight against it. He tried, but he just wasn’t powerful enough to go against the man’s words. In the end… all he could do was run away from his problems.

Daniel eventually got up, standing as he turned to face Killua with a fake smile “Let’s see how Gon went… I’m sure he won for the both of us. At least then, he’ll be able to save Kite in our position.”

Even when Killua knew the smile was fake, he took the hand “Yeah… Gon will win!”


	93. Gon X Akshasamat X Confusion

The both boys were silent, the sounds of crunching grass being the only indicator for their existence. While Killua was still feeling the overwhelming flood of emotions from his earlier loss, he was slowly becoming more comfortable to having someone hug him.

It still felt strange, sometimes even uncomfortable at times. But now, he needed physical contact. Without it, he felt as though he’d drown in all those dark thoughts…

Even now, he could still hear Illumi’s voice beckoning him, ushering him to run away now while he had the chance. Apart of him wanted to, but not right now… When Daniel and Gon go to sleep, he’ll leave them a note before running away.

If the two of them knew his plans, they’ll stop him. This was the only way. It was selfish of him doing this right before having to go back to the Chimera ants, but now was the only time he’d have a chance to.

As the boys were reaching the end of the forest, right before the clearing, Killua felt himself stop. Daniel did the same, turning around to face his friend in concern “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking of how to break the news to Gon...” Killua looked at the floor, not even daring to look up.

“Hmm…” Daniel paused for a moment, a smile soon creeping across his features. It was the most evil, cunning, and believable thought to ever come across his mind “You lost because of me.”

“Huh?!”

“Well, I stepped in during your fight, because I was over concerned for you. And that caused you to lose the fight by default…”

“What…? Why…? Why would you blame everything on yourself?”

Daniel closed the distance between them, smiling at he looked at his friend whom was still staring at the floor. Daniel brought his hand up to the boy’s shoulder, hoping that the boy would look up at him this time.

When Killua’s glaze still didn’t meet his, the boy whispered something “Because I care… maybe even dare say _love_ you…”

Killua’s head shot up, it’s been months since he last heard those words. He was surprised to hear those words once again, and the look his friend was giving him. Killua averted his attention away, but Daniel only forced the boy look again at him “Killua, I can’t stop those feelings, even if I tried... So, I want to make a deal with you.”

“Huh?” from the way the boy was responding, he thought he’d sound like a broken record by the end of the night.

“You promise to continue texting me when we split up? Hopefully, I’ll be able to join you and Gon once again in the future, I promise…”

Killua averted his gaze once more, barely whispering under his breath “I’ll never let Zaikaria take you away…”

“Huh?” Daniel quirked his head to the side “What did you say?”

“Nothing… I promise, OK? Now can we go see Gon before I blow a gasket? I still don’t know how to react with these _mushy_ feelings…”

Daniel made an ok sign before walking back towards Gon. Hopefully the boy will have some good news for their currently bad day.

Killua watched the boy leave in silence. It wasn’t until Daniel was completely out of his sight, he decided to shove his hands into his pocket before following after the boy. He didn’t know how he’d act if Gon was as bold as Daniel at times…

Then again… Gon had no fear when it came to compliments…

So escaping one hell doesn’t mean he’d get escape hell with the other boy. Sometimes, he’d wish he knew how to handle these feelings at an earlier age. At least then, compliments like Gon’s and feelings like from Daniel would be easier to digest…

Then again, Killua couldn’t help but crack a smile. He secretly liked every second of it.

“~”

It turns out the boys dreams were meant to be shattered. None of them had won back a token. Gon lost to Knuckle, and now had a purple, evil, cat, trying to act all cutesy on the boy’s shoulder.

From what Gon explained as his ears fizzled from Knuckle’s over explanation, the cat was the after effect of Knuckle’s ability, **A.P.R** or **Amortizing Power Redirector** as it’s also called.

It acts like broker of sorts, charging on aura interest. Knuckle fist shares his aura with another and it’s up to Gon to pay back the entire amount of aura, including interest shared.

If one fails to do so, **A.P.R** turns into **I.R.S** or **Individual Ren Suppressor**. It suppresses the affected person’s aura in a _Zetsu_ like state for thirty days. For the entire time, Gon couldn’t use aura in any form.

Killua clenched his fist, tight against his knuckles at Gon’s explanation. He couldn’t leave Gon like this, especially with Daniel. Daniel couldn’t kill anyone! If someone came to kill Gon, even if the boy had the advantage… he still couldn’t kill the enemy.

But another thing also settled into the pit of Killua’s gut. This… could be a consequence of Killua’s failure. Not Gon losing to Knuckle, that was Gon’s fault.

If they met someone who could do something familiar in the future… would he become fearful of having to deal with such a person? Would he stay to help protect his friends from such an enemy…? Or would the flight response kick into gear, and force him to run away in fear before he could do anything…?

He just hoped that he didn’t run into that type of enemy… That he could stay behind long enough to protect Gon.

“~”

The boys felt uneasy on their long trip back to NGL, and even more so now that they stood right at the border. All three had lost:

Daniel with his bet involving his sister…

Killua against Shoot…

Gon against Knuckle…

And what made the situation worse, was that they were being surrounded by the ones they lost to. But at least now, Daniel knew his clock started once Zaikaria left. Neither of them spoke for a long time, eyes only drawn to the tree serving as a border into NGL.

Daniel could feel his sisters hand pressed into his shoulder. It was a painful reminder that he will eventually be within his sister’s hands, protected by her, and not his friends.

Gon eventually had the courage to talk, hoping to address the one topic neither of them wanted to speak about “Knuckle…”

Daniel thought Gon was going to say it… but the boy only went quiet once more. Daniel pressed an assuring hand onto Gon’s shoulder, letting the boy know no matter what; his friends will always be by his side.

Gon couldn’t hold back any longer. This time, he forced himself to speak, tears barely spilling out from the sides “Promise me! You have to… You have to save Kite!”

Knuckle nodded at the boys request as he offered the boy a smile “Got it… I promise I’ll bring him back. I swear on this token.” When Knuckle pulled out the token, now that it was completed, it made sense. The token spelled out **Rook** , a combination which made sense.

Gon and Knuckle could both be described with the token. If the other two were based on chess pieces, Daniel and Killua’s completed sets could be Bishop and Knight. However, the boy didn’t know which piece he would represent.

Knuckle, Shoot and Zaikaria waved their last goodbye before entering NGL. It left the boys feeling a little empty inside, now knowing they had to rely on others to save Kite. Gon however suffered the most, more tears spilling as he turned to his friends “Killua… Daniel… I’m weak…”

Daniel frowned at the boy’s words, finding it not only unusual for Gon to break down into tears, but also point out their weakness. Each of them had weakness of their own, but that just meant they had areas to improve on “We’re all weak in our own way… and there will always be someone stronger than us. All we can do now is improve, and come back stronger than last time…”

“No! I know… but I never knew…” Gon struggle to get the last words out, tears overflowing. Daniel walked over to Gon, pulling the boy into a hug. He was sure this was the first time his ever done something for Gon like this. But even so, seeing Gon tearing up like this was destroying his mental image of the boy.

Gon… was so strong, smiling even in the darkest of times. And this was the moment the boy finally cracked. Gon took hold of his friend, letting those tears flow freely now as he finished what he wanted to say “I never knew how frustrating weakness could be!”

Daniel couldn’t hold back any longer, his tears falling to join Gon’s on the floor. Daniel turned to Killua, hoping that his friend would be able to say something to stop the onslaught of tears. But what he was saw made the boy stare at his friend in complete silence, tears continuing to fall.

Killua was stand still in complete silence, his own tears falling freely.

Daniel had never seen Killua cry like this. He seen Killua cry, over something the boy had unconsciously thought about… but this… this was something new to him. Daniel could see the emotions overwhelming the boy, and it was destroying him deep inside…

Daniel wanted so badly to hold Killua tight against his chest, allowing him the freedom to cry freely without anybody seeing. But at the same time, he didn’t want to let go of Gon… and neither did the boy want to as well.

Daniel offered a weak smile at Killua, all three boys still crying over the situation.

“~”

All three had eventually calmed down long enough to return to the truck, which was heading back to Palm. Unfortunately, she needed the news broken to her, regardless of whether she already knew or not.

Gon sat silently, head buried in his legs.

He couldn’t honestly say whether or not Gon was still crying, maybe he still was, like Killua was doing silently earlier. But what was more surprising, was that Gon hadn’t seen Killua’s tears. He had returned to the truck, head hung low.

Killua was lucky in that sense, but Daniel had already seen them. And the boy hadn’t said anything to Gon, so he was thankful for that.

Daniel was just as quiet, head resting against the truck with his eyes closed. So Killua couldn’t tell whether or not the boy was sleeping. But, even if Daniel was asleep, he felt his attention being drawn towards the boy with his head in his legs.

No noises were being emitted by the boy, and that troubled him. _Gon… For the thirty days that you can’t use Nen… I’ll protect you. I will do whatever it takes! I promise! And after that… it’s good bye…_

“~”

Vastorie barely listened to Netero speaking on the phone, addressing some unknown contacts about the job he was assisting with. But the old man was so skilled when it came to hiding all important details.

He still had no idea, how he manages to hide specific jobs from all the Zodiacs, without pinging at least one of their radars.

All he could do was wait patiently with Knov and Morel, two more helping out Netero while he spoke over the phone “It’s me. Send over a team of Chimera Ant researchers immediately. Hmm… The King has been Born? Contact Dr. Lee, of Bonrin Medical School, and have him bring all his skilled surgeons and artificial organ experts.”

Having finished the call, Netero turned to Morel and Knov “We leave in four hours…”

“Yes, sir…”

Netero did something unique next, cutting his own pony tail off. It took Vastorie by surprise. The last time the old man got a haircut had to be decades ago.

“We will do everything we can. Colt-Kun…”

Colt-Kun stepped out of the shadows, a name which Vastorie had yet to hear about. He was a mystery, possibly a new Hunter assigned to the job. Although, Vastorie was surprised that person flew under his radar until now.

“We’ll need your cooperation…”

Colt nodded, letting Netero know he was ok with the request. Smiling, Netero next turned to his old friend hiding in the shadow of the room, in a complete _Zetsu_ like state. My had one of his students improved over the years, while continuously hiding a secret only Vastorie, Nathaniel and himself knew.

Maybe if the conditions called for it, Netero would bring others into the circle “Vastorie…”

Vastorie stepped out from the shadows, standing calmly before his old mentor “You called?”

Knov and Morel was surprised by the man’s presence, not expecting a person with such an ability to be involved. Knov pressed his glasses close to his face as he addressed the concern from his colleague “Why is this man involved?”

Netero butted in before Vastorie could make a case, a crooked smile showing “Because I may need him to use _it_?”

“You cannot be serious…” Vastorie argued back, eyes narrowing from the request. He’s hid this ability from everyone, and now Netero wants to use it, knowing the serious consequences if it were to be used incorrectly. He trusted Netero, like a father his grown to respect.

“Oh…” Netero continued to smile as he turned to Vastorie “I am serious…”

Vastorie’s eyes widen before he gulped. He turned to Colt; he half expected he would be the very reason why he would need to use the ability. But he was surprised with what he saw. It was an exotic creature with wings like an angel’s, most likely a Chimera ant, which was the current hot topic of the week.

Vastorie was concerned with why he would need to use the ability his kept a secret for so long, with a new person... But then again, he never questioned the old man’s words. Netero was surprisingly smart for his age… and only revealed secrets when he needed to “Alright, I trust your judgement.”

Taking a bow, Vastorie left the room quietly “Call me when you need it. For now, I need to relax, as well as prepare most likely my body in order to use it.”

As Vastorie left the room, Netero ran his fingers through his beard with a smile “So tell me Colt-Kun… and do give your honest opinion. Is it possible to beat the King?”

“~”

Zaikaria traversed the land alongside Shoot and Knuckle. They aimed to reach the coordinates they were given as quickly as possible. While they were travelling at abnormal speeds, Knuckle broached a topic “So, how, and when did you manage to land your token?”

“A bet… and after your battle. I kinda had to escape someone’s rage, and also lose them in the city. She wasn’t too happy, knowing I had erased part of her memories...”

“What?!”

“Oh… I never told you? Or maybe I did… and just _happened_ to erase yours too?” Zaikaria chided as she pretended to act all innocent.

Knuckle glared at the woman as Shoot’s eyes narrowed slightly. Something seemed off about the woman’s response.

“I’m kidding. No need to get your knickers in a bunch. But yes, I did remove some of your memories. That was probably why you didn’t know who Daniel was when you met him. I did that, in order to protect him. He means a lot to me…”

Knuckle huffed at the girl before slowly smiling. He knew that was a genuine response “I was suckered in by Gon. That boy is strong… but not right now. I hope wasn’t too ruthless on him…”

“Maybe…” Zaikaria continued to question the man as she got lost in her own thoughts “It is quiet dangerous to leave a boy without access to his _Nen_ in the middle of a battle. But, as long as we act quickly… we should be able to minimise the dangers; while here our main goal is to find Kite, right?”

“Yeah… but we also have to help out my master, Morel and Knov. We won’t be getting any rest for a while…”

Shoot nodded in silence before joining in “We’ll also be required to help a man named Colt. He is the Chimera Ant who surrendered.”

“Why? From my understanding, and what I was told, Chimera Ants are more… evil in nature…”

“Colt’s already explained the situation apparently…” Shoot butted in “From what we were told, he wanted to meet with Chairman Netero in order to save the Queen. She was severely wounded. And by how much time has passed… we’re not sure how long she’ll last…”

“~”

They eventually ended their journey through a large forest, meeting up with Morel, Knov and Colt. As they departed to help out the queen, Zaikaria opted to walk around the place, although not alone as she hoped.

She was accompanied by a young looking Chimera Ant, Akshasamat. He had a permanent scowl, tongue slivering out every so often like a snake. But that wasn’t the only thing he shared in common with one. Instead of legs, he had a long tail which he slither across the floor with, and scales. It spread out across the Chimera’s Ant’s back before roping around the shoulders like a cape, as well as ending at the back of the creature’s head.

The only thing that made no sense was the Mohawk on top of the Chimera Ant’s head. It was the only hair that existed, and it was the same colour of red like hers. It stood out of place against his greenish-blue skin.

“What’s with the Mohawk?”

“Do not dissss the hair…”

Zaikaria burst into laughter, not expecting the man to extend his ‘S’ for longer than needed.

“What isss funny?”

“Oh, nothing isss funny…” She heard herself laughing at her bad impression of the man, to which he found wasn’t amusing in the slightest “Do not make fun of my… word… utterance…?”

“You mean pronunciation?”

“Yesss…” Akshasamat groaned out “Ssshit… Damn!”

Zaikaria laughed even more at the creature’s flustered reaction “You must really hate you’re name…”

“Yess… I mean, agreed.”

“Can you say it… just once, please…?”

“No…”

Zaikaria gave the man a pleading look. Akshasamat sighed as he pressed his fingers into the side of his head “Fine… Ak-sssha-sssa-mut, happy?”

“Yesss…” Zaikaria joked one last time which earned the man’s approval “I’m sorry. You should probably change your name.”

“I ssshould… Damn you!”

Zaikaria stopped, finger pressed to her chin. She hummed out loud, the Chimera ant’s tongue slithering out every so often in amusement. It was a while before she said anything “Hebi is too short… I got it! Akamut!”

“Lame… You just got rid of an ‘H’ and the sss-sss, wait… you didn’t just?”

“Yup!” Zaikaria showed off an innocent smile “I did…”

“You’re annoying. I don’t know why Colt asssked for _your_ help!”

“Because he believes _we_ will be able to help him the most. While it’s true, I, myself cannot help in any way, shape or form… It doesn’t mean the others don’t have a chance of helping. Trust me when I say this… The other Hunters can help you. But for me, just lead me to Kite. I’m probably the only one who can help him now…”

“~”

Gon suddenly broke out into a loud scream, scaring Daniel out of his skin in the process. He didn’t expect Gon to scream, let alone recover in such a way “Okay, I’ve recovered!”

“From a nightmare…?”

Gon turned to Daniel, only to stick his tongue out at the boy “From being so sad! Knuckle and the other Hunters will save Kite. So I have to become stronger!”

Daniel rapid shook his head in shock before making a face of annoyance at his friend. Couldn’t he have done it without screaming the truck down? What if Gon gave the poor drivers a heart-attack in the process? He could’ve gotten them all killed…

Gon’s stern expression didn’t falter in the slightest. The boy brought his hand up, clenching it tightly into his wrist “I’ll make sure Kite won’t be disappointed when he comes back!”

Spinner whom sat all alone smiled at the boy’s words. Now the boy was beginning to understand the world, and how Kite worked. Shifting in her seat, she pulled the book mark into the book before closing it. Popping her bubble gum, she addressed the boy’s well-spoken speech “Ah, so you do understand. You may have met Kite before we did, but we’ve spent more time with him. After we crossed the mountains, if you’d still been moping, I would’ve given you a beating…”

Spinner ran her fingers across the cover before laying it on her knees. After gazing at the closed book, Spinner directed her attention to the boy, looking up as she acted unimpressed. The boys still had a long way to go “And told you Kite **wouldn’t want to see you three like this**. I know he’s still alive, and he doesn’t want you to have regrets. Right now…” pointing a finger at the roof, Spinner smiled “what should you do? You must make the correct decision, and find the will to follow through!”

The woman aimed a finger at Gon “If you’re too weak, train more. There’s enough space here for squats and push-ups.”

Gon beamed in delight, his original smile shining through. The boy was getting giddy with excitement, about ready to jump into training as soon as he can “Yeah, you’re right.”

“~”

Zaikaria broke the silence, the dark corridors offering nothing interesting to look at “Are you speaking through telepathy?”

“Yesss, that is how we ssspeak with not only each other… it’s the only way we can communicate with our Queen, why?”

“I keep hearing mixed voices, garbling… Someone is very… emotional…”

“You cannot even begin to fathom what we’re feeling right now!”

Zaikaria shot the Snake-man Chimera a glare “You’ll be surprised…”

Akshasamat eye twitched, the snake man turned away, eyes staring forward. He remembered silent, pondering the situation. He didn’t feel as though the creature next to him, the human would understand the pain they were going through.

“You do realise you’re partially human as well…”

Surprised by Zaikaria’s words, Akshasamat turned to her “Wh- What?”

“Do you understand the concept of _Nen_?”

“Yesss, I do… mossstly!”

“My ability is to read minds. Although I have to activate it through contact, those who focus on a single thought, intently… sometimes broadcast it loud enough, for me to read it. You were thinking about _humans_ not understanding _you_ …”

Akshasamat frowned “The King wounded our Queen… Colt turned to _you_ , hoping _you_ could sssave her. _You_ have failed him! The Queen jussst died! Her voice hasss drawn itsss last breath. Without her, the other Sssquadron Leadersss, Officersss, Sssoldiersss will mossst likely, NO, WILL act on their own. Without our Queen they will do asss they pleassse!”

“Then other Pro hunters will hunt them down and contain the damage!”

Akshasamat threw out his hand, angered by her words “Have you no Sssoul?!”

“I’m technically a ginger… We apparently have no sssoul! Joke or not… why don’t you walk a mile in my shoes…?”

“Are you serious… Wh- Why?!”

Zaikaria grabbed the Ants shirt, pulling him way too close for comfort “Listen here you over grown man-child! What you’ve experience now; I’ve done my whole life… I’m lived in an orphanage for majority of my childhood without a mother figure. I was kicked out because of my unusual _supernatural_ talent, and forced to live on the street! For two years! If it weren’t for those two men, the guys that raised me… who I owe my life to! If it weren’t for them, I’ll be dead by now!”

Zaikaria relaxed her tense nature, the sudden outburst feeling unnatural to even her. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled as she relaxed “Sorry… I can kinda understand what you’re going through… the loss. But, you can’t change the past! What you’ve done… in others’ eyes cannot be forgiven. However, at the same time… you no longer are mindless ants! You, Colt, the others all have different personalities. You are here now… and you can make things right! Don’t do what your… idiot brothers and sisters are doing!”

The Chimera Ant’s eyes widen slightly. He wasn’t expecting that… not in the slightest. He will morn for his mother’s loss, but the humans attempted to save their Queen… even after consuming a multitude of their kind. Sure, the humans killed many of his brothers and sisters… but they weren’t so pure as well “I underssstand.”

“Good… what the other ants do, the Pro Hunters will act accordingly. You on the other hand…” Zaikaria allowed a smile to sneak through “I want to offer-”

Zaikaria felt a presence move swiftly through the room, giving her almost no time to react. She shoved the Chimera back, accidently throwing the Chimera Ant into a rock column before jumping back. If she was a few seconds slower, she would have suffered more damage.

Whatever attacked her, land a strike, claws slicing through her cheek; she ran a finger across her face, wiping the blood that had already began to pool around the wound. Darted her eyes around the surrounding darkness, she forced her aura out, ready to act upon the next attack.

“That wasss-” Akshasamat thought the action was rude, unjustified, but when he was about to argue with the woman, he closed his mouth. For some reason she was already preparing for a fight “What’sss going on? Why-”

“Kite’s most likely in this area… I can feel someone darting around.” She felt the person attack, but this time she was ready for them. Twisting her body, she repositioned it so she was ready to counter the attack. She was hoping to reverse the attack and apply her own ability during the counter.

Once the enemy was inches away from her, she gripped the person’s arming throwing them away into one of the nearby pillars. What she saw next, shocked her.

A crazed man stood up, limbs contorted and long hair flowing all around him. He had scars running across his face and one eye bludging out as if it was about to pop out “That’s Kite?!”

Akshasamat nodded “Yesss… That is the man Neferpitou brought back…”

Zaikaria flicked up her hand, palm held out “Kite, I’m here-” She brought down her hand as she frowned in the process. She thought she used her ability, activating it as soon as she touched him. But something was amiss. The person controlling the man must have thought ahead, controlling the person’s movements as well putting a block on Kite’s mind in order to stop him from resisting.

While this was troubling for her, she tightened her fist “Stay out of the fight! I’m going to need to put a bigger dint in Kite’s mind… Tell whoever is near the others, I’m gonna need back up!”

The Chimera sent a telepathic message to his friends as he watched Zaikaria and Kite charge each other. All the Chimera ant could do… was watch as the two fought.

“~”

Daniel held his hands out, controlling his shadow within his fingertips. With what little light he was given from outside the truck, he focused on his shadow making it morph into various objects. Nothing too big was replicated. He just wanted to control his shadows so that they moved quicker into the designated shape. He had hoped he’ll be able to control the images with the least amount of hand movements like Shoot had done prior with the floating hands.

If he could train his ability to work like Shoot’s, the time between each attack could be eliminated. Daniel was just finishing up with his last task, hoping to conjure up a miniature Killua. By perfecting that, maybe he could learn to control the mini puppet to do various tasks.

He had no other reason to use the boy’s likeness, other than he was the only one Daniel could focus on the most, visualizing every tiny detail of the boy. It made him feel like a creep, but at the same time… Killua was the only one he could think about.

Ever since Killua’s breakdown in front of Shoot, he’s been more worried about the boy. And with what time he had with his friends, he needed to somehow break whatever is making Killua act like that.

 “Hey, Spin…” Daniel felt himself looking up, distracted from the task he was intending to focus on. Gon had spoken up, concern echoing in his voice. While Spinner hadn’t removed her sight from the book within her hands, she accepted the boy’s incoming question with a hum.

Gon had been doing a hand stand as he was pushing against the truck; he was doing vertical push ups. It was something unique to Daniel, watching Gon do what he would imagine being called hand stand ups… or would it be arms outs?

Either way, what Daniel was thinking of didn’t concern Gon for the moment because he was too busy asking Spinner a question “Why do you want to be a Hunter?”

Spinner slowly looked up at the boy, acting as though she was disinterested in the topic… or at least didn’t want to talk about it. Or maybe the answer was more simplistic… She just wanted to return to the book in her hands as soon as possible “I need the money to repay a huge debt.”

The boys stared at her, stunned from her response.

Spinner sighed from the blank stares, and blinking of disbelief “Have you heard of the small-billed swan?”

“Nope…”

Spinner sighed once more, but considering the animal lives in only a single area, their response wasn’t that unusual “It’s a species of bird that can only live in the area around a certain mine. No one knows why that is…” the woman looked back down at the book, thinking seriously on the topic before looking up once more at the boys’ blank stares “Was it the water…? The food…? The weather…? So I brought the entire area where the mine is. Well, the mine’s closed down now…”

A smile broke out across Spinner’s face, remembering the vivid image of Kite standing there, her knight in shining armour at the time. If it wasn’t for Kite, that dream wouldn’t have been possible “Kite provided the money for that. He was the first adult who was willing to listen to kids who had nothing at all…”

Spinner’s expression faded, returning to the blank stare once more “Stick and I were born in that area…”

Daniel frowned at the woman’s silence, but the look of peace now on her face, showed it all. She was remembering an image vividly, a part of her life she could recall easily whenever she was at peace “The sight of thousands of small-billed swans taking flight with the light of dawn at their backs… That’s the oldest, but strongest, memory Stick and I have.”

Daniel watched her expression falter once more. Sadness being expressed in her eyes “When we heard the area would be demolished, we realized how important it was to us… Kite said that he envied us. He doesn’t have a home. Because he doesn’t know where he was born…”

Daniel smiled slightly, Kite’s backstory reminding him much of Zaikaria’s history. She never had a home she could recall from her childhood days. What Kite experienced with Ging, was the same as what Vastorie did for Zaikaria.

Its stories like these, that make Daniel question how Ging could leave Gon with his aunt or surrogate mother as Gon put it. He left only one clue, Greed Island, which lead them to Kite…

Now they were completely out of clues with helping them find Ging… and now they were here, with Spinner, learning about Kite’s past. Ging has a wide array of achievements behind his back… and was helping others like Kite achieve their own, of course with only minimal help…

Spinner’s smile returned once more, and this time she remained smiling as she looked at the boys “Once this mission is over, I can show you three my treasure…”

Gon smiled widely at the offer “We would love to!”

Neither Daniel, nor Killua could argue against the idea. As long as Gon wanted to go along, a part of them would happily follow after their friend. But both of them knew, deep down… that wouldn’t be possible.

Faking their smile, the two happily agreed with their friend.

“~”

Zaikaria watched the enemy carefully, expecting him to attack. What was taking Knuckle and Shoot so long? It had been ten minutes, and neither one had shown up yet.

The moment Kite stood still, she shouldn’t have attacked again. She hoped her ability would somehow smack Kite out of his controlled state. Sure, she wasn’t a _Nen_ exorcist, by any standard…

But Kite should’ve broken out of the control after being reached. At first, she thought the control over his body was stronger than what she could handle… but the longer she fought… the more she began to realise how hopeless her dreams were.

“What happened?!” Zaikaria removed her attention from Kite, and allowed her gaze to fall on Knuckle. A frown formed across her features, showing the irritation set in her eyes “Took you long enough!”

“You idiot! You should have waited for us…”

“He didn’t exactly give me time to **call my posse** …”

Akshasamat slid into conversation, addressing Zaikaria’s wounds “I do not know how you humansss treat each other. But-”

“I have four broken ribs, a shattered ankle and I believe a busted lip. I demand to be treated like a damsel in distress!”

Knuckle’s eye twitched from her reaction, but they should also be concerned with Kite who is still right behind them “Why… Why isn’t he attack us?”

“He’s a puppet… attached to strings. I don’t know why he attacked first, but it seems as though right now he isn’t going to attack, until we attack… but that’s not our main concern…”

Knuckle’s attention shot back to the woman, mouth twitching “Yeah, you are! Leave-”

“You can’t save him… And I can’t save him… Kite’s dead…”

Knuckle, Shoot and Akshasamat’s eyes widened in surprise as they drew their attention back to Kite; he was standing there, still moving somewhat. There was no way Kite was dead…

“What you-”

“He has no thoughts… No memories… No reaction to my words… Either Neferpitou’s control is that strong over the man…” She clenched her teeth, staring back at the supposed moving corpse.

Knuckle looked back towards the man, eyes widening at the possibility of failing. The one Gon asked them to save… might already be dead. Gon felt as though he knew Kite was alive. But if what Zaikaria said was true then… “Kite’s dead…”

Knuckle clenched his fist tight, standing up as he held out at hand to Shoot “If you can’t fix Kite, then there’s only one person who can help him now…”

“Neferpitou…” Akshasamat’s eyes narrowed at the possibility. Neferpitou-Sama left the Queen for dead once they left with the King. If they didn’t help the Queen, he highly doubted they will help Kite. The Snake Chimera Ant took in a deep breath “I’ll look over Missss Damsssel in distressss…”

“How kind of you… My body is yoursss.” Zaikaria joked as she gave the man a warm smile.

Akshasamat’s gaze turned away, blushing if he had the capacity to do so. She was so bold to offer her body like that, but at the same time, he also knew that was more like a sarcastic remark. Then again… there was a weird overwhelming pressure deep inside, an instinct that was slowly getting recognised.

The Chimera Ant slid upwards, over the young later. He would have looked menacing, but after what he just experienced, it’s just not possible “Will you be fine, knowing that man had decimated many of my friendsss… I’m surprised Missss Zaikaria fought asss long asss ssshe did.”

“You wound me…”

Ignoring Zaikaria’s comments Knuckle faced the enemy before them “Shoot, I’ll use my ability while you contain him…”

Kite was already preparing to attack the men with hostile intent

Shoot threw away the garment hiding away his ability, readying for the battle to come. Judging by the woman’s wounds, the man wouldn’t be an easy fight. As long as Knuckle’s ability worked, they could neutralize Kite’s _Nen_ , reducing his strength before containing the man in **Hotel Rafflesia**.


	94. Gon X Palm X Plans?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Sorry for the long ass delay, I wanted to add a little special something at the end of the chapter… one that crossed my unprepared mind, yet somehow also fit into the chapter.

Cold, dark aura oozed from the boys’ last inn, Palm hidden deep inside the utter darkness. The three of them weighed the situation at various levels, each tempting the idea of not walking in now.

Not only could they see the darkness, they could feel it, licking their skin like a hungry monster ready to devour the flesh of any whom dare tread at its footsteps.

As much as Killua and Daniel didn’t want to go in, Gon most certainly did. He was the only one out of the three who really wanted to apologize to the monster hiding in the inn… in their room…

Daniel gulped, taking one step back.

Gon looked over his shoulder, concerned for his friend “Are you ok Daniel?”

“Yeah… but I’m leaving you two to go first.”

Gon nod his head in understanding before turning back to the inn. Daniel was kind of right to take his position, being able to see the projection of Palm’s frustrations. Ever since Knuckle’s ability was activated, he couldn’t see aura… but that didn’t limited him from feeling it…

Palm was certainly upset at their loss, possibly more than they could understand. Taking a step forward, Gon pushed himself forward, aiming to apologise to Palm before the night was over.

Gon opened the front door, taking one step onto the creaking floor. The dark aura felt more intense as the other two followed behind him. As Daniel shut the front door, the aura rippled, as if beckoning them to come closer towards their demise.

Gon mustn’t have seen it, the aura curling inward as they got closer. Palm must feel them, creeping closer towards her, or at least watching them from a dark corner. From the way the aura moved around, it was impossible to tell where it originated from.

From all they could tell, she was there behind them, waiting in the darkness, waiting to lock them inside their room before slaughtering them all.

Killua held Gon back, opening the door to take a peek inside before everyone else. He wanted to make sure they were in the clear, and that Palm was just in a foul mood. What he saw… disturbed him.

Palm was kneeling down in the middle of the room, jagged knife being stabbed into a makeshift doll. She ripped it out slowly, making sure to rip every inch of the fabric on the way out before plunging the knife back in to repeat the process. From the angle, Killua couldn’t tell which doll number she was stabbing into, but from the others, it could be only one possibility.

The doll she was destroying was one of the many other dolls she made of Gon. In fact, the room was littered with many others, all ripped at various degrees of damage. Some were missing faces, others missing parts of the face, like an eye or two.

Several of the dolls were missing even limbs, ripped from the repeated process of being stabbed at different locations.

This wasn’t a slaughter house for just dolls made to look like Gon; it was practice for the real thing as soon as she saw the boy. This room was nothing more than nightmare fuel, a haunted house full of slaughtered dolls like one would witness in the good old days, where horror wasn’t just jump scares and loud screams.

If Palm wasn’t there, stabbing at the dolls right now, they would’ve been her next victim. Palm suddenly stopped, removing the jagged knife slowly. The stuffing inside was pulled out, making it look as though she was pretending to remove arteries and veins along with it.

But it didn’t stop there, what happened next, made Killua’s blood turn ice could. Palm turned towards the door, knife held up like a murderer would do in a horror flick. Rather than bringing the knife back down, Daniel pulled the door shut on Killua’s face, making him reel back from shock.

He turned to face the boy whom closed the door, his friend shaking his head as if to say to look no more. Daniel only caught a glimpse of Palm, her blood-red, thirsty eyes, and a room littering with destroyed dolls.

He could only imagine what Killua alone, witnessed those past few minutes. He turned to face Gon, pretending for a moment, what he saw was all a figment of his imagination “Palm’s… a little busy right now. We should come back later once she’s-”

The door was pulled open, Daniel tensing up from what was standing behind him. He refused to look at it, the monster Palm had become. He was hoping that the woman would end his life quickly, unlike the dolls littering the room.

Instead he heard the woman’s cruel voice, like her jagged knife, ripping through the boys’ body “You must take responsibility…”

Killua and Gon’s face morphed into mortification, staring into the eyes of the woman whom they thought could not break into this kind of freak of nature. The hair covering her face rippled in the air, like a mixture of two monsters rolled into one.

Medusa’s snake hair hissing before the person catches a glimpse and then turns to stone and the Grudge with her hair hiding the very face that would later terrify others.

Daniel craned his neck, beckoning himself to look into the woman’s eyes before she ended their lives.

“You promised to take me to NGL…” Palm’s pleading, blood-red, soulless eyes was staring deep into the boys’ soul “You said you’d swallow a thousand needles if you broke that promise…”

“He didn’t mean lit-” Daniel attempted to argue which was only cut off by Palm’s terrifying voice “SILENCE!”

Gon looked into the woman’s eyes, hoping he would be the voice of reason “Uh-huh, I’m sorry…”

“I DON’T want an apology… But there’s no point in having you swallow a thousand needles.”

“Yeah…” Gon agreed with the woman, the thought of having to actually swallow a thousand needles sounding more painful the longer he thought about it.

Daniel crossed his arms, pretending to act all tough on the outside while his body screamed to run. _Gon, for how long do you plan to pretend those five hundred shredded dolls behind her don’t exist…?_

“So what can I do to make up for it?”

_You’re going to strike a deal with… **this thing** … even with those stuffed dolls behind her contradicting the whole **I can’t have you swallow a thousand needles?**_

“Let’s see…” Palm hummed as she raised a finger. She offered the one solution neither of them were prepared for “You must… do any one thing I say.”

Daniel was already thinking of all the ways the woman wanted Gon to take his life.

“Hold on! Right now, do you know how Gon feels-”

“Okay, I agree!”

“Wait, Gon you can agree to that…” Daniel was now arguing alongside Killua “Who knows what… **_THAT!_** Is thinking!”

Palm’s eyes widened, showing the new rage feelings swirling within her eyes. The boy cowered in fear, taking a few steps back. Dealing with Hisoka is one thing…but this… this he had no clue how to deal with.

“It’s fine…” Gon offered a reassuring smile to his friend before turning to the creature that makes even Chimera Ants look like puppies in comparison.

“What?” Killua looked distraught at his friend’s response, not expecting him to agree with little argument.

What she said next, neither Daniel, nor Killua was anticipating _that_ either… “Go out with me…”

“Huh?” Killua and Daniel said in sync, confused for a moment. They were pretty sure Palm didn’t ask a weird question. Once the boys realised she did in fact ask Gon out, their faces morphed into utter shock “A DATE?!”

Palm’s fingers dug into her chest, her monstrous form not matching the now calm tone she was using “Go out with me…”

Killua took a step back, freaking out even more so now that she raised her knife at Gon. They must have stepped into a parallel dimension at some point in the conversation. She… was asking Gon, someone half her age out, at knife point.

She wasn’t serious… she couldn’t be serious… “Killua, we’re imagining this right now… PLEASE, say we are imagining this!”

“We-WE aren’t imagining this!”

“Okay!”

“GON, YOU DID NOT JUST AGREE TO THIS!”

“I did…”

Killua closed the distance between his friend, face directly in front of him as he snapped “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING?!”

Daniel swung an arm over Gon, dragging his friend into a corner before Killua or Palm could react. He didn’t take the boy far, just out of ear shot since he was too afraid she’ll start chasing after them while that was knife raised.

Daniel quietly whispered to his friend, reminding him of someone his forgetting about “Think about this! Don’t you have some sort of relationship with Sakura…?”

“Oh…” Gon was shocked for a moment, after having realised he was technically secretly dating Sakura. But once he explains it to his boyfriend, he was sure Sakura would understand why he did it “Everything will be alright… Besides, I did say I’d do anything…”

Daniel froze to the spot, a statue for everyone to poke fun at. He wasn’t expecting everything to go Palm’s way without a fight.

Gon offered Killua a smile, speaking up as he walked back over to a confused Killua and Palm “I did agree to anything.”

Killua snapped a finger in Palm’s direction, anger radiating off the boy like puffed up enraged cat “AND YOU, you have no problem playing dirty like this?!”

“THIS, is none of your business… it’s our problem! It’s up to the two of us.”

Gon was frozen to the spot, not sure how he should react to Palm’s love-struck monstrous form. She was acting all cute, swinging her hips from side to side while simultaneously holding a jagged knife.

It was creepy, but certainly not the weirdest thing they’ve seen so far.

Killua slowly pulled back his arm, unsure how to react to Palm’s sudden mood shift. The boy pulled in close to Gon, whispering in the boy’s ear “You should stay as far away as possible from her, Gon…”

Palm reacted negatively to the boy’s woods throwing her arms down, pouting while still somehow managing to keep up her creepy posture “Don’t interrupt us! This is something the two of us must decide alone!”

Killua flared up like a cat again, pointing an accusing finger at the woman in questioning “You just want an excuse to say that!”

Palm blushed from the thought before retorting back “Just be quiet!”

Daniel managed to reanimate himself from petrification, swinging over to Gon’s other side. He whispered in Gon’s ear like Killua, hoping to persuade the boy to reconsider as well “Please, Gon… think about this. No one in their right mind would want to consider a date with Palm as being **the easy way out** …”

“I don’t care what you two think! We’re going out now… There’s somewhere I really want to go.”

“Oh, sorry. I can’t go out today…” Gon spoke up, surprising the room for a moment. Was the boy finally reconsidering the idea of dating Palm? As much as Daniel and Killua hoped so, Gon stopped either of them from considering the thought “Today, I have to train with Killua and Daniel.”

“Oh…” Daniel and Killua stared at the boy blankly, Palm was already starting to break once more, as if she were about to suddenly slice Gon in two. But Gon continued his thought before either of them could begin arguing once more “I know! You can train with us, Palm!”

Killua and Daniel froze solid, petrified from the thought of having to deal with Palm for the whole day. Gon thought he had gotten away with it, sedating the woman’s idea of going out on date today. However, he was wrong.

Rage soon filled the woman’s eyes. Palm closed the distance between her and Gon, knife dangerously close enough to cut the boy. Killua and Daniel were freaking out, mortified from how quickly Gon’s plan backfired “HUH?! What are you talking about? Didn’t you say we’d go out?”

“Uh-huh…”

“THEN, why are _they_ tagging along? And why would we train? This will be our date… Our first date!”

Daniel looked to Killua for guidance “As soon as she raises her knife at him, you grab Gon, I’ll grab our stuff and we’ll make a break for it!”

Palm brought her knife down, inching closer to Gon’s neck “The first date for us!”

“NOW!” Killua and Daniel were about to move, but Gon surprised them, while calming Palm’s rage at the same time “But it isn’t a date…”

Palm reeled back in utter shock “Wait, what?”

Killua and Daniel fell over, not expecting Gon to calms her down with that line of thinking, but he didn’t just stop there “We can have a proper date later. Since it’s our first date, like you said.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, unsure how Gon managed to make the beast blush. Palm ran her fingers tentatively down the sides of the knife as she kept her gaze to the floor, never once looking back up into Gon’s eyes.

She was hard to read, erratic, yet Gon could speak as though he knew her heart’s desires. _Wow… Palm went from ‘ **I’m going to kill you’** to ‘ **ok, I’ll listen to your idea Gon’**._ Daniel allowed his attention gaze to Killua. Would he ever be able to reach Killua like that, speaking to the boy as if he knew him on a spiritual level?

Maybe one day… but he highly doubted he could do so like Gon just did with Palm. That takes some skill, especially with how well he did it in a life or death situation.

As Killua and Daniel were off in their own world, confused at the situation, Gon continued where he left off now that Palm was a lot calmer than she was seconds ago “And I need time to prepare for it, too.”

“Prepare? Prepare for what?”

“That’s…” Gon offered the older woman a bright smile, sweet, yet so innocent in nature “a secret. You get to find out tomorrow.”

“Oh…” Palm murmured, cheeks glowing in embarrassment “In that case, it’s fine.” Palm dropped her knife inches from her feet. The woman’s voice got sweeter, yet somehow, she still looked like someone you didn’t want to double cross at any given moment “Really… If you’d explained first, I wouldn’t have been so angry.”

“Sorry about that. But I wanted to keep it secret, to surprise you!”

Knowing the danger was over, left Killua and Daniel feeling more confused. How, and since when did Gon have these skills? Since when was Gon a professional charmer?

Killua’s mood soured, cheeks puffed up. He felt jealous. A part of him wanted to push Palm out the window, and steal Gon’s plans for tomorrow. Although, that thought made him fluster, wishing his mind didn’t wander to those ideas.

Now knowing this secret side of Gon, he did wish the boy said those words to him, as much to his dismay. But that being said… he still couldn’t leave Gon with her alone. He’ll somehow have to track Palm without her notice he was nearby…

Palm held up her hands to her faces, cheeks glowing more redder by the second “You wanted to surprise me? Gosh…” poking Gon’s forehead, the boy continued to work his charm “Let’s meet tomorrow, at 10 AM, in front of the bulletin board.”

“I’ll be there!”

Daniel blinked at the situation loss for words as Gon beckoned his friends to follow him to out for training. He’d need to steal some tips from the boy, learning some skills so he too could charm Killua’s socks off… so to speak.

He really liked Killua, and maybe the boy did too… deep inside. Or maybe what he really needed was to find a way to open Killua up. To get the boy to feel comfortable, help him understand his own feelings.

Maybe that’s all he really needed to do… Give Killua a slight nudge in the right direction. Daniel soon felt himself smiling… He’ll use tomorrow to his advantage, and help Killua discover something new about himself. It was a perfect idea! And nothing could possibly go wrong!

“~”

“Gon, you’re amazing…” Killua half joked, half complimented his friend, which in doing so also earned a frown from Daniel.

Daniel felt slightly jealous when Killua praised his friend, especially knowing, deep down Killua was secretly in-love with Gon. Although, the two haven’t talked about that in a long time, so it was hard to tell if Killua still cared for Gon like he unconsciously did back on Greed Island.

“Huh…” Gon looked up, confused from the boy’s sudden compliment. It had taken him completely off guard, and it didn’t help that he had no clue what his friend was complimenting him for, even if it was a joke “What do you mean…?”

The three of them had agreed to the gym, using its various weights to help train. Unfortunately, the amount of weight was far less than what they could naturally support. The 100s of kilo they were able to siphon for themselves was as if they were holding a jug of water in each hand.

Although, doing this was better than nothing at all. And hanging around Palm all day during training would’ve given them no time to relax.

“Well…” Killua hummed, pressing the weights against his neck as if he were using it for back support. It bent against the weights, curving slightly over the boys frame “listening to you talk to Palm, you seemed used to this stuff.”

Killua hadn’t noticed, but Daniel did. The safety managers watching over the other trainers would often stop and stare, mortified about the boys strength. Daniel would wave at them, forcing them out of their stupor, which in doing so would often make them get flustered before turning around to help one of the other patrons.

But in their defence… it was unusual to see three teens holding 900 kilograms between them.

Gon responded to Killua’s statement, confused from what his friend was insinuating “Really…?” He has been like this for as long as he could remember. He’s met various women back on Whale Island, each more different than the last. Gon returned back to his weight lifting, unconcerned by the questioning seeing as Killua didn’t continue on the matter.

Killua focused on his own world, curious, and slightly afraid of the answer he’ll get. He knew Gon grew up with only Mito and Abe, but out of curiosity… maybe Gon had other women surrounding him at other times “Gon…”

“Hmm…” Gon piped up, looking up at Killua, half expecting another question.

“I was wondering… Have you been on a date before?”

“Sure, I have.”

Killua felt crushed by an invisible boulder of surprise; he wasn’t expecting that at all. Here Killua was a virgin to the whole dating world. And Gon had gone off, quiet possibly on a few of them. He dreaded the situation, the reveal of a truth his mind quiet possibly couldn’t handle.

Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise; was Gon about to let lose he somehow had managed to sneak in a date with Sakura, without any of them noticing. Wait, there was no way… Gon wasn’t ever longer than an hour away from them at any time.

Sure, he could have a mini-date during those times… but nothing like what Gon was secretly hiding from Palm.

He had planned a big date, something on a massive scale behind all their back. Gon must be secretly romantic, able to make someone feel beyond just simply being _special_. Now that he thought about it, he should have gathered that much from Sakura’s random texts while on the train to Battera’s home.

“Well…” Gon began; Daniel’s knuckles tighten around the pole. He was preparing for the evitable reveal of his relationship to Sakura “most of them were with Mito-San.”

Daniel felt revealed to hear that, returning to focus back on weight lifting.

“Oh, that makes sense…” Killua’s replied before his reaction made Daniel reconsider his original thought “WAIT! What you mean by that… who else was there?”

Daniel was taken back in surprise, re-running what Gon stated back, over and over again. It hit him like a ton of brick, making him drop the weights on top of his foot. A scream echoed throughout the room, loud enough to make others freak out, some possibly even hurting themselves from falling off the equipment in surprise.

Daniel grabbed the pole mid fall, stopping the tool from damaging anything other than his foot.

Gon felt concerned from Daniel hurting himself “Are you OK?!”

“Yeah… between Killua’s reaction…” Daniel raised the bar, trying to act as though Gon’s words weren’t phasing him right now “It’s just Killua’s reaction took me by surprise.” The boy needed something to shift the conversation back to Gon’s topic, so he took the only option he could see at the time “Clearly, Killua’s jealous of _your, eventful_ lifestyle…”

“I- I’M not jealous… You’re _just_ as shocked as me to hear that Gon, has gone on several dates already. Seriously…” Killua tilted his head off to the side, cheeks tinged red. He can’t believe Daniel’s bold statement declaring whether he _may_ or _may not_ have feelings for Gon; even now, he still wasn’t sure “Seriously though! Wh- WHO else was there… Do I ahh… know them…?”

“No… not really…” Gon smiled at the friendly banter, seeing as it was something that helped both Daniel and Killua connect. Although, it did raise a little confusion; why would Daniel say Killua was _jealous_? Seeing the joke as nothing more than a friendly argument, the boy continued “Some of the fishing boats that stopped at whale Island were full of women, some whom only liked younger men…”

Daniel’s jaw dropped as Killua’s face turned into mortification. Gon better not be going where their mind was at right now. It was straight in the gutters… thinking Gon wasn’t really a pure-souled virgin like they originally thought.

“So I took them around the village and had them teach me things. Women like that were called fanatics.”

 _T- Teach him things?! Th- That means… He’s a grown-up!_ Killua thought to himself, too shocked to find out what kind of things they were teaching Gon. What Gon described, didn’t sound innocent in the slightest. Older women… whom liked younger men… they weren’t fanatics… or even cougars… they had to be paedophiles!

Daniel muttered out loud, a little too loud for the other trainers and trainees “Things?! What kind of things were women teaching you…?”

“Umm…” Gon paused, thinking of all the things they taught him “Making flower crowns… origami… Romantic ideals for women… Umm… Oh, they also taught me about love!”

Daniel and Killua froze to the spot. What… exactly did he mean by that? What type of love was forced upon the boy?! “What exactly do you mean by _love_?”

Gon smiled widely “Kissing… feelings… I still like Mito-San’s explanation better. The women who came all sounded really messy.”

“MESSY?!” Killua and Daniel looked at each other, mortified at the response. They’ve already had _the talk_ with Gon, and the boy hadn’t even realised the graveness of the situation… or that his even had _the talk_. Mito-San probably didn’t even describe it as _the talk_.

“They didn’t…” Killua began, not sure how to word it “touch you in weird places…”

“Like that movie you were watching on the TV?”

Killua freaked out. He thought Gon had forgotten about the movie “Y- Yeah… I guess like the movie.” Killua flustered at the thought, but a shake of Gon’s head relieved his friends “No, nothing like that… but that’s how they described love. Messy… Icky…”

“Gon…” Daniel opened his mouth next “How old were you… when they started that conversation?”

“As young as ten… why?”

The two felt slightly relieved. Gon’s child-like innocence, had brushed it off as something disgusting. “Oh, well… that makes sense. It is messy… right, Killua?” Daniel nudged his friend, hoping the boy could push them off this topic “Yeah, totally… really messy. So, yeah…”

Killua looked left and right, before turning his gaze back to the floor. He didn’t know if he could handle nasty girls touching Gon like that… But more importantly, he wondered what he would do upon finding out if they did. Would he hunt each and every woman down, making them suffer for touching Gon?

Killua was lost in his own thoughts, Gon broaching the new topic with Daniel first “Have you ever been on a date, Daniel?”

Daniel tensed up “No… never… Between Zaikaria, my age… and my thoughts… it’s never crossed my mind. Maybe now I might think about it… maybe… Why?”

“Oh…” Gon mouthed a big ‘o’, surprised by the boy’s words. Actually, this gave the boy a great idea to put into action later. Seeing as he’ll be off with Palm on a date, this could give Daniel and Killua time to think about their relationship “Haven’t you ever been on a date, Killua?”

“HUH…?” Killua looked up, shocked at the question directed at him “NO! Of course not…” Killua placed the metal weights on the floor “I spent all my time training as an assassin. The thought of dating someone was the last thing that would ever cross my mind… And ever since I quit, I’ve been with you and Daniel.”

“Oh, yeah…” Gon murmured out loud, surprised he had forgotten about that.

“R- Right!” Killua closed his eyes slightly, a dark thought crossing his mind soon after. _I really don’t want that to change…_ Thinking about Bisky’s words made him almost break immediately from the thought. _Damn, I’m soo close to giving up… And this was my own decision…_

Gon offered a smile to his friends “While I’m on my date tomorrow, why don’t you two have one on your own?”

“HUH?!” The two boys parroted, each looking towards the other for an argument of their own. Gon’s phone buzzing, made him leave his friends in utter confusion, wondering why Gon would make such a bold statement, one that required the both of them to consider the statement.

Daniel looked away, pondering on the question. He thought ‘sure, they technically had nothing to do while Gon was out on his date…’ But the chance of Killua agreeing with the plan was very unlikely. Maybe with a glimmer of hope, Killua would change his mind, and at the same time… Daniel wouldn’t mind going on a date. But at the same time… he had no clue what to do on a date “A date…” Daniel muttered out loud, snapping Killua’s attention to the boy.

There was no way Daniel would consider it, but, the amount of questioning contained in the boy’s voice declared otherwise. Daniel was considering the idea “You can’t be serious…”

Hearing the boy’s words, Daniel gazed back towards Killua, physically hurt by his friend’s tone “I know…” Daniel whispered back before diverting his attention away from Killua. He could feel the tears bubbling up, threatening to show themselves for the world to see. He calmed his breathing, thinking seriously on the manner.

It wasn’t that Killua didn’t like him and didn’t want to… It was just the boy couldn’t freely express himself. He didn’t really know if he had feelings like that. He couldn’t love someone, because he didn’t know how express _that_ feeling.

Killua could see it, the boy’s tensed body. He knew the words hurt more than it should’ve, but Daniel should be thinking seriously about the situation… NONE OF THEM HAD BEEN ON A DATE! What the hell were they supposed to even do on one… wander around until they found something they wanted to do?

And besides that situation, they had a more pressing concern. Gon was without _Nen_ , and was going to be stuck with Palm… someone needed to protect the boy if a situation arises. Killua felt his feelings on the matter waning. If Gon turned around, he would see Daniel destroyed.

There was only one way to fix this… and as much as he didn’t know what to do on dates, he needed to make Daniel smile. And as much to Killua’s dismay, he felt himself buckling at the decision “Fine…” Killua muttered under his breath “I’ll go on a date with you…”

Shocked at the words, Daniel’s gaze was forced back onto Killua “Wait, what… you can’t be serious. You don’t have to do that… We-”

“KNUCKLE, what do you mean?”

When did Knuckle arrive? Thinking that the older man had made a surprise visit, the boys turned their attention to Gon, expecting a man with a pompadour.

“~”

Knuckle swallowed his pride, believing he told Gon the absolute truth over the phone. Even if the chances are impossible, he still latched onto the dream “Gon, I believe Kite’s being controlled by the enemy.”

Zaikaria’s features turn to disgust; he was filling the boy on the other side of the phone with hope. There was no way Kite was alive… after what they fought, and what they’ve seen… he was beyond saving. Yet, a part of her also hoped she was wrong…

But even still… He shouldn’t have withheld the whole truth from the boy.

“So I wouldn’t say that he’s okay…”

“~”

Gon smiled at the news, Knuckle filling him with a new sense of hope. Kite was alive, maybe not himself at the moment… but he was alive nonetheless. That’s all that matters right now, Kite being alive.

Gon mentally fist pumped, silently cheering at the man’s words “That’s fine…” Filled with determination, Gon’s features harden “There must be a way to bring him back!” _Nen_ was vast, and wide. So no matter what, there would be someone out there… someone whom could remove the _Nen_ placed on Kite.

They just need to find the person and ask for their help.

But unfortunately for Gon, Knuckle had some more news to depart with “All right, it’ll take three days to get back, so watch out for any soldier ants. It seems they’ve scattered far and wide, imitating the king.”

“Got it…” Gon removed the phone from his ear before hanging up.

Daniel and Killua waited for the boy to say something, anything about what Knuckle had said. Gon began to shake, a weird noise being emitted.

Daniel opened his mouth, voice filled with concern “Gon what’s-”

“YES!” Gon leapt into the air, bouncing back up whenever he landed “I knew Kite was alive!”

Daniel smiled, the situation looking as though Gon had won the lottery several times over. Even though Gon had most likely received bad news as well, Kite being alive outweighed all the bad news in the world to him right now.

Nothing could ruin this boy’s day now… nothing at all. Gon only had one thing to worry about now, making Palm’s date go off with a bang! But at the same time… deep down, he felt guilty for what he’ll eventually need to tell Palm.

He was sure she’ll understand most of all, considering she was in love with Knov.

Taking one step towards his friends, Gon’s smile brightened up “Killua! Daniel! I want you to help me with something.”

Confused, the two looked at each other seriously. What could Gon possibly need their help for?

“~”

What Gon described on the way… what they pictured, it was nothing like they had anticipated. They were stuck in the forest, Gon moving from area to area, looking for something specific in the forest. He eventually found some, hiding at the bottom of bushes, on the opposite side of a rocky mountain “There we go!”

Killua frowned at the idea, not like Gon’s plan in the slightest. What his friend wanted to achieve, wasn’t something Killua could picture going right.

Gon was removing branches from a bush, plucking the leaves so each branch was left bare. Once Gon had finished with one, he moved onto another, repeating each step until his bag was full to the brim.

Killua eventually shook his head at Gon’s disastrous plan “What do you plan on using those for?”

Gon brought a branch he removed to his eyes, inspecting it. The branch was almost perfect, a few leaves needed to be removed before he could be tuck it away in his bag. As Gon was removing the leaves, he responded, half engaged in the question “It’s a present for Palm.”

“Are you sure about this…?” Killua stared in disbelief, while mocking the boy’s plan with his tone. Gon had to be half joking with the preparation for his date.

“I agree with Killua… she’ll kill you if you handed her that. I’m pretty sure, most people would kill you if you handed a bunch of bare branches as the gift on a date… and that’s coming from someone who has never been on date…”

“Hmm…” Gon pondered the statement, raising another branch to his eyes “if I just handed it to her… probably…”

Killua sighed; feeling slightly frustrated in his friend’s half engaged attitude. Why couldn’t Gon think more about this situation… or if he was, why couldn’t he just say what he’s planning, rather than hush, hush about it? “Whatever…” Killua allowed another sigh to escape his throat, walking away as he argued once more “Let’s get back to town.”

“Yeah…”

Walking away, Gon joined his friend as Daniel was forced to join them so he wasn’t left behind. It was a while before any of them talked, the soft noise of crunching leaves giving away the boys’ presence.

Gon broached a topic neither of them expected to hear again “So, Daniel… Killua… have you thought about what you plan to do on your date tomorrow?”

Killua broke into a coughing fit at the unexpected words. Gon was being bold by thinking both Daniel and himself had already agreed to a date together “Wh- What?! You can’t be serious… Daniel… and I… on a _real_ date…?”

The boy was embarrassed, and shocked at the question. He couldn’t see himself on a date, because he didn’t even know what a date consisted of. And what Gon was gathering didn’t help give Killua an inkling of an idea on how one prepares for a date.

“Huh…?” Gon stopped, looking back towards Killua in concern.

Gon didn’t get to chime in, questioning the boy further seeing as Daniel was already raising a curious eyebrow at Killua’s beetroot red appearance “Wait, didn’t you agree to one earlier…?”

“Yes… I mean… no? Yeah, no! I didn’t _exactly_ agree with the plan…” Killua shifted uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked away. Drifting his thoughts back onto the conversation he had earlier, he did agree. But now he thought about it… going through with it would be weird, at least to him.

“Yes…? No…? Why not…?”

“We **HAVEN’T** been on a _date_!” Killua blushed from his own words “I mean individually… so… what on earth do we even do on a date, together?!”

Daniel opened his mouth, only to find himself lost for words. He had no clue how to rebut it, let alone disagree with his friend’s way of thinking. Daniel took a deep breath, looking at Gon for guidance “He’s right… we are _virgins_ … in the dating world… I don’t even want to let my brain wander to that side of the conversation.”

“I’m-” Killua immediately closed his mouth. While Gon was in the vicinity, he didn’t want to even engage the sexual side of topic, fear of tainting the innocence of one he believes to be **his light…** the one that shines so brightly, he has to be forced to look away.

Even so, he still wanted to argue against Daniel, telling the perverted boy he was a virgin in all sense.

Killua remained silent, Gon forced to breach the topic once more “Well… I can’t tell you everything you _should_ do. But a date should go with the flow, mixing a combination of things the two of you like…”

Killua snapped his fingers before running them under his chin with a sly smirk “Hmmm…” Killua’s cheeky expression returned “Well, I highly doubt weapons and deserts would-”

Gon shook his head at Killua “No, well yes with chocolate… sort of. I mean go to a café… an amusement park… something you think you’ll enjoy.”

“But-”

“No buts!” Gon wiggled a finger at Killua “you shouldn’t stay at the hotel while I’m gone with Palm. I’m sure you’ll find something to do with Daniel.”

“You know…” Daniel half joked with a smirk “I think Gon is trying to… for lack of a better term trying to ‘hook us up’…”

Killua’s cheeks flared up, blushing profusely “You- You can’t be serious! D- Don’t even joke about that!”

Daniel shrugged, walking ahead of Gon before his expression changed to sadness. It did hurt to an extent, but Killua was making valid points. Gon was pushing them to go on a date together.

Gon caught a glimpse of Daniel’s expression change to utter sadness. What Killua was doing, was mean. He should go on a date. But at the same time, he didn’t know how Killua felt, as he hadn’t asked for the boy’s opinions on the matter. But he knew how Daniel felt, their talks being thoroughly explored. Daniel did like Killua… but he didn’t know how Killua himself felt about Daniel “You’re being mean!”

Gon stormed off, leaving Killua baffled from the response. _I’m not mean… I just don’t know a thing about dating… or why we should leave you to that dark brooding witch’s grubby little pedo hands! She’s what… twenty-five… and she wants to go on date with you?!_

Killua’s followed his friend, thoughts taking a dark turn. His cheeks tinged from the thoughts to follow. _You can be slightly kind…sweet… cute- But she’s… I wouldn’t leave you alone with her!_

The three remained silent, Gon annoyed at Killua for hurting Daniel’s feelings. Completely distracted, the boy bumped into Daniel, shocked by his friend completely stopped in the middle of nowhere.

“What’s-”

“That…” Daniel finished the boy’s statement for Gon, too concerned about the creature, stopped in the middle of the path; its unblinking eyes stared back at him. It looked like a bearded eight-legged tiny bear or beaver of some kind.

Killua’s interest was perked, his lead leaning over Daniel’s side to see what the boy and Gon was exactly looking at. All four of them stared at each other, remaining like this for a while.

The animal after assessing whether or not it was in danger, made a noise, sounding like it was saying ‘mo’ before it returning back to walking away.

It crossed the path like a turtle, disappearing from their sight. All three of the boys stared back at each other “Mo?”

Gon was the first to break into laughter. This was the serene moment they needed, one that helped them relax. Daniel couldn’t help but join in with Gon’s contagious laughter. However, Killua was having none of it. They could’ve been attacked while being distracted by the _mo-ing_ creature.

Turning his face away, Killua looked annoyed at the outcome of having being distracted for far too long “Let’s hurry… before another one of those guys stop us.”

Gon wiped a tear away, still otherwise chuckling from the outcome “That was random… right Daniel?”

“Yup… As random as it… looks…”

Before Gon allowed the silence to sink back in, he prodded Killua “Killua…”

“Yeah…?”

“Can you please go on a date with Daniel?”

Killua turned around, staring blankly at his friend. Even after what they discussed, Gon was still attempting to hook them up on a date tomorrow “But… fine! I already agreed to it anyways. But seriously, it will be the worst date ever…”

“Oh…” Daniel murmured, walking completely past Killua “Don’t let my feelings convince you otherwise…”

“What… does that even mean?” Killua shot his friend a confused look, not sure what his friend was insinuating here.

Daniel stopped, sighing loudly before forcing himself to look at Killua “Go with the flow, right Gon?”

“Yeah!” Gon exclaimed loudly, finger being pointing the boy “As I was looking for plans on where to take Palm, I found some places you may like to try out. There’s a little chocolate store you could try… I’m thinking of taking Palm there to…” The boy pressed his thumb to his chin, eyebrows narrowing from the thought “but I don’t think I’ll have enough time with everything I have planned.”

“What’s it called…?”

“Nova’s Chocolatier…”

Daniel smiled at Killua “Killua might like that…”

Killua felt frustration sinking into the pit of his stomach at the idea. A part of him really didn’t want to go on a date, with anyone for that matter. Gon’s safety should have been their number one concern. But being stubborn about it won’t change the situation in the slightest.

But listening to what Daniel said made him smile a little on the inside. Even when he was being stubborn about it, Daniel stated he might like to go. Daniel didn’t care about his fun, but maybe Killua might enjoy going to a chocolatier.

Yeah, he’d definitely enjoy something like that… but tomorrow, they couldn’t do that. The both of them needed to protect Gon. He’ll tell Daniel about why he was being like this as soon as they were alone, together.

“~”

Daniel relaxed against his bed, listening quietly to the sounds of the news on the TV. Killua was more engaged than him, eyes glued to his phone. It was a while before Killua let out a sigh of relief “Nothing to worry about in terms of attacks. We should be fine… Daniel-”

“I know… not exactly word-for-word what you’re going to say. But the argument you’re about to make. You care about Gon, maybe a little more- no… that thought wouldn’t be right. You care about Gon’s safety, and being forced on a date with me… wouldn’t help you relax enough to enjoy it, correct?”

Killua nodded slightly before looking away. How did Daniel understand what he was feeling… well, at least half of what he was feeling; although, he couldn’t do the same for Daniel “Yeah… mostly yeah. I am worried about Gon… and care about him. Ignoring the forced and relaxing part of that comment, why do you want to go on a date so badly with me?”

“Because why not? I think it would be nice… and you haven’t been relaxed for a second, at all today.”

“Y- You noticed?!”

“Yeah… and not because I’ve been staring at you all day; you’ve been worried since Gon couldn’t use _Nen_ at all. I wish I could get that kind of attention from you…”

“You’re the worst!” Killua argued back, frame tensed. He didn’t like receiving compliments, in any way. They made him feel really weird deep inside, mushy.

He didn’t know how to handle it, but Daniel just didn’t know when to stop “Why don’t we settle for a middle ground. I’ll tell Gon to call us if he needs any form of help, however, instead we’ll follow him. You get your sense of security… and Gon ends up taking us on a double date.”

“Huh?!” Killua made a confused noise at his friend, confused where Daniel was heading with this line of thinking.

“I know you are going to end up following Gon… plus, Gon wouldn’t be worried about us, and will be able to enjoy his date. Plus, we’ll get to experience second class romantic dates. And seeing as neither of us has been on a date, maybe we can spend the time focusing on enjoying the moment, while of course watching Gon…”

“But-”

“Here’s the catch…” Daniel smiled widely “I’m gonna attack those thick ass walls deep inside you all day. I really like you, and maybe opening up your core will make me understand you better… and ultimately help you in the process. I really want to experience the whole you…”

“You’re…” Killua clenched his fists tight together “you’re!”

“Killua… Daniel…” Gon called from the other end of the hallway “I’m done with my shower!” Gon ran down the hallway, pushing open the door “You-”

“You’re the worst…” Killua stormed out the room, leaving the room though not before offering Gon a smile “Thank you!”

A left behind a baffled Gon, stared at Killua, unsure at what had transpired; he barely had anytime to ask his friend a question. Gon fortunately caught a glimpse of the boy’s cheeks. They were reddened, flustered from a conversation which had transpired before Gon was able to open the door “What did you say, Daniel?”

“Nothing to worry about…” Daniel offered his friend a smile “Oh, can you help me out tomorrow, I would like tips for our date… seeing as both of us, Killua and I are noobs.”

“Noobs…?”

“A gamer term for people who have no clue what they are supposed to be doing. Anywho, can you help me?”

Gon offered a smile as he walked over towards his friend. He’d do anything to help any of his friends, even if it’s going to be used to help embarrass Killua later “Sure!”

“~”

Killua on the other side of the door, hand held up against his heart. He felt mushy, overwhelmed with emotions. Every time Gon or even Daniel made a confession about him, his chest would swell to a new level. This was getting ridiculous… impossible to manage.

Feeling his heart against his chest, Killua slowed down his breathing as he made way towards the shower. Now would be a great time to not only get cleaned up, but also relax while doing so.

Killua turned on the shower shedding his clothes after making sure the temperature was just right. Water cascaded down his body, taking away the prior conversation he had with it. It felt so good to let his worries drain away, washing away with the dirt and grime.

Killua squirted shampoo into his hands, running it through his hair as he emptied his imagination. Once the thoughts drifted away, new ones replaced the old. It’s was always hard for Killua to empty his brain empty, leaving it barren enough so a tumbleweed across his thoughts was the only part of his imagination.

Unfortunately to him, what his mind imagined, made his skin tingle, in a disgusting yet arousing way. The boy already knew what was already affecting him, the one thing he thought he would never have to experience…

Puberty…

He knew about puberty already, researching about it as well as watching the _explicit_ movies along the way. Due to his troubled past, and what his body and mind has experience so far… he thought he’d never have to worry about it.

A sick and twisted thought crossed his mind, the thought of wondering if his dad had experienced what he’s going through now… or if Illumi had experienced this as well. He knew his fat piggy brother would have of experience it… but even if _he_ was the last person on the planet, he still wouldn’t ask him.

And he would never ask Illumi either! His cold hard stare and icy cold words would have told him to somehow pretend they don’t exist. Or worse… he’ll probably get tortured until they longer exist…

A part of him wouldn’t ask his dad, because the thought of brushing this topic was embarrassing. But his mother finding out would have been more traumatising for him.

Killua grit his teeth in frustration from the thoughts that ensued, relentless torturing him. Killua shifted his thoughts back to Daniel’s conversation, hoping to drown out the feelings.

**I really like you, and maybe opening up your core will make me understand you better…**

But instead, the thoughts made it worst, warping the original words to come off dirtier than its original meaning. _Daniel opening him up_ … _to understand him better_ … Killua felt a soft moan escape his throat, drowned out by the sounds of the shower.

The moan escaping his throat not only aroused him, but also made him feel slightly disgusted in the process. Especially with whose name he caught being breathed out during the moan. Gon…

His mind couldn’t just focus on one person at the time; it just had to imagine both boys, exploring his body at the same time. Killua’s lower region rose to the situation, filling with the one fluid he was trained to spill with ease.

He didn’t want to touch his dick, not with all the perverted thoughts flowing easily through his mind. The boy smacked his hand against the wall, hoping these thoughts would be flushed away. But as easily as he was distracted, the thoughts came rolling back in.

The boy shifted uncomfortably in the shower, allowing himself to hit the side of the shower stall with a ‘thud’. Killua brought his hand up to his sight, imagining for a moment what it would be like… just for a moment where he could   
re-enact some of the thoughts.

Shifting his hand towards himself, Killua allowed the thoughts to become reality, his hands roaming his body as he pretended it was either Daniel or Gon’s hand touching him. A moan escaped his mouth, eyes closing so he could fully commit to the feelings he was experiencing.

It felt good in a way, normal to let his fantasy become reality. A part of him was disgusted in himself, but he was too busy enjoying the feelings too much to care. Every time the hands got too low, Killua brought them back up, aiming to never let one of his tainted thoughts reign supreme.

Unfortunately for him, he was so distracted, he hadn’t anticipated how good it would feel. Killua shuddered at the new feeling; Daniel’s envisioned hand was the first to touch his bloated member, pre leaking from the rush of arousal. His other hand, the embodiment of Gon’s felt insanely jealous, the situation being humorous if it weren’t for the sudden moan escaping his lips.

Killua let the motions continue, hands taking turns, as if they, Gon and Daniel were really there, fighting to be the one that makes him climax. A smile crept up along his face, the situation being so surreal. Not the whole masturbation scenario, but the fight for _his_ attention.

The boy’s let his thoughts wander further, Gon and Daniel pressed up against his back…hands coiling around him as if they were hugging him closer. Both boys were still technically fighting over him, but his imagination took it a step further, imagining in a way it would feel as though their bodies were rubbing up against him.

Killua bit back a soft moan, breath becoming shallower with every passing second. He knew already what was going to come next. He’ll get a great feeling of release, and then his thoughts most likely get purged from him… hopefully.

A part of his fantasy wished it wouldn’t be over quickly, but he was more than sure his friends would be wondering what happened to him by now. Just as Killua was reaching his climax, his thoughts were blown out of control.

His hand ran over his member for the last time, mind envisioning Daniel and Gon’s body, pressed up against him, mouths impossibly close to his ear. Both boys had whispered the same at the same time. However, it was Daniel’s words he heard the clearest, of the two ‘ **I want you’…** And strangely enough, it was being perfectly timed with the hand the boy to envision being Daniel’s also, pushing him over.

That was the last straw in the boy’s mind. The thought made Killua’s eyes widen in distress. But by then, he was far too gone. Killua climaxed, biting in his other hand in hopes of keeping the whimper and moans lower. His hand blurred over his member, the feeling of stickiness clinging to his hand.

Killua panted, eyes opening as his looked at what the hell hit his hand. Maybe the soap in his hair had gone subnormal, dripping onto his hands during his final moments. What he saw made him mortified. He had seen this type of consistency, the stickiness etched into his mind from all those pornos he has watched.

He knew it was normal, but he expected this to occur at a later date. Killua scrambled to wipe the mess away, hating the feeling of clammy, sticky hands.

He needed to get out of the shower quickly, and forget about everything that had transpired over the last hour…

The dirty thoughts of Gon and Daniel… and the worst offender of them all, that Daniel was the last person he could ‘feel’ and ‘hear’ as he came.

Otherwise, tomorrow was going to be a long day…


	95. Gon X dual X Date

The room was loud, various topics being spoken about amongst the crowds; the news from last this morning, and even last night, the weather, plans for the day, couples bickering and even discussions about work; it wasn’t unusual for work to be discussed about, especially at this time of day near the train station.

Daniel opened the newspaper, unable to care about the daily news. He was too busy looking at Gon and Killua, mostly Killua though, seeing as the boy had been on edge since the day started.

Now he thought about it, Killua was the first the first to wake up, before even Gon, which was the most unusual thing to occur so far today. When pressed about the matter, he stayed silent, or merely changed topics.

He even shifted uncomfortable whenever Daniel or Gon had gotten a little too close to him throughout the morning. Maybe Killua just wasn’t so _eager_ to start the date, not that it was going to be a proper one to begin with.

Daniel leaned over, trying to get as close to Killua as possible. The boy shifted, leaning back further, which ultimately made Daniel frown “I’m trying to whisper here…”

“Oh…” Killua scrunched his features tightly together. He was coming off a little suspicious then, and he was sure Daniel was getting a little too concerned for him right now. Leaning back over, he listened to the boy’s concerns “What’s wrong?”

“Besides stalking our best friend, absolutely nothing… the same could be said for you Mr Fidgety.”

“I-” Killua huffed in annoyance at the statement. The boy leaned back over; looking towards Gon once more “I’m just… grouchy. Now can we just go back to… observing Gon?”

Daniel rolled his eyes at Killua’s response “If you say so…” Leaning back over, he fluffed the newspaper, flipping the page over so he didn’t look like he was going to be stuck on the middle of the paper all day. It would be best to look as natural as possible, especially seeing as for some reason, Killua putting a huge fluffy beany on, was his way of trying to blend with the masses.

Though in Killua defence, White hair would stick out more than a beany.

Daniel only went as far to put in eye contacts, and tie his hair up into a pony tail with two bags up in front. If anything, it made him look not only more feminine, but weirder with the two blood-red eye contacts.

Palm hadn’t shown up at all, late to her date with Gon. The poor boy looked bored out his mind, standing there as he waited for his date to arrive. Daniel drew his eyes back to Killua, wanting to pick up on some more idle chatter as they waited for the girl.

But it was Gon sudden outburst that forced both boys to look “I didn’t recognise you!” A young lady had approached Gon, looking far different to Palm. If it weren’t for approaching their friend, none of them would have realised that the impeccably dressed girl was Palm the whole time.

He hair was brown, straighten, and she was wearing a blue and yellow dress… none of which they have ever seen Palm sporting. She was usually wearing a dull, plain pink dress, and her hair was normally black and frizzy. And her skin looked more natural than what it usually looked like.

Killua became agitated at the reveal, teeth scrunching together in disgust. He was about to blow a gasket, yelling at the woman whom he didn’t recognise at all. If it weren’t for the whole ‘I’m totally trying not to stalk you’ vibe he was trying to give off, he definitely would have yelled at her.

Daniel craned his head to the side, trying to listen in on Gon and Palm’s conversation, but she was being way to quiet. Gon however was the only one talking loud enough for anyone to hear “Nope, you look really pretty!”

Gon was able to compliment her so easy, his loud boisterous voice carrying over the others speaking. He was still shocked at how much of Palm had changed with a bit of makeup… or in her case, a lot of it.

Palm got flustered from the compliment, rattling in her dress as she responded to the boy’s compliment. Daniel blinked, watching Gon’s expression turn into a blank one from her words.

While his voice had lessened a little bit, he still could be heard over the crowd “What? I’m just telling the truth…”

Palm shoved the boy aside, trying to push him to start the date already. As she was pushing the boy away, Daniel looked over to Killua. He wanted to ask the boy when they should leave, but the expression on Killua’s face was impossible to not laugh at.

Killua was in utter shock, mortified even from the complete change of Palm’s figure and nature. She didn’t look the same as every other time they had seen her, nor did she have that dark brooding aura that would usually be surrounding her.

Daniel nudged Killua, now concerned that the boy wasn’t reacting to the two little ‘love birds’ walking away “Killua~ to earth! This is reality speaking… The _date_ has been initiated!”

Killua shoved Daniel aside, the boy falling off his seat in surprise. He hadn’t expected his friend to react like that, nor did he expect the boy to suddenly pick him up “Hurry, Palm and Gon are getting away!”

Daniel snickered at the boy’s response. It was funny to see him switch from mortification, to straight out concern, although, he could have done it without shoving him aside. The boy followed after Killua, the two stalking Gon and Palm on their date.

“~”

The day was long, Gon surprising Palm and the boys stalking him. Whatever he was planning to do with the sticks he collected yesterday, they weren’t being used at all. The boy had taken his date to an aquarium, showing off the dolphin shows first.

Their friend was setting his date to having high standards right off the bat. While Killua didn’t seem to care about the dolphins showing off their skills, Gon and Palm seemed to enjoy the show.

Daniel however, didn’t enjoy the scene in the slightest.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like dolphins, it’s just the whole play involving trained animals didn’t interest him in the slightest. Somehow the scene reminded him of the pet animal he had as a child. While it wasn’t as big as Killua’s pet dog, Mike… it was just as big as him… maybe twice as big.

But then again, the dog was way too old, dying when he was too young to remember. The only thing he could recall about the dog was it curling around him like a snake, wrapping around him like it was trying to pretend he was the boy’s blanket.

Even now, he could vividly recall the warm of the dog… but he had no idea what it looked like to this day. Maybe he should look back on his baby photos, to see if there were any pictures of him with the dog curling around him.

The next location for Gon’s stop was the aquarium hiding deep underground, showcasing all the animals the place has to offer. It had huge sharks, whales, fish of various sizes and colours, cascading a mirage of rainbow effects to the on watching audience.

Daniel was amazed by the endless aquatic life the building has to offer. One of the animals shocked the boy, face pressed up against the window as it drifted by. It wasn’t the animal that shocked him, it was the dopy vacuum mouth opening and closing as it drifted by, was what scared him.

Killua broke out into quiet laughter, chuckling at the boy’s response. But then an octopus swam by, shocking Killua into mortification and disgust. It’s wiggling; flimsy arms reminded the boy of insects, worms specifically.

Daniel broke out into laughter at the boy’s response, his friend soon joining him in laughter.

Gon and Palm moving forced the boys to move on, but their laughter didn’t die down for a while.

“~”

The two followed their friend and his date, not much else piquing their interest. And there wasn’t much to listen to between Gon and Palm’s conversations. It was mostly about what they were seeing and doing.

Killua suddenly stopped; face morphing into shock “What on earth am I doing…?”

Daniel tilted his head slightly, eyebrow raised in concern. Was Killua suddenly having a midlife crisis, from following Gon no less? “Following Gon… like we agreed…?”

“No! I mean… we look like a bunch of stalkers…”

“And…?” Daniel’s eyebrow rose even higher, now more concerned for his friend “We could always split and go our own way. Gon suggested a few places to me. So I could take you there instead if you like?”

“N- NO…” Killua quickly shook his head, the thought of being alone with Daniel… It somehow terrified him, especially with what he did last night. He was still trying to get used to being on a date with someone. At least with Gon here on his date, in the distance, he could distract his thoughts with the seething rage he had towards his friend’s date, Palm.

Daniel shrugged at the response, returning his sight back to Gon as they moved throughout the aquarium. It was a little weird to see Killua acting jittery, so the boy brought up some small talk in order to distract the boy’s thoughts “So… what do you like?”

Killua turned towards his friend, giving the boy a blank stare “What?”

“We’re technically supposed to be on a date, so that’s the first question that popped into my mind… Well, _technically_ , we’re supposed to be having a date.”

“A d… date? We’re following someone else’s date. I high doubt you and I would consider this a _date_. Besides, you know what I like…”

Daniel rolled his eyes, a fraction frustrated, but at least he’s somewhat trying to make some small talk “Ok… But, at least can have a conversation.”

Killua sighed. He was a little on edge about focusing on the date and Palm, but maybe this would be like a warm welcome “F- Fine… Gaming and ChocoRobo-kuns…”

“Besides that…”

Killua quirked an eyebrow “What you mean besides that? That’s what a like…”

“Alright, let me rephrase the question. What do you like to recall from your past?”

“From my past…” Killua eyebrows knit together, frustrated from having to try to recall things from the past. Nothing could come to his mind, like a blank canvas, empty space…

Besides those things, there was nothing he could really say he ‘enjoyed’ in his childhood. There was that _one_ person, the person whom eluded his thoughts. But he hadn’t the foggiest clue of why he would ‘enjoy’ being around that person “No idea…”

“What about Mike?!”

“What about Mike…?” Killua repeated, unsure what Daniel was trying to question him about “Mike’s a normal house guardian…”

“You mean abnormal…” Daniel retorted back, voice voided of all emotion. The boy shifted the conversation slightly, trying to question the boy’s path though his own methods “Well, when I think back to my earliest memory of my pet… I can’t remember if it was a he or a she, or what type of dog it was… but I can recall a single memory about it. The way they would wrap around me like a blanket… so you must have a memory like that about Mike?”

“No… Wait!” Killua did recall something, something along those lines. He remembered holding another’s hand, while his other was pressed up against Mike’s nose, as if he was trying to teach a silhouette how to ‘boop’ Mike “I- I Remember… something. I remember holding someone’s hand, while offering another to Mike. I was trying…” Killua strained his mind; trying to recall the memory of the person he was so desperately trying to recall “showing this person how to poke, or smoosh Mike’s nose… I think…”

 “Person…?” Daniel hummed, almost in understanding, but the ‘smooshing’ part made him chuckle a little. He had a faint idea who Killua was trying to recall, the same one whom made him silently cry earlier.

It was someone Killua held close to his heart. But at the same time, it wasn’t someone Killua could recall for unknown reasons. Maybe his mind was fractured, lost because of something that happened in his childhood. Or maybe someone had something to do with the boy’s loss of memory. If he had to guess, Illumi would be a high candidate to the cause of Killua’s loss of memory. But his whole family was messed up, so who knows if it was Illumi’s fault “Can you remember this person?”

Killua shook his head, frustrated from being unable to recall the person “No! I wish I could though… this person might be the **thing, or in my case person I may like** that you’re trying to find out more about…”

“Yeah… So there’s nothing about your past you actually like? No hobbies…?”

“Maybe my dad…”

Daniel was confused by his friend, for mentioning their dad… the same dad who pushed them through the same training that led to becoming an assassin, now ex-assassin. What did Killua’s dad do, which made him, reconsider liking his own father, one of the main reasons why Killua was born into a family of assassins? “Why would you like… the person who pushed you to become something you refuse to become…?”

“No… well, yeah his… at least I think he is the main reason why I trained to became an assassin. It was mostly my mom and Illumi, who pushed me into becoming one. But my dad… he made it seem fun for a time. Electric shocks felt less painful when he was the one administering them… He’d start low, and then increase the freq-”

Killua stopped once he noticed his friend’s hand shaking. The words were getting to him, on a level he thought Daniel would understand… not let it get to him. As he was about to dismiss the topic entirely, Daniel stopped him “No, please continue… it’s a part of your life. I can’t just pretend none of that happened…”

Killua took a deep breath, his heart swelling to a new level. But it didn’t make him think any differently about the situation. He was sure Gon would react in the same way as Daniel would be doing now “Alright… he’ll increase the frequency during times I was distracted. My dad will buy like toy dinosaurs, trucks, cars, mechas and even games. While I’m busy playing with those, he’ll be increasing the pain until eventually, the pain got too much for me. By then, I would complain. He’ll tone it down and then he’ll start to increase once again.”

The boy watched Daniel for any visible reactions. While Daniel was shaking, he could see the frustration in the boy’s eyes. The boy felt terrible for him; for all that he had suffered in the past. Killua felt embarrassed, knowing that Daniel cared enough to put up this part of the topic… just to learn more about him.

Killua feint his reaction, head turned to the side as he showed annoyance for the next part of the discussion “And then there was Illumi… He would strap me to a table, or chair… and then administer the electric shocks to me. So there was nothing else, besides the… painful, annoying shocks running through my body. And if I complained even once, he’ll increase the voltage. Although, dad always got ‘pissed off’ with him as soon as I told him what happened.”

Daniel opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was drawing only blanks. He couldn’t think of what to ask next… what exactly should he ask as a follow up question to the electric torture Killua experienced as a child? He didn’t know what to say to get Killua to change the topic, so he merely blurted out the first thing he dreaded to say “Please, continue… what else happened?”

“~”

Killua continued the discussion, even while they followed Gon. It merely distracted them enough to stop them from realising they were stalking Gon and Palm. While it didn’t lighten the mood in the slightest, it helped Daniel to understand the boy better… even if it was only a little.

He couldn’t picture himself being in the same scenario, to say the words he really wanted to say ‘I understand’. He couldn’t understand it at all, how Killua was able to come out of all that torture, with only just an in-different personality.

He knew why Killua suppressed his feelings… but at the same time, he had no clue how to help Killua show _his_ feelings. He couldn’t just say what ‘loving somebody’ meant to Killua, because ultimately… Killua never learnt about love the natural way.

To Killua, love was just a basic concept he never needed, just like friends. Killua has friends now, but Daniel doesn’t think the boy understands what it means to having a very close friend means. To share things he normally wouldn’t share.

Sure, Killua was sharing a part of his life he normally wouldn’t share to anybody else… but from how Killua spoke about it, it sounded like he was just talking about what he did last weekend. It was a part of his life. Nothing more… nothing less “Killua… Can I-”

Daniel stopped mid-sentence, now aware of where he actually was. He was in the middle of a market; a section of town where little shops and cafes were situated. He remembered what he discussed with Gon, and how the boy would eventually stop in a town square… and how he was thinking about taking Palm to a chocolatier.

“What…?”

Daniel ignored Killua, eyes reading every sign in the vicinity. He eventually found the place, the one Gon spoke about, **Nova’s Chocolatier** …

It was a quiet, little shop. A few people, mostly couples had gathered around the place, sharing drinks and chocolates. Daniel’s head snapped towards Killua, the boy showing signs of frustration.

He had absolutely ignored his date, possibly missing out on a few things “Sorry… but can we talk a little bit later? There’s something I have to do first…”

Killua crossed his arms at the request, he sighed in frustration, throwing one arm out as if he were dismissing someone from his vicinity “Yeah, sure… do whatever.”

“You won’t be disappointed!”

Killua raised an eyebrow, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. But before he could ask the boy what he was planning on doing, Daniel disappeared. For someone who couldn’t use _Zetsu_ at all, the boy sure did know how to disappear like a ninja at times.

Killua slouched down, sitting on the one thing nearest to him at the time. He could hear the fountain right behind him, the water running endlessly amongst the chatter of people surrounding him. Sometimes he could hear Gon’s loud voice, followed by Palm’s obnoxious laughter. It made his hands ball into fists, annoyed that Palm was enjoying the one thing she shouldn’t be enjoying.

It should be Gon, Daniel and himself enjoying the day together, not on a date… but as friends simply going out on a stereotypical adventure. It annoyed him to no ends, hearing Palm enjoying the day.

He found himself repeating the words over and over again, forcing himself into believing, not only was stalking his friend was ok… but enjoying the situation of being stuck with Daniel on their technical _date_ , was ok as well. _No, don’t let this get to me… it’s just a typical DAY…_ I’m just… protecting Gon… from afar _… while pretending to NOT stalk him…_

Killua finally broke down, dropping his head in shame, right in-between his legs. He couldn’t care less what he looked like he was doing to others. He had just come to a sad realisation. _Who am I kidding? I am stalking Gon…_

“~”

Daniel had left Killua, the poor boy alone to stalk Gon. He felt as though this would be a great plan, one he couldn’t see backfiring at all. He went completely mad at the store, trying to shovel the most amount of chocolate he was able to fit in a single milkshake… or in his case, now a thick shake.

The drink had a nice combination of milk and dark chocolate, with caramel swirled in to over sweeten the texture. It may have cost him a fair few hundred Jennies, but all that didn’t matter in the end. It was what the drink would hopefully do for Killua; besides possibly murdering his tastebuds for the next few days, Daniel was sure it would be a great hit for his friend.

Daniel had waltzed over to Killua, not expecting the boy to be in a rather… weird position. If one were to look at Killua, it would look like he was doing something… disturbing with himself.

“Ahh… Killua…”

Killua shot up, shocked at the sudden voice. But that wasn’t his only concern. He had lost track of time, and for all he knew, he might have lost Gon’s location “What? WHERE is Gon…?”

Daniel held out two assuring hands, both filled with drinks he had just ordered “Don’t worry! I’m put a tracker in Gon’s pockets…”

“Oh that…” Killua’s lowered his head, relaxing at the words. It didn’t click until a few seconds later, what Daniel actually said. The boy was a little disturbed that his friend put trackers in Gon’s pockets, although, at the same time he wondered where Daniel had been keeping the track the whole time “You did… what?!”

 “He’s still right behind you. Calm down, and relax. Here I brought you a… Death Shake? Yeah, let’s go with Death Shake…”

Killua eyed the suspicious drink, taking it in his hands as he inspected it. It was a dark rich vibrant colour, golden orange swirls spiralling through the entire drink. It looked like chocolate. Assuming Daniel didn’t want to die from a prank, it had to be some kind of chocolate drink.

Killua’s eyes then glanced in Gon’s direction, making sure the boy was still there. His friend was still there, lost in his conversation with Palm. As Killua was watching the scene, he took a sip. Daniel wasn’t wrong. It was a Death Shake. He felt all his taste buds die, murdered from the onslaught of dark, milk and even caramel chocolate soaking his tongue.

His eyes gleamed like little star-lights, enjoying the drink a little too much. Seeing him like this, made Killua feel hyper aware of the situation. He drew eyes slowly away, pretending as though he wasn’t enjoy the drink in the slightest “It’s ok…”

Daniel saw right through the façade. The sparkle in his eyes every time he took a sip, was but one of the many dead giveaways, but he still pretended to go along with the boy’s words “Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sorry for leaving you. But I felt this was the best method to cheering you up…”

“By murdering my tastebuds…”

“Exactly!” Daniel chimed in with a smile “Nothing says I wanted to make your day special… like murdering those tastebuds with chocolate. Although, I’m sorry I couldn’t make your day anymore special… or at least find something to help you out.”

Killua was caught off guard, sputtering his drink out in surprise. He’s cheeks were warm to the touch, flustered from the random comment “AH- Ah… what you mean?”

“What I mean…? Well, I was hoping by delving into your past, I could find something that would help me… help you. Instead all I feel is slightly more helpless. Not only, do I have no clue on how I can help you figure out the person’s identity… I have absolutely no clue on how to help you… overcome your lack of… I guess sorting out your ‘feelings’. I do however, feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, one that makes me feel mad at your parents…”

Daniel held his hand on top of Killua’s own, letting his warmth mix with the boys “I’m mad because I don’t know how to help you…”

Killua pulled his hand away from the touch, sipping loudly enough to hopefully drown out the thumping of his own heart. This was getting way too much for him to handle.

It’s bad enough he was spanking the monkey to his wild fantasies involving Gon and Daniel last night…

Daniel cared way too much, for his heart to handle right now. He could feel his neither regions rise a little, those similar thoughts from last night bubble back into his thoughts. He needed something, anything to change his thoughts.

Luckily for the boy, Gon was moving, ready to leave with Palm. Hopefully, those two would do enough to deter his thoughts “Oh, Gon’s moving… we should… follow them… you know?”

“Yeah…” Daniel agreed his voice a little flattened. He could see his words affect Killua, but not in the way he hoped. Killua was flustered; a little too shocked at the words. What he thought would be kind, complementary words ended up flustering the boy further into his shell “Sorry, about what I said earlier…”

“Huh…?” Killua parroted like a disturb animal being spotted for the first time. He hadn’t expected those words from Daniel in the slightest “oh, don’t worry about it… still getting used to this… weird date… stalking thingy…” Killua sipped loudly once more, eyes gleaming from the taste.

As much as hated to agree, he was seriously enjoying the drink right now.

The boys continued their long, silent, walk; far too busy being lost in their own thoughts. After Killua had long thrown his drink, he really hoped he had another one. He could feel his heart thumping loudly. It felt like a siren was going off in his head, the screams of his heart being the curse, and bane to the origins the noise.

It was surprising Daniel didn’t hear it. He did partly enjoy the date, at least thanks to the drink. But now that they were in the forest, trudging silently after Gon and Palm, the boy wondered what Gon’s plan was next.

Why was Gon making Palm walk so deep into the forest. He was sure it had something to do with the sticks he was collecting, considering at no point had he pulled them out.

Gon had been randomly pointing at new things, explaining maybe plants and animals he spotted to Palm on the way to their final destination.

The boys thought they’d wasted their day, following after Gon. But something felt wrong when they got deep into the forest. Killua felt a little off, something feeling unnatural about the location. Killua held a finger up, ushering Daniel to lean in closer “We have a problem… can’t you feel it?”

“If you’re talking about the aura, I’ve felt it for a long time… However, I ignored it because it felt… kinda familiar, as if I’ve bathed in its presence before.”

Killua nodded at the words. Now that Daniel put it into his own perspective, he had a feeling he recognised it too “This aura is probably from a soldier ant. It wasn’t that close, nor was it that far either…”

Killua’s eyes glanced over the area, eyes shrouding in _Gyo_. The area was filled with specks of aura, as if one were marking their own territory. He was surprised Palm hadn’t reacted to the aura at all “There are faint aura traces around…” Killua bit into his thumb, worrying thoughts processing through his mind. _Did it already pass through the area? Or were they brought here by the wind? Either way, there’s a high risk our paths will cross!_

Daniel pressed a hand into Killua’s shoulder, worried about the boy “Killua, relax… I’m sure the person isn’t that close to Gon right now. We’ll deal with it as soon as we cross paths.”

Killua shook his head, getting up as he followed after Gon once more “No! That’s beside the point. It’s worrying… Palm hasn’t reacted, so I’m wondering if she is ignoring it… should we tell her?”

“You and I both know, that is not possible right now. _Oh hi, I didn’t know you were going for a walk as well… this deep into the forest. You should probably turn around because their might be a Chimera Ant nearby_ …”

“Yeah…” Killua bit into his thumb once more “Gon would probably attempt to go after it if he heard…”

Daniel stood shocked for a moment; the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. He was too busy thinking about Palm murdering them if she found out they had been stalking her for the whole day.

Gon came to an eventual stop, a lone tree in the middle of a pond; the whole area was open for anyone to notice somebody else around. Killua kneeled down, looking at the surrounding area. There wasn’t a Chimera Ant to be spotted nearby, so the boy felt his tension relax a little.

He watched Gon and Palm relax, sitting down in front of the tree. It didn’t look like they were going to move any time soon. Putting his beany down on the ground, the boy looked towards his friend “Let’s catch the enemy before he finds Gon and Palm… we’ll deal with him together.”

Killua tensed up from the thought of having to deal with an enemy alongside Killua. He didn’t know if he’d be a hassle or would be able to help Killua take down the enemy. Before he could voice his concern, Daniel was forced to follow after his friend, taking off the jacked he had been using to hide, and limit the amount of noise Wolfbane made while walking.

Whoever the enemy was, Daniel secretly hoped the enemy wouldn’t be a serious threat in the long run.


	96. Round Two X Fight X Run

The leaves whistled by, the boys running through the forest as they searched for the enemy plaguing the area. It was eerily quiet, no animals to be spotted anywhere. The Chimera Ant must have plucked the area clean, wiping away any existence life.

While there were other animals roaming around the area where Gon and Palm were walking; this section of the forest was empty, voided of all life.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, watching every step carefully. They didn’t know what kind of Chimera Ant was roaming the area. All they felt, was at some point they ran into whoever they were chasing after.

Maybe it was a Chimera Ant seeking revenge.

Killua came to a skidding stop. He held up a finger pointed towards an area they had yet to search. Daniel felt his stomach drop, and had a feeling he knew what Killua was about to point out “We’re getting close! The aura is coming from that part of the forest. Stick close by, we’ll draw it out and drag it as far as possible away from Gon!”

Daniel couldn’t say anything, not with Killua already running in the direction. He especially couldn’t say anything while tracking the creature. Any hints could have deterred the creature into running for Gon and Pal.

Although, it wouldn’t last long with Palm’s seething rage. She’d probably tear it in half within moments of feeling the creature’s presence. Nothing now, would ruin her date.

Killua took a sudden hook turn, skidding around the forest. He could feel the enemy, closer than he anticipated. He thought it take a lot longer to run into the enemy, but instead, it was already tracking them.

“He’s here…” Daniel checked with Killua, making sure to look left and right as he checked for others along the way. Just because they think it’s a solo Chimera Ant, doesn’t mean others are waiting in ambush.

“Yeah… We caught its attention. Let’s find a spot to attack.”

“Are you sure you should be saying that out loud? Wouldn’t you deter it away?”

“He’s hungry…” Killua argued back, teeth clenching in disgust. He’s felt this kind of pressure before. It was a hungry animal, ready to take another’s life in hopes of quenching its thirst for battle. It was exactly like dealing with Hisoka, but this time, the enemy was weaker, less intelligent.

If it was Hisoka, he would’ve blocked off their exit by now. But then again, the enemy may want them to think the boys are superior, to lead them into a false sense of hope.

Killua twisted his body mid-jump, using his feet to break his movement in preparation for dealing with the enemy at hand. Daniel did the same, weapon drawn as he landed.

The creature had stopped as well, long before they had. It wanted to make a dramatic reveal, one that would hopefully leave them baffled. The enemy spoke, voice eerily familiar “Oh, I thought I smelled humans…”

Just as the Chimera Ant’s face was revealed, the boy’s faces morphed into surprise. It was the one of the two creatures that got away. Specifically, the one they had first attacked. The only difference between this, and their first fight, was this time the enemy could use _Nen_.

While it seemed cool and collected, the aura was a dead giveaway. It raged around the creature, showing off the hunger the monster was attempting to hide. A smirk slowly formed, now that it could make out his enemies faces. The creature’s aura increased, waves of pleasure and delight clashing against their own. The monster was showing off, happy now that he’s got a proper chew toy to dig into “I remember you…”

Daniel took a step back, his hand tightening around his weapon. He couldn’t believe his eyes, at how strong the enemy had become. Before they could only barely damage it without Gon’s strength, but now, he wasn’t so sure now that the enemy also knew _Nen_. It would take their combined strength to take down the creature, a strength Daniel didn’t know if he had it in him to use.

“You’re two of those kids that attacked me from before! I wonder where the third one is…” The creature mocked in a sing-song voice, smile twisting further. It was happy to see both of them, but not happy without the complete set here in front of him “Looks like your luck’s run out. You’re about to get a taste of hell.”

Daniel hid his fear, features twisting enough to meet the enemy’s head on “Thanks but no thanks… Killua and I have experience that enough to know, that this wouldn’t even be considered an _entrée_.”

The rabbit, bull-headed shrike frowned in disgust at the boy’s words. Clearly, he wasn’t as scared as the ant had hoped him to be “Where’s the other kid? Once you tell me his location, I’ll give you an easy death.”

“He’s on a date with a _real_ creature from hell…”

“HEY!”

“What, it’s true! Besides, I didn’t say the location…”

Killua so badly wanted to laugh at Daniel reference to Palm. But given the situation, he wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to do so freely. The enemy was pissed at his Daniel’s words, and when someone’s pissed, they’ll react more erratically.

Maybe this was Daniel’s intent from the start, seeing as enemies who react erratically, tend to leave more openings.

“Humph…” the creature growled the word out loud, fist clenching tighter “he can’t be that far anyway… He’s both of yours buddy, right?” The surrounding aura turned into a monsoon, raging around the creature from the lack of the boys’ reaction.

It pissed him off, knowing that he wasn’t getting the reaction he was seeking. He wanted them to be scared shitless, begging for their life. But this made the game hunting all the more fun.

Taking the boys’ lives would be more fun, especially when they are drawing their last breath “Well, it doesn’t matter if you talk or not.” The creature held up a finger, pointing towards them as the smile formed into a more menacing one.

It matched Hisoka’s perfectly, although it lacked the fear emitted by the man it always had surrounding him; when that man smiled, they felt _fear_ “I’ll just walk around, making lots of noise while swinging your severed heads around. Then he’ll come to me himself. Isn’t that how humans are…?”

Daniel frowned at the accusation. Yes, it was true for friends, but not for all humans. However, that was beside the point. If he drew Gon in, he’ll be in for a whole world of pain. Palm will destroy every inch of the Chimera Ant’s soul.

But neither of the boys will let that happen, not with their friend’s life is being threatened. Daniel took his stance, readying his aura for any attacks in their direction. He’d sooner die, than see Killua or Gon get hurt. And he was sure Killua felt the same.

The Chimera Ant’s took a step forward, getting ready to lunge.

Killua felt a sudden turmoil of fear kick up inside him, his brother’s word echoing inside his mind. Illumi’s voice always, had the worst time to sound off. **_Run…_**

The chimera Ant’s twisted smile returned, happy at a new outcome Daniel had no clue about. He seemed rather gleeful, and was staring right past him. The boy turned, looking at Killua in concern. Daniel’s eyes widened once he saw Killua’s expression.

Killua was shaking, eyes widen with fear clouding them.

What happened while Daniel wasn’t looking? What had caused such a trigger inside Killua, to get the boy feeling suddenly fearful for either his, Gon’s or Daniel’s life “Killua, what’s wrong…?”

Killua shook his head, gritting his teeth from disgust, while it did nothing to calm down his fear, Daniel was still in the vicinity, and he was sure Daniel was way more scared than he was right now “Nothing…”

The Chimera Ant laughed at the boy’s response, finger being held up towards Killua. For a creature that wasn’t human, he sure does act a lot like Hisoka “Yes! That’s more like it! I love that terrified expression…”

“Damn, I’m getting excited now…”The enemy lunged forward, Daniel forced to intercept it. Metal met with some surprisingly tough feathers, the loud sounds of scraping being heard over the rustling leaves in the wind.

Daniel took the opportunity to hopefully snap Killua out of his trance “Killua, we-” The boy felt a fist ram into his chest, his throat gasping for air after being hit so hard. While he was too busy being distracted by a lack of air, he felt himself being discarded, thrown away like a piece of trash.

Killua called out for Daniel, but with the enemy already pouncing onto him, it was hard to do so. Mouth morphed into disgust, bits of drool hit him square in the face. They were dealing with a Hisoka wannabe, but this enemy didn’t seem as thrilled with the fight.

All he cared about was the fear in Killua’s eyes.

Drawing his weapon once again, Daniel shifted the blade, pointing it at the enemy as he charged him once more “Leave him alone freak!”

The Chimera Ant swung at Killua, razor sharp feathers ripping through his purple jacket like a knife through butter. Killua was able to avoid the feathers, but the back of the enemy’s fist slammed into his face.

Shifting his attention back to the boy now charging him, the creature continuously smiled, dripping with saliva. The look of fear in Daniel’s eyes excited him, or maybe it was the boy’s expression… all he really want was to tear through the boy until the anger radiated nothing, but the boy’s true expression… _fear_ “I’m gonna tear you apart!”

Droll hit Daniel square in the face. He felt disgusted but that didn’t stop him from curving his blade out, hoping to rupture the creature’s skin. He wanted the enemy to suffer, rot in a pool of its own blood.

But the mental image conjured within his mind made Daniel stop at the last second. The blade clashed with tough feathers once more. He shifted his body, slamming his foot into the side of the enemies head. While it stunned the enemy for a moment, it didn’t give Daniel any advantages he needed. He was instead forced to defend himself, attacking only when he could.

Killua was rattling on the ground, eyes wide blown. Illumi’s cold voice or something entirely different, deep inside him was stopping the boy from moving. His legs and arms refused to move, as if he was scared that any movement would trigger the creature to move.

**_If you aren’t certain you can win, run…_ **

Killua mentally slammed the voice, hoping to tame whatever was stopping him. _NO, I have to protect him… I have to help Daniel! I have to…_

**_When you know nothing of your opponent…_ **

_I have to save Daniel! To protect Gon!_

**_Run away…_ **

Killua leapt onto his feet, charging the enemy with only adrenalin to back himself up. _No matter what!_

Inches away, Killua was punched square in the face, Daniel’s rage skyrocketing “I’ll fucken murder you!”

“~”

Gon was physically smiling, eyes focusing on the only thing in front of him right now. It was a bare tree, leaves like any other. He didn’t think Palm knew that this tree had no leaves.

His mind was too busy lost in thought, figuring out a way to spring the truth on her. He wanted to tell Palm he was, in love with more than one person. He loved Palm as well, but in a different sense. He was barely getting to know her, but he felt this sense of joy being around her.

The same joy he felt when being around Sakura, Killua and Daniel. However, another part of him at the same time felt wrong. He felt guilty for being on a date with Palm. It wasn’t her that made him feel wrong… it was someone else, someone he misses dearly.

Deep down… he wanted to be sharing this very moment, with three people. Sakura, Killua and Daniel…

He wanted to be close to them, to have them experience this very moment that he was about to share with Palm. He wanted to be surrounded, by the very friends he loved more than anything else in the world. He’d break the news to Palm, to tell her how he feels about his friends. She loves Knov, so he’s sure she’ll understand.

“Is there something special about that tree?”

Gon turned to his date, a little baffled by her question. Well, in her defence, he hadn’t said anything about the tree at all. So it is his fault for the question. But if he said anything now, he’ll destroy the surprise that’s about to come.

The moment night falls; the tree will come to life, millions of Seaside Fireflies lighting up the tree like fireworks. Once Palm experiences the scene, then and only then will Gon spring his feelings upon her “Please, just wait a little bit longer…”

Gon’s eyes diverted back to the tree, a soft smile forming “You’ll understand.”

Time flew by, the two endlessly staring at the tree in questioning. The sky slowly darkened, Palm getting a little tired of waiting. It wasn’t until half an hour into night, did she begin to understand what Gon meant.

The sounds of crickets could be heard, coming to life after their long slumber… along with the tree. It was at this moment, Palm finally knew. It was a little disgusting to find out this way. But the leaves shifted without wind, glowing as the fireflies woke up from their slumber.

It wasn’t too bright, but enough to make the tree seem as if it had a life of its own; each leaf was a firefly. The tree had to have been made up of ten million fireflies “Amazing…”

Gon smiled at Palm’s words, his hand shuffling through his bag to show an even bigger surprise “They’re Seaside Fireflies. They’re only found around brackish water, and this is their breeding season.” He knew this fact from both the internet and even Sakura.

While it wouldn’t have been as much as a surprise to him, just experiencing his friends’ eyes lighting up from the sight would be enough to make his night.

Palm made a ‘eww’ face from Gon’s words. Knowing that this tree was a Seaside Firefly orgy is enough to destroy any romantic moment; even with knowing that, she couldn’t help but be in awe from the sight.

Gon pulled his present from the bag, one of the twigs he had gathered with Daniel and Killua, bundled tightly into a white bag. He smiled at it, sure to know what it would do if used correctly. Gon held out the present to the confused girl.

Palm took the present, swirling it in her finger tips “What’s this?”

“This is the most beautiful flower in the world.”

Palm tilted her head to the side, confused as to how a plain, empty branch would be considered a beautiful flower. Gon must have some serious, vivid imaginations.

“Try keeping it still…”

Palm stopped twirling the tree, keeping it still like Gon wanted. Fireflies from the tree migrated to the branch, surprising her yet again. What was plain and bare had become like the tree in the middle of the forest.

It was a miniature Seaside Firefly tree. Gon’s smile warmed Palm’s expression, her eyes staying glued to the branch in her still hands.

Gon really wanted to see what his friends’ responses would’ve been, if they experienced this very moment. It made the turmoil within himself flip around, he’s expression falling a little at a time as he continued to think about what he was about to spring on the poor woman “The tree’s sap is very similar to the pheromones fireflies emit, so they tend to gather around branches.”

Palm broke down into happy tears, breaking Gon’s smile in the process. She hadn’t seen her date’s expression, too busy focusing on the item in her hands “I’m so happy… Thank you.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that… But I…” Gon paused, biting his lips as he looked away, hoping that he couldn’t ruin her night. He needed to tell her now; he couldn’t keep the news hidden any longer “I can’t give you what you really want. There’s things I must, NO have to do first… and there’s something else. There’s someone I need to tell you about… someone I really love.”

The branch snapped in half, Palm’s hand crushing her present into dust “WHAT?!”

“Actually, it’s more like multiple people I love… I-” Gon looked towards Palm, wanted to express how he feels. But all his met with was the Palm he knew during training.

Her blood shot red eyes…

Her frizzled black hair…

“Palm…?”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Gon gulped, Palm’s hands coming towards the boy “Wait, Palm! Let me finish!”

“~”

Daniel came crashing to the floor, forced to watch Killua get pummelled relentlessly by their enemy. He felt hopelessly weak, unable to protect his friend. Every time he thinks he’s gotten the upper hand… Thinks he’s able to deliver a wound, his mind breaks apart like a thousand petals.

Tears fall from his eyes, Killua not once landing a strike. Something deep down inside him is doing the same to Killua, but he was sure it was for a completely different reason as to what he’s experiencing.

Daniel then saw it, one strike landing at the perfect angle. The Ant hit Killua harder that the last time, cracking Killua’s lip in the process. Blood had been sprayed, not like a fire hose, but in his mind, that’s what he imagined.

Something inside the boy snapped, his life becoming forfeit. Dropping his weapon he charged the enemy, uncaring if his life ended in the next few minutes; he mustered all of his strength, funnelling most of it into his shadow.

The Chimera Ant smiled in glee, kicking Killua aside like a broken toy. He licked his lips in anticipation, knowing full well the boy was utterly weak when compared to him.

As he attempted to knock Daniel down again, the boy surprised him. Daniel’s aura flew into a rage, shadows swirling around both him and the enemy. The monster attempted to knock away all the hands, kicking and screaming in rage.

Hundreds of hands trapped the Chimera Ant’s body against the tree. He thought he’d be crushed to death within seconds.

But the boy didn’t do it. Instead, he was trapped and bound, forced against his will, pinned to one of the many trees. Daniel’s hands had closed around his neck, applying pressure, but never enough to actually hurt him.

He saw tears mixed with rage, something that thrilled the ant. He wasn’t scared of dying. Although, he was annoyed from being held down by someone who clearly wasn’t able to do any damage earlier.

Daniel’s tear struck eyes turned to Killua, the boy lying on the floor, struggling to get back up “RUN!”

The enemy froze along with Killua, the boy unable to understand by what Daniel meant “What!? Don’t be-”

“RUN! I’ll catch up to you! We’ll regroup and take the enemy down together!”

“I’ll-”

Daniel slammed his hand against the creature’s mouth, stopping it from being able to speak. He knew he won’t have the strength to hold down the creature forever. So he’d have to act fast, to get Killua as far as possible from this place before he loses all his strength. Daniel bit back his fear, saying what he should have said an hour ago “Killua, I’ll get away! Don’t worry about me. I merely want to give you a head start… Now, RUN!”

“I won’t-”

“RUN!”

Killua’s body reacted on its own, running away as fast as his legs could possibly take him. As he felt the trees whistle by, air whistling past him, repeatedly punching his legs. He hated being unable to stop his body, forced to listen to Illumi’s words. Illumi’s voice was praising him, delighted in having left Daniel alone to deal with the enemy.

When he finally able to stop himself, he broke down on the floor. Tears fell freely, fists slamming against the ground as he cried out in agony. He didn’t know how long he’d been running for, but his whole body hurt.

“Why can’t protect anyone?!”

His brain thrummed in agony as he fought against his own programming. He felt so hopeless, and he had no idea how to fight against it; all he could do, was listen to the Illumi’s praises…

“~”

Daniel watched Killua run away with a smile, leaving him alone with the enemy. He was going to have his life taken away, by an unknown assailant. He had absolutely no clue.

He held on for as long as he could, uncaring of the profanity and threats of death escaping the monster’s throat. He thought back to all his failing, and everything he’ll miss out in the future.

Daniel’s grip slowly broke down, eventually giving out under him. The moment it broke, the boy felt searing pain rip through his body; one fist after another colliding into anywhere the creature could land a strike.

The boy used the last of his remaining aura to defend himself. He knew it will be all over soon, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stop distracting the enemy.

As the enemy smiled, Daniel did so too, knowing that now he was the focus of its attack. Killua will be able to get away, eventually coming back to finish off their attacker when he was strong enough.

Although, it did pain him to know he’ll never see anyone again.

Daniel’s strength finally broke, one fist connecting with his face, Zaikaria’s face flashed before his eyes. She’d be the most disappointed in him, wishing she was the one able to end his life because of _his_ stupidity.

The next one made Nathaniel cross his mind, his warm hugs being the thing he’ll miss the most about his father. No matter the situation, he’d always trusted his father to make him smile.

Another one made Vastorie flash before his eyes, wishing he could experience his dad’s home cooking one last time.

Leorio followed along next. He missed how he could no longer tease the doctor alongside his friends.

Daniel was struck in the chest, making him groan out loud. He’d miss Kurapika, an awesome, strong friend. One he wished he could help, to help him gather what he lost.

The boy pulled up his hands to block the next attack. He had to hold on just a little bit longer, to give as much time as possible for Killua to attack. He felt the ant’s fist, even when blocking.

Gon and Sakura flashed by at the same time. He wished he could have somehow gotten them together. He could only imagine Gon’s expression if he saw him now, the rage as he attempted to take out the enemy hurting him.

It was sad that he he’ll never be able to find out more about Sakura, to find out more details about his hobbies and what he liked.

Daniel felt another crash of a fist into his cheek, breaking right through his defence. He thought of Zushi, Wing, Bisky, and the others who left an impact on his life… the ones to help him grow.

The boy felt himself smile as he hit the floor.

It wasn’t surprising that Killua was the last thought to cross his mind. He told Killua he loved him, but was unable to win the boy’s affections. Even as he felt himself snap, laughing as taste of copper ran though his mouth. He just wished for a second…

He could hear Killua utter the words **_I love you_**.

He’d give up anything in the world, to hear Killua say it. Even if the words **_as a friend_** came right after. Daniel faced the enemy, the creature walking over to end his life, and then most likely use his head as a trophy to draw out the others.

Daniel felt his sanity snap “What’s your name?”

The creature paused, baffled by the question. It didn’t take him long before he was reaching down to pick up the boy, holding him close to his face. Daniel heard it with a snarl before both hands pressed against his neck ‘Rammot’.

Laughing, Daniel whispered some final words “They’ll kill you, Rammot… After finding out what you did…”

Rammot smiled in glee, pressing both fingers into the boy’s neck “I’ll kill them first!”

Daniel closed his eyes for possibly the last time in his life, his smile never faltering. Rammot will eventually crush his throat, but that didn’t stop him from focusing on Killua for those last few moments he had.

His vision darkened, smile never once breaking. _I love you!_

Rammot took pleasure in closing his hands around the boy. He’ll enjoy doing the same to Killua and that other boy, once he found them. As he clenched down to crush the boy’s throat, a black shadow closed in right behind Rammot.


	97. Please X Say X Yes

**_Killua felt a separate wave of aura wash over him, indifferent to his own. His whole body shook. He could practically feel the separated aura weaken with each passing second. It was concerning to feel something that didn’t belong to him, especially from its rapidly weakening state… and he had a feeling he knew whom it belonged to._ **

**_Killua forced himself to stand, taking a step in the direction of its origins but Illumi’s voice fought against him._ **

**_It was a fight of wills… something he never thought he’d ever experience in his lifetime._ **

**_Tears filled his eyes to the brim. He begged his body to move, punching it when it wouldn’t listen. Illumi repeatedly told him to run, all the while he yelled for the voice to shut up and listen to him._ **

**_His headache got worst with each passing second until he felt it. Something alien vibrated inside him, specifically, his brain. His entire body filled with adrenalin, fingers drawing into claws. Just as the pain made him scream in agony, Killua rammed his claws into his head._ **

**_He dug around in his head, ripping out the object all as he screamed at the top of his lungs. The moment the tool was removed, the sound of Illumi’s voice died out…_ **

**_His mind became clearer, knowing know what he should really be doing. Killua didn’t have time to see what he removed, he just ran, ran after the aura slowly dying out._ **

“~”

Killua skidded right past the enemy, the creature unaware of his presence. He heard his friend’s voice, barely auditable through the laughter “They’ll kill you after finding out what you did…”

He saw the Chimera Ant smiling, taking pleasure as he was ending Daniel’s life “I’ll kill them first!”

Killua saw Daniel’s closing his eyes, and the smile that made him question his reality. He didn’t have time to ponder the scenario; all he could do was act now, and save Daniel’s life.

Allowing his aura to escape at the last possible second, Rammot flinched at the sinister aura behind him. It felt as though he just became the prey to something more sinister, wicked in nature. He remembered this exact feeling, the moment he had first encountered one of the Royal guards, Neferpitou.

It made him feel weak, to submit to a stronger, more powerful leader. But this aura, it didn’t feel like it was Neferpitou’s. He had to do something, to fight back against his own feelings of being a prey, and become what he should have been from the start… a predator.

His head snapped in its direction. But something was wrong… He saw his body behind him, hands choking the air. Daniel was gone, disappearing before his eyes.

**What exactly had happened…?**

**Where did Daniel go…?**

**Why couldn’t he turn his head…?**

Then he heard it… a voice above him. Unable to turn his head, his eyes darted around looking for the origins of the voice. This had to be an illusion of some sort, making him envision his separated body.

“You threatened to kill Gon… hurt Daniel… And planned to even kill him… But you failed!”

Killua held the head up high, close to his face. He wanted to make sure, he was the last thing the creature saw “And for that…” Killua’s wicked grin grew, watching the bodiless ant’s eyes filling with absolute fear “I’m going to kill you!”

Fingers closed around the head, nails ripping right through the disembodied ant. Blood shot out like a bottle fill with holes, drenching poor friend’s lifeless face, and his own hand with the blood of the terrified creature.

The creatures eyes rolled back, Killua now satisfied with the outcome.

It wasn’t about revenge…

It was about robbing the creature of everything, it ever wanted to achieve. The boy discarded the lifeless skull, attention now drawn to Daniel’s still lifeless body. Killua laid the boy on the ground, first checking whether or not his friend was breathing.

He leaned into the boy’s mouth, a heavy breath being felt against his neck. It made Killua shiver at the touch, his stomach flipping like it was going through an endless roller coaster of emotions.

Only this time, he could feel each and every one of them.

Killua next ran his fingers across Daniel’s body. The boy winched at the touch, groaning and squirming every now and then. Daniel must have suffered a few internal bruises. But judging from Killua’s own experience, his friend didn’t seem to look, or felt like he had suffered any serious wounds.

It allowed the boy to relax from Daniel’s outcome. Regardless of how he felt in the moment, Daniel definitely won’t be moving anytime soon.

Now that there were no other concerns for the moment; this was a good time to see what exactly had been planted inside his brain. Killua rummaged through his pocket, pulling the object he had removed earlier. He knew what it was, and who it belonged to…

The needle belonged to none other than his own brother, Illumi…

Ever since removing it, he has remembered things, felt emotions he thought he’d forgotten…

Memories about his past…

About the shadow who eluded his thoughts…

He knew what the person looked like…

What their name was… and more importantly, what he felt for them.

_Alluka…_

Killua smiled at the name, a vivid memory being pushed to the forefront of his mind. He remembered holding his little sister up in the air, her giggling as he made her soar through the air. He loved- NO, he still loves her… more than anything in the world. Or at least, that’s what he thought at the time.

Killua brought his hands under Daniel, holding his friend close to him as he walked away from the lifeless corpse. He’d have to sort through his feelings as he made his way back to check on Gon.

Now that Illumi was expelled from his mind, and his thoughts laid bare for him… he knew what love was. However, his definition of **love** was nothing like Daniel’s… he knew that much from what he felt, when comparing what Daniel has done.

What he felt for his sister was an undying need to protect her. He felt the same thing for Gon and Daniel, but if he had to choose between them, he would’ve thought his sister would come first.

But now, he wasn’t so sure…

Right now, all three of them meant the world to him. He would still choose his sister first, but he couldn’t leave the others behind.

Those thoughts aren’t what made Killua perceive his feelings of _love_ to be different from Daniel’s. It was what he did, was made Daniel’s reactions different to his own. Daniel almost, if he hadn’t stepped in… would have died for Gon and Killua.

But for years, Killua pushed through the eternal agony he experience through torture, just so his sister wouldn’t have to experience what he had. Could he pick which one was a better version of _love_ … no!

But that doesn’t mean Daniel throwing his life away was the better option. He was just weak… or maybe, secretly, Daniel was under the same kind of spell he was under with Illumi. Maybe, just maybe… Zaikaria, or someone else from Daniel’s immediate family was forcing Daniel to flee in his own way.

And Daniel’s way of fighting back against it… was to offer his own life as a sacrifice instead of pushing himself to overcome its charm.

Killua felt the heart beating behind him beat; it made his own his heart thump in return, cheeks flustering from the thoughts to follow.

A part of him… as much as he hated to admit it, liked Daniel. Like, _liked_ …

He couldn’t explain the feeling, even if he used his own feelings for his sister as a correlation. Would he give Daniel or Gon a chance, if either one of them asked him out now? Most likely… but he didn’t think he could outright state they were more than a friend to him.

As much as Killua felt embarrassed to agree with the thought; he would accept a second date with Daniel.

He definitely wouldn’t tell Daniel his _true_ feelings…

Not ever…

They’re embarrassing…

“~”

Killua trudged through the forest, Daniel being carried on his shoulders as he headed back to Gon’s last location, expecting to continue watching his friend’s date with Palm. What he instead found, was an area empty of existence. He frets about, struggling from the thoughts running through his mind.

Killua laid Daniel on the floor before searching the area for the dates’ whereabouts.

As the boy searched the area for clues, he was scared that another ant might have been roaming the area. It might have even been the one that had saved the rabbit ant the first time around.

He found both Gon and Palm’s bag still there; however, there were no signs of a battle being fought. He allowed himself to relax, heart rate calming down as he picked up Gon’s belongings. Although, Killua left Palm’s, feeling no pity for her.

He couldn’t care less what happened to her shit. He had only one problem to worry about now, Daniel…

He couldn’t carry Daniel back home like that. Gon would break down in tears, maybe even become concerned, or enraged after finding out what really happened to their friend. For the time being, he’ll have to wait until Daniel woke up. If Daniel wasn’t up within the next two hours, Killua will have to drag him back in that state.

He’d have to watch over the sleeping boy, lucky him…

Killua took off his jacket, bundling it up into a make shift cushion. He looked at Daniel’s sleeping form, surprised that the boy doesn’t toss and turn while asleep. He always pictured the boy to be a cyclone sleeper.

As he was laying Daniel’s head on the jacket, Killua let out a long exaggerated breath, his new thoughts on the situation distracting him.

He was surprised to learn that Illumi’s needle blocked his thoughts and even emotions, turning him into a fight or flight killing machine. But at the same time, it was strange. He had the necessary strength to take out the Chimera Ant, so why did it activate his flight impulse.

Was Illumi overly cautious, making sure he had very specific room to grow. Was he only able to grow, when he was completely out of danger? No, that couldn’t be right…

The training he experienced as a child was based on life threatening situations; being pumped with hundreds-of-thousands of volts of electricity is hardly a non-life threatening situation.

The more Killua pondered the situation, unsure as to why he couldn’t think of a reasonable reason. The only thing he could think of was that Illumi, quiet possibly, wanted him to only grow so much in his own eyes.

If that’s the case… his brother, might have a little brother complex.

Killua gagged at the thought, pushing it so far in the back of his mind, where he’ll never, EVER let that thought cross his mind.

But his mind didn’t stop there. It focused its attention now on his little sister, the one he left behind, forgetting her existence by mistake…

_Alluka…_

He needs to seriously beg for forgiveness, hoping that she wouldn’t be angry with him for _too_ long. Killua shifted uncomfortably in his spot, wondering if he should tell Daniel and Gon about the news.

Maybe he’ll let loose a little information to Daniel, seeing as his friend did after all catch him in a compromising situation; tears and all…

OR should he not say anything at all..? Wait, then lying about the sudden change of heart when it comes to dating would be difficult. _Hmmm…_ Killua pondered the thought, wondering if keeping his own new feelings to himself would be a better scenario. After all, it was only until an hour ago he started to develop these feelings.

It could be the after effects from having these emotions flooding back to him in a single wave of feelings. _Should I tell Daniel and Gon… especially, Daniel? I probably have an hour to mull over these thoughts still…_

Killua picked up Daniel’s wrist, looking at the watch on boy’s wrist. Fifteen past seven… He’d spare another forty-five minutes.

“~”

Daniel began to stir, his body feeling numb, and mind hazy from what was the last thing he was doing. The boy rubbed his temples, stimulating his mind to remember as he got up.

Every movement hurt, but not as much as the smug voice near him “Look who dragged the cat back from the dead…”

It took the boy far too long to realise who the voice belonged to, especially seeing as he also has said affections for the boy. As his eyes finally focused, he freaked out yelling too loudly for even his own ears to handle “Killua?! What are you doing here?! Run, before Rammot catches-”

“Who the FUCK is Rammot?!”

The creature’s name made the boy recall his memories, ignoring Killua question entirely as tears began to fill his eyes “Oh, no…” He failed. The last thing he remembered was blacking out right before Rammot crushed his throat “I’m sorry I could protect you… I’m sorry I couldn’t kill Rammot… He must have somehow found you…”

The pieces finally clicked together.

Killua finally knew who exactly Rammot was; it was the name of the same Chimera Ant he just killed. Daniel must have leapt to the wrong conclusion, thinking that ‘Rammot’ had killed them both.

He could go about this in two different ways, talking or hitting. But, knocking sense into the boy would be a better scenario. If Daniel continued any longer, his mind wouldn’t be able to contain his feelings.

For the past half an hour, he’d been thinking about whether or not he wanted to confess his feelings. If he did, now while Daniel was in this state of mind… Daniel would be overjoyed, or think this is his own twisted sort of heaven.

He could feel the concern and distress in Daniel’s voice, and with each, and every passing second… it was making it harder for him to not cry as well. Without warning, Killua slapped his friend across the face.

It was loud, like a snap of a whip. Daniel was in absolute shock. He didn’t know what to say or do. But if this was heaven and Killua was also dead with him… he shouldn’t have been able to feel the stinging pain.

“You are… an idiot!”

Daniel pulled Killua in for a hug, tears running more freely. He didn’t care about what had happened to the monster. All he could focus on now, was that he was alive. And so was Killua…

They had survived…

“I thought I was done for! I’m glad we both survived… for a split second, I thought the Chimera Ant got you as well. B- But… I’m glad we were able to get away. I would’ve never forgiven myself if you didn’t escape, IF I died…”

Killua brought an experimental hand to the back of Daniel’s head, running his fingers through the boy’s hair. He made sure to never touch any of the boy’s skin, scared of being found out. He don’t know how he’d react if Daniel knew about his conflicting feelings as of now.

Daniel could feel the expert hand running through his hair, the boy kept his big mouth shut. He didn’t want this situation to end, whether it is a crazy complex dream, or Killua is actually absent minded.

How should he address the situation, talk normally when Killua was being this careful “Say, Killua…” Daniel spoke into Killua’s chest. Killua instantly removed his hand, cheeks tinted. He wondered if the boy knew… if he was going to ask about what he was doing.

Daniel already missed the boy’s touch. He’d hoped Killua would continue to touch his hair, even after he spoke “What do we do now? Do we hunt down, Rammot…? Or do we check on Gon?”

“Don’t bother…”

Daniel looked up, scanning Killua’s eyes for the answer he needed. Killua had turned his head away, cheeks flaring from being way to close to him. He looked abnormally cuter in the compromising situation. But, he still couldn’t come to any conclusion. Was he talking about Gon or Rammot?

The boy waited, expecting an answer soon.

Killua eyes remained diverted; his friend still otherwise way too close to him right now. The boy bit his lip, forcing his hazy mind to stop focusing on the things he didn’t want to think about. Which one should he address first? Gon or Rammot…? Or should he talk about something else instead? He could bring up the needle, but he didn’t know how to…

Before Killua could actually think about what to say, his brain was already blurting out stuff on its own “About us…” Killua mentally slapped himself, hating his brain already for starting the one topic he didn’t want to address at all. _You fucking idiot!_

Shifting his position, Daniel crossed his legs, keeping all his attention on the boy in front of him. Killua had hidden his face, but that didn’t stop him from noticing his friend’s features. He was uncomfortable, his last few words taking a toll on him. Daniel was now concerned, wondering what Killua was about to let loose “What about us?”

Killua shifted some more, turning his back to his friend. He was freaking out, unable to speak his mind. Maybe he should switch the topic… It wasn’t too late… was it? He could do it; just a few well-placed words could easily change the situation “You see…”

Nope, he made it worse. He didn’t know how he could change the situation from ‘you see’. What could he possibly say now? He had no idea. All that was running around in his mind was to confess his **_sins_** … his thoughts…

“Look, Daniel…” Killua took a deep breath, blurting out everything as a jumbled up mess of thoughts, as fast as he could “Rammot is dead! Gon may have been taken as hostage by Palm and I think I may like you more than friends…”

There was a long pregnant pause, Daniel’s mind going completely blank. It was way too much for him to take in. He was pretty sure he heard Killua say mention something about ‘death’, ‘hostage’ and ‘like’.

But all his mind was focusing on was the last bit…

**_I think I may like you more than friends…_ **

That, he pretty sure was a figment of his imagination... it sounded so surreal. His mind objectively forgot about **_Gon being taken hostage by Palm_** and he no longer cared about Rammot, seeing as he no longer was a concern.

What exactly did Killua mean by liking him more than friends? Did he mean it objectively or literary? Considering Killua said it too fast in hopes that he missed it, he had to have meant it literary…

But what made Killua suddenly flip his stance, going from maybe to his pretty sure in just a few hours? Daniel checked his watch, making sure it was a few hours that had gone by. One hour and thirty-four minutes had passed by.

Daniel placed a hand on Killua’s shoulder “What do you mean by-”

“Forget it!” Killua stood up, interrupting Daniel from not only Daniel touching him, but also hoping he could end the conversation entirely. He shouldn’t have said anything. To Daniel it probably sounds like a joke anyway.

Better to leave it as a joke, than to explain the situation.

“Killua…” Daniel breathlessly whispered the boy’s name, watching him leave without a word. Daniel clenched his teeth together, fighting back the urge to shake Killua like a rag doll. Punching or slapping Killua as of right now would get him nowhere.

Daniel charged Killua, flipping the boy around as they crashed into a tree together.

Killua was shocked, but not as shocked as what his friend was doing to him right now. His eyes were closed, body pressed up against him as his lips inched closer “One minute…”

Killua’s cheeks flared up, body twisting in order to break out of Daniel surprising hold. He didn’t think the boy could hold him down, yet here he was, pinned up against a tree, Daniel’s eyes closed and inches away.

He knew the boy was already counting in his head. He knew what he was expecting…

Killua gulped, swallowing thickly. He had only thirty seconds to make up his mind. Actually, his mind already made itself up. His body was just pretending as if he hadn’t already made its decision.

Fifteen seconds…

Killua felt his mind go into disarray, trying to figure out which is the best worst-case scenario. To kiss or not to kiss, that was seriously a fucked up question. He felt himself argue over the idea, every second passing feeling slower than the last.

Five seconds…

He decided, hating apart of himself for caving in. Killua leaned in at the last possible second. But it was too late, Daniel had moved away back turned as he was already walking back home “So, we should probably head home. Gon was in trouble right…?”

Killua could hear the sadness in the boy’s words, and he hated it. He was the cause of this… It was mostly Daniel’s fault, but he still had some part to play. Killua clenched his fist tight, going against everything he thought he’d do.

The boy ran up to Daniel, flipping the boy around. Daniel was stunned, though not as much as hearing Killua yell ‘fuck you’ right before being spear tackled to the ground. Not in a million years, would he ever imagine Killua confessing in this sort of way.

Daniel felt Killua’s lips against his own before hitting the ground in a mess of limbs. Killua had pinned him against the ground… and was kissing him…

HIM…

He could die now, knowing his dream was being fulfilled. But he’d still probably give death the finger before going back for another kiss. Daniel tried to hug the boy close, but his arms were being pinned against the grass.

Killua was stopping Daniel from hugging him, for what reason… He didn’t know. Seeing as he couldn’t get what he wanted, he could only return Killua’s forceful passion.

Killua shifted uncomfortably, screaming internally at himself. He hated it… and loved it at the same time. It was a struggle to latch onto one thought or an idea. He could feel his tainted cheeks, running hot from all the blood flowing in his face. He wanted to stop it all, but his mind wouldn’t let him give up so easily.

He did need to stop eventually though, and when he did so, he found himself panting, breathing heavily alongside Daniel. But the only difference between him and Daniel right now… was their expressions.

Embarrassed eyes met love stuck ones… and all Killua could say, what was on his mind. Maybe it wasn’t the right words… but it was the only words that he felt fit him at the time “Could I… you know… continue to date… you?”

Without missing a beat, Daniel’s smile widened “Yes…”

“~”

Killua couldn’t calm his mind and heart the whole way back to town. He couldn’t even address what happened. He had agreed to continue dating… and his mind was only just coming to terms with it.

He didn’t know how to talk to Daniel now, now that their status has changed. Does he now become lovey-dovey?  Does he now have to compliment Daniel? Does that mean now that Daniel gets to go full ham on him, complimenting him on every little detail?

_Oh, God… What kind of hell have I set myself up for…?_

Daniel could feel the distress in his now-boyfriend’s aura. Nothing really has changed… besides the awkward silence and their status. He could not only sense it, but see it written all over Killua’s posture.

Killua had a long way to go, before he really admits to being in a relationship. It was the words Killua used. ‘Could I’ and ‘continue’. If he really thought about it… the ‘continue’ was probably a mistake, one he’d never point out. Given the sudden changes, Killua had a lot to probably sift through before he can say the word ‘boyfriend’ in any context.

Well, it was up to him to really talk about, seeing as Killua was the one going through an internal struggle right now “Say, Killua… You know nothing really has to change between us?”

“Huh?” Killua gawked, face morphing into surprise “What you mean nothing has to change? Aren’t we… you know…” _Shit, it’s so hard to say…_

“Yes… Yes we are. But I can see right through you… You clearly haven’t wrapped your head around the situation.”

“What, no… NO! I can totally admit you’re my… FUCK! I mean-”

“Buddy…?”

“Yes! NO! I’m not your fuck buddy… BUDDY! BUDDY… just regular buddy…”

Daniel snickered at the wide reactions and responses he was receiving. Killua was far too… unaccepting right now to agree with anything. He has a long way to go… before he's even willing to admit any sort of feelings “Can we tell Gon… about us?”

“What?! No… why…?”

Daniel raised a curious eyebrow, confused at how quickly he responded. It was a concern for him “Because he’s our friend…”

“Yeah… Right…”

“May I ask you why?” Daniel saw the flinch, and if his thoughts were right… Killua still has feeling for Gon. Maybe he should tell Killua about Sakura and Gon… No, he has to ask Gon for permission. Maybe they did rush a little too quickly. It would be best to break up, and then ease back into it when Killua was ready “Look, Killua… maybe we did rush a little too quickly. Let’s start of as friends… REALLY LONG time friends…”

“What?! No… I could totally admit you’re…” Killua internally slapped himself. Was saying boyfriend really that hard? Then there was also his feelings for Gon still to consider. Maybe Daniel was right… they should start off slow.

Killua struggled to wrap his mind around the situation. Does he agree to tell Gon, or should they keep being friends for the moment… until his able to admit his situation? Killua ran out of time, already standing at the door to their temporary home.

Turning the knob, Killua made a decision with a sigh “We’ll tell Gon…”


	98. Palm X Gon X Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N** Now begins the fun part… by trying to not to mess up Killua in the relationship!

The building was quiet when the boys entered, no noises being heard, except for the crickets outside. Killua raised a curious eyebrow, slinging Gon’s backpack over his shoulder as he entered.

He’d expected the building to have some sort of noise. Maybe even Gon’s boisterous voice echoing throughout the hallways. But there was absolutely nothing. He felt queasy, a dark brooding feeling deep inside his chest.

Something… was very wrong…

If Gon wasn’t here, where else could he be? Killua ran towards their room, almost leaving Daniel behind. _Gon, you have to be here!_

Daniel saw Killua make a break for their room.

He had to run to catch up to Killua; it raised some serious concerns for him, not expecting his now-boyfriend to be this worried. If Killua was this concerned, and Gon and Palm were nowhere to be found in this hotel, they’ll have a hard time tracking the both of them.

They only knew their last whereabouts, and had no clues other than their left behind bags.

Killua swung the door open to their room, expecting some reassurance. What he and Daniel saw weren’t even considered an afterthought.

The room was completely dark, except for a single candle to his right supplying the room’s light source. Gon was kneeling in the middle of the room, a bucket of black sludge to his left, a brush in his hand and blank paper in front.

He hadn’t noticed his friends enter; he was stuck, glued to the floor with his only solace being the paper he was being forced to write on.

Killua’s jaw dropped, but then he saw the figure towering over his friend. Palm has gone too far, holding a knife, and it looks as though she has been threatening Gon to write ‘apology’ letters, like the one he imagine kids would be forced to do in primary school.

A part of him lost it; Killua clenched his jaw tight, teeth grinding together as he face the one thing he thought was disturbing to live by for the past month “WHAT THE HELL are you doing?!”

Daniel was surprised at how Killua acted just now, but even more so when he ignored that there were two sets of apologies written.

**I will not hurt Palm’s feelings**

**I will not cheat on Palm**

Daniel scooted over to one of the offending papers, hiding the paper which pointed out ‘cheating’. He continued along, making sure to hide any of the other ones he could spot without drawing Killua’s concern.

“Can’t you tell?!” Palm’s eyebrows rose, fuming from the disgust oozing out of Killua’s words. He didn’t understand! Nor will he ever, understand how she felt. Gon had been cheating on her since the beginning, with some other girl she has never met.

Gon kept referring to her as Sakura, sometimes even adding a little ‘Chan’ honorific to accentuate his girlfriend’s cuteness. She hates this person… and when she uses her ability to find her, she’ll make her pay!

But ‘Sakura’ wasn’t the only one she hates right now… her hatred was extended to Killua and Daniel too! They _too_ had to have known for months about Gon’s secret girlfriend. She’ll make sure all three of them pay.

Palm drew up her fist, knife being clenched tighter in her other “I’m punishing him! Punishing him for toying with my feelings! AND you two are next!”

“What the hell?!” Killua drew his attention to Palm, aggravated from how unreasonable she’s being. What did Gon exactly say in order to break her like this? It doesn’t even matter; she probably had it coming anyways “You’re the one who’s being unreasonable! AND US TWO?! You deserved whatever Gon did to you paranoid-”

“LEAVE US ALONE! I’ll deal with you two later, after I’m done punishing Gon!”

“Right back at you…” Killua’s grin grew, allowing his smug attitude to shine through “BITCH!”

“Killua!” Gon whined at his friend’s language, a pout forming as he looked up at his friend from how quickly he called her a fowl name “You shouldn’t call her bad names…” Before he could even look at his friends, Palm looked him in the eyes.

He shivered for a second, eyes drawing back to the paper in front. He really hurt her badly. At least her punishment wasn’t worse.

“What? She is being a cow anyways… Why don’t you make yourself scarce?”

Palm’s teeth grit together, rage radiating off her features. She was about to lunge at Killua, to kill him where he stood. But something made her stop…

Something was very wrong with Killua, and now that she looked at Daniel to, he was in the same boat. They were both battered, and Killua strangely enough had a bloody spot on his forehead “Why… are you and Daniel injured?”

“Oh, we got a little too carried away… you know… rough in training…”

“Technically…” Daniel butted in, Killua turning to give the boy an intense glare. But that didn’t stop him from continuing along, adding finer detailers to make the plot more believable; the last piece of infringing document “You got rough with me, and because I wasn’t _training_ how _you_ wanted… you got so frustrated, you started banging your head against a wall.”

“W- What…?” Killua gawked, but when Daniel put it that way, it did sound like something that WOULD happen. Daniel has never fought him seriously, because of his _stupid_ feelings for _him_. Actually, now that he thought about it… Daniel’s over caring nature could be counted as both disturbingly cute, and downright embarrassing.

Killua turned off to the side, hiding his own feelings on the matter “Yeah… Daniel was being useless in a mock fight. It got me absolutely frustrated! So, I ended up with this _wound_ … you have a problem with that, cow?”

Palm swung her knife upwards, aiming at Killua’s jugular. That was the last straw; she’ll make the damn brat pay for his excessive name calling “I’ll just be giving you some new ones, to make the others feel less lonely!”

Killua ducked slightly, dodging the attack at the last possible second. When her hand had crossed his forehead, he brought his hand up, smashing it against Palm’s wrist. With one swift motion, he disarmed her.

Killua chucked the weapon at Daniel “Catch!”

While Daniel was only half expecting it, he caught the weapon as it sailed past his side. Killua had thrown the weapon at angle which avoided him, but that wasn’t what concerned him.

Why was Killua dragging him into a fight which he clearly wasn’t even involved in? If Killua aimed it a little better, it would’ve given the act a whole different meaning. Maybe that was on purpose “If I don't say so myself … that was supposed to be aimed at me. You know there are other ways to-”

“Shut up!” Killua blushed, knowing full well where Daniel was headed. He only threw the weapon at him, because he knew HE could catch it. He wasn’t throwing at Daniel because he wanted to break up with him… after a couple of hours.

He wasn’t that… aggravating…

Daniel frowned only for a moment. But the blush on Killua’s cheeks soon made him smile for some reason. Even if Killua hadn’t said catch, the weapon would have still sailed past him. Maybe him holding onto the knife, meant it would be harder for Palm to retrieve it.

Maybe it was Killua way of saying, he trusted him. It was still a little weird… he could’ve just passed it over.

Palm rubbed the hand that was holding the knife, teeth grinding together in disgust. To think a weak child could’ve disarmed her… but she was sure she had him. She was so sure the knife had passed through the child’s skull “I was so sure you were dead…”

Palm turned to face the boy stomping her foot down as she roared. Papers flew up into the air, Killua and Daniel screaming at her sudden like a banshee screech. If she didn’t look terrifying before, she did now with her face all contorted.

Killua grabbed Gon before she could make her first move, running out the door though not before grabbing Daniel on the way out. He held the two on either side like they were luggage.

Gon felt so small, like a little puppy being held for the first time by unexperienced hands.

Daniel on the other hand didn’t know how to feel, being man-handled by Killua. And to top things off, he was still holding the knife in both hands, unsure what to do with said weapon “Killua, you know I can run-”

“Just focus on stopping her by any means!”

Daniel looked under himself, expecting to see just Palm chasing after them. But what he saw was an absolute monster. All she needed to be doing is oozing foam out of her mouth, and she’d complete the perfect monster look “HOW DO I STOP THAT?!”

Killua freaked out when he looked over his shoulder; she was already on their heels. He pushed himself to run even faster, dodging a terrified couple as he turned the corner. If they from him, he could only imagine the blood curling scream to follow “I don’t know! Do something!”

The couple let out a blood chilling scream when Palm rounded the corner. With every passing moment, her features turned more monstrous. Without even thinking, Daniel threw the knife at her. She caught it with ease, face contorting into a wicked smile as if thanking him, for giving her the one item which she needed in order to make their death more gruesome “RUN FASTER!”

Killua looked over his shoulder again, forcing himself to run even fast now that she had a weapon “What the hell possessed you to give her back the knife?!”

“I WAS TRYING TO HIT HER… not arm her! RUN FASTER!”

Killua sped up as he ran through the street, looking over his shoulder every so often. Palm looked like a painting by Van Gogh. The more they ran, the more her face had contorted, running like a terminator ready to kill with the way knife was being held.

Other than that, black aura oozed out of her, leaving a trail of despair behind. At least if Killua decided to make a U-turn, he’ll know where they had run.

Killua gawked at the monster following them “Catch us if you can, stupid!” When Palm ran even faster, Daniel pointed his fingers at Palm, black hands reaching out from under Palm, tripping her in the process as they grabbed her by the feet.

She face planted as Daniel ended his ability, Palm still screaming incoherently from the distanced. Killua laughed as he ran faster, leaving the woman behind in the dust “You got her good! Nice going…”

“Aww, thanks…” Daniel smiled at the compliment, but said nothing more than was needed. She’d probably still chase after them as soon as she got up.

Gon pouted from how Daniel and Killua had treated Palm “Stop, you two… You’re only making her angrier.”

“Did you not see what she did to me?!” Killua’s head snapped towards Gon, surprised he was so quick to forgive the woman “If we ditch her here, we’ll never see her again! We’ll just have to call Knuckle and tell him we’ll meet him somewhere else.”

“Killua, stop… I’m going back.”

“Do you want to die?!” Killua and Daniel screamed together, surprised at Gon wanting to go back to her. Especially, after everything she did to them “If you let your guard down thinking she’s not much of a fighter, she’ll stab you in the back!”

“Not only that…” Daniel argued, a frown forming across his face “She’ll do it while you’re busy writing apology, after apology…” The boy’s face turned into mortification “OR WORSE, she’ll kill us while she’s forcing you to write apology letters…”

Gon burst into laughter, the two arguing statements that didn’t seem right in his eyes. Palm wouldn’t do that, because she is incapable of doing so. Gon mind flashed back to the moment he mentioned Sakura, and how she took the information.

Palm thought that she’d have him all to herself, but now she’d have to share his attention, wasn’t what she really wanted. She was angry, upset, but that’s to be seen. All she wanted… was Gon for herself.

When she spoke to his friends about Sakura, she failed to mention the boy’s name, automatically confusing his friends. Palm kept referring to Sakura as a she. Well, in all fairness, Sakura can also be a girl’s name. And it didn’t help that Palm didn’t let the boy finish telling her about Sakura.

Daniel might have caught on, but Killua didn’t. He wondered why Daniel didn’t say anything… or why Palm mentioned her didn’t arouse any suspicions in Killua. The scene of the crime had to have played a part in it. Killua must have thrown the whole scene under the rug as paranoia.

As Gon continued to laugh at the situation, Daniel and Killua became more concerned for their friend. Maybe Palm hadn’t just threatened Gon… Maybe she drugged him as well “Are you ok?”

“Yeah…” Gon’s laughed calmed down a little, turning into only a few giggles here and there “She wouldn’t do that. She’s actually not as bad as you think…”

“WHAT?!” The boys screamed at Gon for his comment. No, something else must have suppressed his memory from earlier… or maybe he wasn’t watching her at all “But… But… Didn’t you see her take that knife to me?”

Gon’s head tilted slightly to the side, confusion spreading across his face. As Gon’s eyebrows knitted together, wondering when Palm attacked Killua, the offending boy screamed into Gon’s ear “Damn it!”

Killua allowed himself to relax, taming his nerves into submission. Of course Gon didn’t see it. He probably had his face glued to the apology letters the whole time. As the boy sighed, he let out a long, relieving breath “You are just too much…”

“You can say that again…” Daniel broke into laughter. But then the boy immediately calmed down, speaking seriously to Killua “Say, Killua… when are you going to put me down… I can walk on my own two feet.”

Killua cheeks tinted slightly as he broke into a small embarrassed rage. In a fit of anger, Killua threw his secret boyfriend at a nearby house “Shut up…IDIOT!”

“~”

Gon and Daniel remained in the hotel, Triple Circle Hotel, fear of stepping outside to meet Killua’s sudden fury. He left them to their own devices, ordering whatever they wanted. Killua will order later when he gets back inside.

But Daniel, being the already invasive boyfriend decided to order Killua something he may like, and if he doesn’t he’ll just take it out of Killua’s hands and let the boy order something else.

And seeing as they did have a long day, Daniel ordered a rather normal hot chocolate for Killua and a vanilla ice-cream cake with a strawberry on top. He did after all… love his sweets. But, he definitely wasn’t going to order another _Death Shake_ …

What he ordered for Killua wasn’t a major concern; it was bringing up to topic in his head. Daniel stabbed at his sandwich, wondering how on earth was he was going to talk about the second set of apologies… about the ‘cheating’.

With Killua being gone for so long, who knew when he may be back? And it didn’t help that Gon was silent, blowing at his tea as he was waiting for Killua to come back.

It wasn’t long though before Gon decided to ask the first question “How was your date?”

“We have a problem…”

“Oh…” Gon frowned slightly, now worried about Daniel’s mentality “Did you take my advice?”

“Advice…?” Daniel looked up at Killua, puzzled for a moment. They were talking about completely different things “Oh, that… Killua will let you know. I’m more concerned about your safety, with Palm…”

“Palm’s not evil she-”

“Tried to stab Killua, and failed. But I’m not talking about _that_. I’m talking about US…”

“Us…” Gon looked around, unsure about what Daniel was talking about. He pondered the situation, wondering if Daniel knew about his multiple affections. Did Daniel know that Gon liked more than one person? That couldn’t be right “What do you mean about us?”

“Gon, I’m talking about your secret, Sakura… your ‘diamond in the rough’… The ‘Ying to your Yang’… The… your Girl- Boyfriend…”

“Oh…” Gon mouthed the ‘O’, curious to know why Daniel was bringing it up. He was sure he hid all references to Sakura, but then again… Palm was bringing up ‘her’ a lot “I thought I hid it well…”

“Well, besides Palm bringing it up ‘she’ a lot… and I mean… A LOT! I hid the references you missed. So you can thank me later. But, for now… I’m wondering if you plan on bringing it up to Killua soon. I… I don’t want to be the one to tell him…”

Gon tilted his head slightly, concerned about why Daniel was wondering when Gon planned on telling Killua? He will tell them him when his ready, but not before telling Sakura he wants to announce their relationship “Not right now… I want to ask Sakura first, but more importantly, I plan to tell him that something important has come up… It’s about what I said to Palm, what got her angry… I also want to tell Killua and you too… So can we wait for him first?”

Stabbing his sandwich one last time, Daniel let out a sigh “Ok, but it’s important to let Killua know as well. I don’t want to hide secrets from him, especially with what’s at stake…”

“At stake…” Gon repeated the statement, concerned as well. It wasn’t too long before the boy started to smile “Well, it is a few more days before Kite returns… so we don’t need to be glum when he returns.” Scratching his chin for a moment, Gon allowed his smile to widen a little “Tell me what you can, about your date with Killua. How did it go?”

Daniel found himself unconsciously smiling at his food “It went great. Painful, but otherwise great… Killua will tell you the rest when he gets back. But, it shifted when I got him the _Death Shake_ …”

“The _Death Shake_?!” Gon smiled widely, wondering what on earth Daniel got for Killua, to have such a ghastly name. He was intrigued; intrigued to know more about what Killua will say when he got back. But for now, he settles for the finer details Daniel told him.

“~”

Gon was laughing at what Daniel told him, as he talked more about what had happened on their date. Parts of his story felt a little off, but the more he spoke, the more everything fell into place.

Nothing about Daniel and Killua’s date felt off by the end, and Gon could imagine everything that happened. Killua getting frustrated, the Death Shake, how their training went… even as far at the moments Killua got embarrassed.

It made Gon think seriously, if he experiences the same things with Sakura. Not only Sakura, but Palm as well; sometimes during his date with Palm, he did find himself falling for her as well, but it lacked something…

Something that he has only experienced with Killua, Daniel, Kurapika, Leorio and even Sakura… Killua finally returned, and surprisingly not to long after Daniel finished letting lose everything that had happened on their date.

He sat down, cheeks as red as the strawberries on his vanilla ice-cream cake. Killua cut a slice before sticking into his mouth, without even asking, whether or not it was his to eat. Daniel smiled at the boy devouring the cake in silence “You like the cake?”

“Oh, yeah… delicious…” Killua diverted his attention to Gon, refusing to give any attention whatsoever to Daniel “Totally… Oh, for your information, they’ll be bringing Kite back in two days.” Shoving another piece of cake into his mouth, Gon brought up their date once more “Is it true you up rooted a tree?”

Killua choked at the mention of their ‘not so real’ date, a story so elaborate, Gon was none the wiser from what was reality, and what was faked. For times like these, Killua was glad Daniel was… taking advantage of his _Nen_ category, manoeuvring between reality and fantasy.

But, even if Gon didn’t notice, Killua did. There was this… sadness in Daniel’s eyes whenever he outright lied to Gon face. But he also knew he was protecting Gon from the truth about Rammot’s sudden appearance “Yes…” Killua quietly admitted.

He had been listening the entire time to Daniel’s story, at least a good chunk of it before finally taking his seat. He wanted to make sure he knew everything Daniel said, at least so he too could lie to Gon’s face “Everything weird Daniel said he did… is true…”

“So…” Gon piped up, standing up from his seat in excitement. He was giddy to know, to know whether or not Daniel and Killua’s status has changed. He was hoping that with everything Daniel has stated that it had changed for the better as well “Are you boyfriends?”

Killua spat his drink half across the table, not expecting Gon to launch so suddenly into _that_ question… and without warning to boot. He didn’t want to say anything yet, considering he had other questions he wanted to ask first “Oh, that… well…” Killua tapped the table, deciding to detour the topic on trial “We have more pressing matters. That evil cow could still be out there… searching for us…”

Gon frowned as he slouched into the chair “She has a name…”

“Palm, whatever… Why were you in the dark, writing all those… _apologies_ for her?”

Slouching into his own chair, Gon frowned, which in turn also made Daniel frown in return. Why didn’t Killua tell Gon, especially after agreeing to tell Gon their status change? Was it that hard to tell Gon…? If Killua was willing to admit the change to his feelings now, maybe Gon too will tell Killua about Sakura.

Maybe it will help Killua, knowing Gon is off the table. Actually, on second thought… what if Killua reacted negatively to the information? Could Daniel watch Killua crumble in pain after finding out his friends have been keeping Gon’s girlfriend a secret?

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his head, finger pointing towards his boyfriend “Speaking of being in the _dark_ shouldn’t you tell Gon our secret?”

“S- Secret, WHY DON’T YOU TELL HIM?”

“I prefer the person who can’t admit it, to say it… Besides, I believe it would be more comfortable coming out of your mouth, than Gon rapid-firing questions at you as soon as you got back…”

“Secret…?” Gon hummed at the boy’s words, eager to know more.

Killua opened his mouth, only to close it once more. His cheeks were stained red, like a traffic stop light. He just couldn’t admit it, no matter how much he secretly wanted to “Daniel and I are… you know… that thing…” There was a long pause before he could say anything that even remotely came close to what intended originally “Friends… with benefits…”

“Hold on!” Daniel cut in offended by his boyfriend’s words “One step at a time here. _Benefits_ , isn’t till WAY later…” Smiling widely, Daniel mouthed each letter slowly, hoping Gon caught on “B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D…”

Killua diverted his attention, leaving poor Gon only spell out the word “boyfriend…” The boy got more excited as he repeated the word over and over again, Killua sinking more into himself every time Gon said it more casually than the last. How could Gon so freely say the one word he couldn’t even mutter aloud “REALLY?! You and Daniel are together… as boyfriends?!”

“Y- YES! Now can you not repeat so loudly, so that everyone in the next city knows I’m dating a weeb!”

“Says the _weeb_ two feet away from me…” Daniel munched on his sandwich, enjoying every second of Killua’s humiliation. Who knew watching someone who could hold a beating heart in his hand; blush at the mention of dating someone else… could be so _fun_?

Gon smiled as he watched the two. Seeing Daniel smile so sweetly at Killua made him feel a little jealous deep inside. A part of himself, wished he could have Daniel and Killua all for himself. But as much as he secretly wanted it, Killua knocked him out of his stupor “Hey, IDIOT! Can we just change topics now, before I combust from… all _this_ … emotion overload?! Gon still hasn’t told us why Palm was torturing him?! I _demand_ to know why…”

Gon frowned from his friend’s request. He wanted to know more about Killua and Daniel’s relationship, wondering why the sudden change of heart. He remembered Daniel vaguely saying that **Killua was the one that rejected him**. And from the sound of things, Killua was the one to ask Daniel out this time.

 _Feelings change over time…_ “It’s because…” Gon thought about it, the best way to explain the situation without the mention of Sakura. It didn’t seem like Killua knew about the second half of his apologies, so that left him to blame it all on Palm’s misunderstanding. But that wasn’t right either, it was his own fault in a way… he was the one that failed to explain the situation more thoroughly to Palm.

Gon opened his mouth, believing that what he was about to say, was the right way to explain Palm’s breakdown “What is really important to me right now… is to save Kite.”

“Then tell her to wait until Kite’s back to normal!” Killua argued back at Gon, fingers tapping impatiently against the table. The constant tapping, alerted the others around them that they were having a serious discussion, and that Killua was sick and tired of Palm’s a poor excuse of her so called ‘patience’.

“I did…”

“SHE was the one to ask you out! Surely she could wait a few months...”

Gon humming in agreement as he drank some his juice he ordered a while ago. However, as he sipped, from the corner of his eye, he could see Daniel didn’t believe him in the slightest. He knew something Killua didn’t, but at the same time, like Gon… he refused to let loose the secret they shared.

Kite wasn’t the only problem… Sakura was an issue as well.

“~”

The conversations eventually subsided, all three boys heading back to their room to retire for the day. They felt drained from their long, eventful day; that didn’t mean they were off the hook yet.

Palm was still out there, looking for them. And Gon might still be thinking of going back to her, hoping to clear things up… and then probably continue to apologise, repeatedly. When Gon left to have a shower, the room grew quiet.

Killua surfed through the channels, checking to see if there was any more Chimera Ants they had to worry about. After a near death experience, you would think searching for new dangers would be off the table, but nope…

Killua was still worried about his friend, Gon still being in danger…

A few more weeks… until Gon got back his _Nen_. That was a total of seventy-two hours he had to protect Gon for. At least he could use those days to wrap his mind around the fact he just agreed to date Daniel. A part of him was still perplexed, due to his feelings for Gon…

Although Daniel did know about these feelings, he probably wouldn’t bring them up because of his biased feelings on the matter. It’s up to him to decide on whether or not he wants to stay with Daniel, pursue Gon or back away from the both of them…

“So… are you just not cold…” Daniel spoke up, fingers twiddling with each other.

Killua had stolen the shower after Daniel, leaving poor Gon to get the last of the warm water, and because of his own absent thoughts, he had been more concerned about enemies still out there, and not getting dressed first.

In hindsight, it was probably surprising even for him, that his towel was still clinging on. The boy ran fingers around the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed because of the question. But then a wicked evil thought crossed his mind.

After all those times Daniel has teased him, he could technically get his revenge. Even if he comes out being a few extra shades of red after this… at least he’ll finally be able to find something he could use to tease Daniel for hours with.

“What is it to _you_ …?” A sly grin showed across Killua’s features, Daniel raising an eyebrow at the question. What on earth had Killua planned for him? Did Killua suddenly get a big-head? Or was he acting like a sly cat, hoping to get something out of him?

Whatever the reason, he’d probably win in the end “I’m worried for you… that’s all…”

Killua grew a darker shade red. As he sauntered over to Daniel, he pretended to act indifferent “That is nice of you but…” Killua stopped in front of Daniel, making sure to tower over his boyfriend “I…”

Leaning over further, the boy brought his lips over to Daniel’s ear, whispering the end of his argument into Daniel’s ear “Already warm thanks to you…”

Daniel awkwardly ran fingers through his hair, surprised by Killua’s sudden new confidence. A part of him missed the old Killua, the one whom blushed madly during compliments, refusing to retort back when he had a whole arsenal of compliments he could be firing back.

Although, he actually did love this part of Killua as well; maybe it was all thanks to Rammot’s defeat. Actually, now that he thought about it. He hadn’t really asked Killua why the sudden change of heart.

That had to be the last piece of the puzzle… the one he needed in order to understand Killua’s new feelings.

“That’s nice of you, Killua… But I don’t think I mean that much to you right now. I want us to grow slowly together, so don’t push yourself in any way to try match my personality… Ok, Killua?”

“Oh…” _Drat…_ Killua felt himself grow an extra shade red. He’d have to attack in a different manner… in a way that didn’t backfire on him “No, but…” Killua sat on top of Daniel, faking a warm smile “I want to… because I really, lo- looo- like, like you…”

Killua finally got Daniel to react, the boy blushed beneath him. But what Daniel said next, wasn’t what the white haired boy was expecting “Unless you move, you’re about to be introduced to introduce to _little_ Daniel…”

“Move…?” Killua freaked out, hands cupping his cheeks. He didn’t think that would be the thing to make the boy blush. He thought if he hit Daniel hard enough with a few   
well-placed compliments, he could make the boy blush.

But he never expected, the best way to get the boy to blush… was with perverted gestures. And it wasn’t helping the situation, considering he… was sitting on top of his boyfriend. Killua unexpectedly shot up, twisting his entire body around to look away “I’m dating a pervert!”

“Says the guy who IS half naked, and WAS just sitting on top of me until not too long ago…”

Killua could feel the heat reverberate deep inside his chest, embarrassed for putting himself in such a comprising situation. It’s a good thing they settled for three beds, and not two. He didn’t know if he could survive the night, after what he just did.

And it didn’t help that his dream was being brought to the forefront of his mind. Although, he wouldn’t mind- Killua physically slapped himself, forcing the image to escape his thoughts. He didn’t want to relive it!

The hot breath near his ear…

Gon and Daniel touching him anywhere, and everywhere…

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at his boyfriend, wondering what was exactly going through his mind. He only pointed out that Killua was seducing him, half naked… and on top of him. He didn’t know how to feel, now knowing Killua was a little perverted.

But then again… the comment about guys dating someone who replicates their mom does hold some weigh. And seeing as Vastorie IS his ‘mom’, and IS secretly a pervert… he may end up dating someone like his father. On the plus side, at least Killua looks nothing like him…

It would be weird dating his doppelganger, considering HE does look like his father. Daniel eventually got up, silently walking over to his boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around Killua, breathing his next few words into the boy’s ears “I always want you-”

*Smack*

Daniel mulled the scenario over, and over again in his mind. All he wanted to say was **I always want you, to hug you, no matter how compromising your position is**. He had no clue why that sentence triggered Killua to punch him. Either way, he had a lot of apologies prepared for Killua tomorrow.

While Daniel was left alone to ponder the situation, Killua ran under the blanks, heart thumping loudly in his chest. His thoughts almost became a reality, Daniel’s hands around him… with those words from his fantasy being echoed into his ears.

And the worst part of the situation, he’d have to wake up before everyone…

He was still naked, and underneath his sheets.

“~”

When Gon returned after his shower, Daniel was silently reading a book, face bruised and Killua already in bed. He had so many questions, but neither Daniel nor Killua would respond.

It seems while he was away, Daniel and Killua may have done something neither of them liked. Shaking his head with a slight smile, Gon retreated to bed “Good night!”

“Night…” his friends surprisingly echoed together. He had a feeling everything will be alright in the morning.


	99. Thanks X Kite X Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Whoops, I miss calculated something in the last chapter… it wasn’t a few days until Gon got back his _Nen_ … it was a few weeks. WHOOPS! Fixed it anyways…

The day flew by quickly, Killua surprisingly having no mishaps during the morning. He was thankful he rose earlier than Gon that morning; neither did Daniel rise from the slightest of noises.

He did however have a thought cross his mind, wondering what it would be like to sleep with another person. Then again, he has slept with Gon, and apparently Daniel at some point on his adventure. But this time however, would have been different…

Would he have woken up terrified from Gon cradling him…?

Would he have been mortified to find himself tangled around Daniel…?

Maybe now, after unlocking his feelings… he would relish the comfort of another’s body pressed into his? In the end, as much as he pondered the thought, he didn’t jump into Daniel’s bed for the last few hours, possibly minutes. He returned to his own bed, letting sleep take him.

He wasn’t too sure how much longer he got to sleep in. Gon had annoyed both him and Daniel, forcing the two in their sleep dazed states to get up. Other than that, they did two more things; share a few ChocoRobo-Kuns, Gon being lucky enough to win an ultra-rare gold collectable, and the second one was more training.

Other than those two events, they were lucky enough to avoid Palm the whole day.

Night fell, the only time Daniel finally had alone time to apologise to his boyfriend.

“Hey, Killua-”

“Hey, Daniel-”

There was a long pause before Daniel offered out a hand with a smile “You first…”

“Look… sorry about last night.”

“No, it was probably my fault. Shouldn’t have snuck up on you… and _hugged_ you last night. Or _teased_ you about being, you know… and you’re still in that _phase_ of ‘I don’t know’, correct?”

“Yeah… as well as other things…”

“Other things…?” Daniel pondered the statement, wondering what could the other things Killua was talking about.

“FORGET IT! Anyways…” Killua lightly punches Daniel’s shoulder “You’re seriously lacking in strength. I saw you doing 60kg rips, when you could be doing more…”

Daniel snickered at the statement, smile widening from his thoughts. The whole day Killua must have been worried about him, although it wasn’t like he himself, was any better. He was trying to think of good ways to apologise to Killua, for wrapping his arms around him when he didn’t wanted to be hugged at that very moment.

He wanted to thank Killua, but that’s what got him into the mess in the first place last night “I… I know…” a wicked grin grew, Daniel lightly pushing Killua against his shoulder “but it was you and Gon’s fault for stealing most of the weights. I was lucky enough to have 120kg to myself. And besides, you two seemed to be having so much fun stealing each other’s thunder. Who was it that won in the end…?”

Killua’s grin rivalled Daniel’s “I did… but it looks like we won’t be going back there any time soon. Gon did accidently destroyed a mirror when he forgot to lock in one of the weights side…”

“So eager to out match you…” Daniel laughed at his own statement.

Killua watched Daniel intensely, the boy laughing without a second thought. Its times like these that make him enjoy being around people, friends he cares about… even loves. No compliments, no thanks… just a neutral argument about a past situation.

Daniel didn’t say thanks to him, or stroked his ego…

He merely stated Gon’s stupidity. This, he could agree he wanted it. Killua found himself unconsciously making the next move, arms wrapping around Daniel, holding the boy close.

Daniel quieten down, a little shocked from the gesture. He wasn’t too sure if he should hug back, or wait until Killua reacts to his own actions.

It didn’t take long for Killua’s actions to come back to him. He shot up without a second thought, blushing from his own actions. He _hugged_ Daniel… not the other way around. It just felt so right in the moment, he hadn’t realised what he did until it was too late “Don’t you dare say anything… it was a… an accident!”

“Sure, sure…” Daniel grinned at his boyfriend’s own reaction to himself hugging another, rather than pointing out he liked it, Daniel attacked Killua from a different angle “I can’t say it wasn’t welcomed. But… baby steps.”

“Th- Thanks…” Killua found himself muttering the words under his breath, unheard by Daniel.

“Can I hug you?”

Killua almost squawked at the question, wondering why he wanted another hug. Wasn’t one sudden, accidental hug enough for Daniel? What could he possibly have to gain from another?

He wanted to reject it but neither did his mind, nor his mouth agree with him “S- sure…”

Daniel wrapped his arms around Killua, sighing in relief. He just liked the comfort of having someone he loves so close to him, the heavy breaths dancing awkwardly against his neck, the squirming, the warmth of Killua’s flushed body being pressed against his own…

He loved every second. But he had questions still plaguing his mind…

Ones he wanted answered so badly…

Daniel broke the hug, his smile faltering slightly. He wanted to know what made Killua change his mind. If Killua was sure of _this_ … that he wanted to be with him. He didn’t know if he could survive the heart break of Killua breaking up with him for Gon… only to find out Gon loved another.

He could only anticipate the moment Killua found out, the distraught features… trust breaking… all because of the secrets his held on just for the sake of keeping both parties’ securely happy.

He was keeping the relationship alive through a lie hidden deep in the shadows. As much as it pained him to keep that secret, Daniel wanted to really know why the change of heart “Killua… I’m just curious… Why did you agree to date me? No, more importantly… what made you change your mind?”

Killua shifted his features, eyes draw to his pocket. He couldn’t believe he kept it. But he didn’t want to leave such a powerful tool out there, lying in wait. If it had the power to control him, even with his _Nen_ capabilities… he could only imagine what it would do to the poor unfortunate sucker to pick it up out of curiosity “Illumi…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, a little worried “What do you mean Illumi? Was he out there… with us the whole time? Stalking us from the shadows? Did he hurt you?”

Killua’s cheeks felt flush hot “No, sort of, sort of… He planted a needle in my brain-”

Daniel’s teeth ground together, knuckles paling from the boy’s words. To think Illumi had put something in his little brother’s brain, to control HIM because of his own sick and twisted fantasy… the power to manipulate the ultimate weapon of the Zoldyck household.

Killua was not a weapon which can be controlled! “ILLUMI…”

“Look, Daniel… I kind of… well, sort of know what you are feeling. But do not lash out at him… you won’t win… not without a plan! The needle is out, and he no longer has any sway over me. But that wasn’t what changed my mind…”

Daniel’s eyes drew to Killua, questioning the boy’s own words “What do you mean by changed you mind…?”

“There’s someone else I love…” Killua’s words made Daniel frown for all the wrong reasons. To think Daniel’s mind would go straight there “EW, no! No like that… you know how you asked me what I **‘like to recall from my past’** on our… date?”

“Yeah…?”

“Her name is Alluka… she’s my little sister. She’s the reason for all of this…” Killua gestured to his whole body, as if it would explain anything. He highly doubted Alluka was the reason Killua had white hair, acted cute, or worst of them all… couldn’t take a compliment.

“So… she’s a manipulator like me?”

“Maybe… What I mean is everything I suffered through... I did it for her. I did it, so she wouldn’t have to suffer! She… She means the world to me…”

“Oh…” Daniel felt himself smile, a single tooth jutting out through his upper lip “She’s the one you taught how to smoosh Mike’s nose?”

“Is that all you remember about what I said?”

“Well, there was the torture, falling head first into the ground when you were trying to show off to apparently ‘Alluka’… as well as many other things…”

Killua blushed “I can’t believe you remember that…”

Daniel smiled for a moment. He liked finding out this information about Killua, but now that he knows about Alluka, how many opinions and stories will change with this minor detail “What do you think of your family now?”

Killua’s fist clenched tight, knuckles whitening at his next few words “I hate them… ALL of them… After we deal with the Chimera Ants… I know what I want to do with my life. I’m going back home… and one way or another, I’m taking her with me, and I’m going to protect her with my life!”

Daniel felt his own heart swell, even when he wasn’t a part of Killua’s plans. Killua had something he wanted in the entire world, and he was going to help him get it… even if he wasn’t a part of Killua’s plans “And I’m gonna help you, in whatever way I can…”

“Of course doofus!” Killua’s cat-lie grin returned with a vengeance “Who else am I going to throw under a bus in order to protect her?”

“You’re the worse…” Daniel playfully jabbed Killua “And what about Gon? Are you going to protect him and Alluka, while you leave your poor old boyfriend to defend the front lines against your nightmarish, heinous, vile, abhorrent family?”

“Oh, no… he’s going next! No one is coming between ME and my little sister.”

Daniel laughed at Killua response, which in turn made his boyfriend join along. Daniel understood how much Alluka meant to him. Even if Alluka has claimed majority of Killua’s heart, as long as Gon and himself were still a part of it, somewhere deep inside, he’d still be happy…

Although, Killua throwing him to the hounds… would still suck!

“~”

The boys were lead through an abandoned cathedral, barely lit candles lighting a fraction of its hallways. Today was the day they finally got to meet Kite once more. But neither of them has been told why they were in the abandon building…

They were just led there with barely any details.

“Now…” Knuckle interrupted the boys’ thoughts, explaining something else about the situation “Zaikaria is here, and she has brought… a friend.” Morel joined after his student, though not before adjusting his glasses “You may want to attack him, but please don’t. He’s under Zaikaria’s protection, orders from Netero.”

Daniel scratched his neck, wondering why Zaikaria, his sister is protecting someone… possibly a Chimera Ant from the enemy faction? Has there been a change of plans since they departed from the tree border of NGL? Then, this guy couldn’t have been the only Chimera Ant to defect…

Who else has defected, and for what reasons had they given up their natural instincts in order to help the humans? But even with those questions, his mind was still trying to wrap around why Zaikaria was named their protector? If he had to guess… somehow Vastorie was involved.

To what extent, he had no clue…

Eventually the further they delved into the ruins, the more candles were lit. They were lead to a huge room, a cage hovering in the middle, the same one Shoot had used during his fight with Killua.

Yet… Kite was nowhere to be seen.

Besides themselves, Morel and Knuckle leading the way, there were only four other people; Zaikaria, Shoot, Knov, and a serpent Chimera Ant hiding behind Daniel’s sister. It towered over her, but clearly behind their unblinking eyes, it was scared… specifically of the new comers.

The sounds of metal being constantly rattled, echoing across the walls. And from the looks of things, the sound might have been emanating from the cage. But it was far too loud to have been coming from a tiny change…

What exactly was in the cage?

The boys just watched the cage rattle in place, not a word being spoken. Shoot eventually held up his hand, pointing to the cage in the middle of the room “Kite’s in there. He is no longer the person you once knew…”

“It’s okay. We’ll find a way to cure him!” Gon argued out loud, Zaikaria interrupting right after as she stepped towards them, the serpent Chimera Ant slithering behind “A word, Daniel?”

Killua looked at the older woman with disgust, her last words to Daniel settling deep in his gut. She was going to take him away, while he and Gon were distracted. Gon doesn’t know yet, but he does.

Daniel’s deal with Zaikaria still stands…

He said ‘if he lost, she’ll take him away’. He lost, Zaikaria’s back, and she wants to talk to his boyfriend. Actually, now that he knows she reads minds… he can’t wait to see that smug expression wiped off her face, once she hears the two of them are dating.

Ohh… it’s going to be priceless!

Daniel looked towards Killua, then Gon, nodding at them before he left to follow Zaikaria. He followed her outside the room, barely hearing the sound of a clank, followed by Shoot’s voice “Hotel Rafflesia… Once I dealt an enemy a certain amount of damage, I’m able to trap an entire body or merely a single part inside…”

Daniel closed the door behind him, seeing as he was the last to exit. Cutting themselves off the conversation, the boy waited, expecting Zaikaria to touch his shoulder, or at least any part of his body. It was a common occurrence to him, and now that he knew how her ability worked, he didn’t like her being able to read his mind.

He was expecting it, but it never came. Instead, he heard cold, brooding detached words being spoken “So… This is Akshasamat, or Akamut for short… seeing as he prefers not to say words with ‘s’ in it.”

“Is that so…?” Daniel waited for a reply from the creature, but he never replied, instead its tongue flickered outside his mouth, like what a snake would do from time to time “Ok… so what did you need to speak to me about? It’s our deal right? Do I at least get to say good bye to my best-friends?”

Zaikaria let out an annoyed huff “About that… Akamut is going to be joining out family… as an adopted little or big brother, depending on how you want to look at it.”

“Or asss a pet asss your sssissster would have it…”

Daniel held in his laugh, not expecting the creature to speak like that at all. His face froze in place, a huge smile twitching every so often “Continue…”

“Kidsss…”

Zaikaria glared at the man, Akshasamat retreating a few feet away from her “You ssscare me…”

“Agreed, little brother…” Daniel received a glare from his sister, making him shut up so he can hear the rest of what she has to say “He is the reason WHY, as much as I WOULD love to take you away… for why I CANNOT grab you by the wrist and drag your ass home. Dad has assigned me to look after him… Until this whole issue with the Chimera Ants blow over. Akamut would help, but he would be useless… He’s an _Enhancer_. And dad has specifically asked me, to ask you to… help Gon…”

“Just Gon…?”

“Just Gon… Killua can help himself! I would help out, but a person with my abilities would be useless in this upcoming battle. You would too… but Dad sees promise in you.”

Daniel could see it the anger, frustrations radiating in his sister’s eyes. She didn’t like this bargain at all, and judging by how she says dad, Vastorie is somehow involved. Nathaniel may have helped, but Vastorie would have been the guiding hand.

He didn’t know why he was involved, or why Akshasamat was somehow involved in the deal. But this gave him another chance… another way to prove not only to himself, but to his sister as well that he could help in some shape or form.

Not matter how small his chances are… he’ll hold onto them tight as possible “Is that all?”

“Oh no!” Zaikaria, bent down, hand almost grasping onto Daniel’s shoulder “you-”

Daniel flinched slightly, avoiding the grapple “Oh, no! I’m not letting you read my mind again. Can’t your little brother have his secrets?” The boy offered her a sincere smile, hoping she’d take the bait.

She did, but with an eyebrow raised and suspicious of the act.

Then again, she was kind of expecting it, seeing as Daniel now knows how her ability works “Fine… but you still owe me later on. There’s something else you should know…” Zaikaria took a deep breath, calming down her nerves. She pondered various ways on how she could tell it to her brother; to tell him that what he was about to fight for, was a lost cause.

Kite, was dead… there was no way around it. But she also knows that he is the reason why Gon is latched onto this war. If he ever found out about Kite’s true situation, she wouldn’t want Gon to be the one to drag his friends into the fight.

Revenge isn’t something that could be obtained without a cost. If Daniel found out about this major detail, maybe he could help Gon… after all he knows him better than she does “It’s about Kite… he’s-”

The door swung wide open, startling Zaikaria and Daniel in the process. Daniel opened his mouth, turning to person to see what happened. What he saw instead of those bright, vibrant, caramel eyes he’s usually met with was a battered boy, with cold… empty eyes.

Gon had walked past them, ignoring their presence entirely. This was what Zaikaria was afraid of… Gon snapping; there was a way he could still be saved, as long as she told Daniel the truth “Daniel you-”

“LATER! I have to find out what happened.” Daniel ran towards the room, hoping to obtain some kind of detail to what had transpired while they were out of the room “I’ve never seen Gon like that before, I need to ask Killua, or maybe see for myself-”

The boy froze at the door frame, eyes connecting with hollowed ones. Kite looked as though he was dead inside, an afterimage of a broken man. Wounds were littered throughout his body, and a couple of stitches marked various places, mostly on the neck and face.

The man’s body was being manipulated by a creature hovering above his head; twelve individual strings attaching to various parts of his body, each reconnecting to a single finger. Its sinister smile and clown-like appearance made it seem like it was egging people to come attack Kite.

The ability reminded Daniel of his own, making it seem as though as whoever is controlling Kite, was an extremely powerful _Manipulator_. They were able to control Kite… even when he was nowhere near them.

Daniel gulped at the soulless presence, instead forcing himself to anchor onto something more alive… something that meant the world to him, whom could explain what happened. He was hoping Killua would be a little more composed.

But like Gon, he was just as defeated; his eyes didn’t do much to hide the sadness in his heart. He was just as defeated, but unlike Gon, whom did nothing to hide his anger, at least Killua was trying to hide his emotion “Oh, hey… what’s up?”

“What’s up…?” Daniel parroted with a baffled expression, hoping that this was some kind of conspiracy his friends were cooking up. But neither did Knuckle, Shoot, Morel nor Knov say ‘gotcha’.

If anything, they were doing a far more superior job at hiding their emotions.

Daniel ran up to Killua, taking the surprised boy into his arms “HUH, what are you DOING?” The boy struggled against his boyfriend, forced to listen to each and every word being spoken into his ear “You’re sad, Gon’s angry… Kite looks like a Frankenstein monster ready to kill the first person whom touches him! I’m upset that you’re sad… Gon’s angry… Kite’s a monster… and all you have to say is WHAT’S UP?! WHAT HAPPENED?”

Killua felt tears hit his shoulder, the awkwardness of being held close being washed away along with his boyfriend’s tears “Daniel…?”

He’s experienced these moments several times already; not only with Daniel, but Alluka as well. However, he’s never been in this position with Gon, the boy using him as a shoulder to cry on. The idea flew across his mind, wondering what it would have felt like, to hold Gon just as close as Daniel was doing now… to let Gon’s tear fall upon him…

Then again, he’d disliked to be caught in those situations… Hell, he even loathed his own current predicament. At least when he was alone with sir-cry-a-lot, nobody else saw the two being intimate.

No matter how much he pushed and struggled against Daniel, the boy just wouldn’t let go. Killua groaned out loud, letting the boy have his way for the moment “Fine, I’ll tell you everything… as long as you let go!”

Daniel let out a breath into Killua’s neck. The boy shivering at the touch as Daniel agreed to his terms. Just as Killua was about to explain, off to the side, he saw Zaikaria leaning against the door frame, a permanent scowl etched into her features. Without hesitation, Killua gave her the finger, which in-turn made her return the gesture in kind.

Who knew, even someone double his age could act so child-like at times. It made him smile, even in his current predicament. A sinister thought crossed his mind, catlike expressions spreading across his features. He wondered for a moment, just how much he could piss off Zaikaria by kissing her little brother?

What would be the look on her face as their lips touched…?

Disgust? Anger? Frustration? The more Killua allowed his thoughts to wonder the more embarrassing the notion became. He shook the thoughts out of his mind before turning to look at a rather confused Daniel “Sorry… Kite is being manipulated by a Chimera Ant…”

“~”

Night came, Killua unable to sleep. He’s brain unable to shut down the thoughts rapidly processing through his psyche. What was waiting for them in the future? How was Gon going to react, once he comes face-to-face with the cat-like Chimera Ant again… the last enemy Kite most likely fought?

He hopes nothing bad is waiting to surprise them later on. Killua thought it was a figment of his imagination when he felt his bed dip, the hands wrapping around him surprising him. However, for a fraction of a second he felt as though he needed it.

Killua slightly turned his head, not surprised so much when he saw Daniel holding onto him, as if he was scared once he’d let go, he’ll lose him. It made him blush, his hands coming up to cover his face. Unfortunately, Daniel felt the sudden shift in the bed.

“Sorry… I didn’t want to wake you…”

“But you thought climbing into my bed while I’m sleeping is ok…?”

“Now that you put it that way…”

The disconcerting reaction, the sudden shock being echoed through Daniel’s words made Killua snicker “It’s ok…” the gesture wasn’t unwelcomed, but he hoped Daniel would just stay quiet, and wouldn’t ruin the situation.

“Killua…”

Killua rolled over, concerned about the way Daniel said his name. It’s the first time Daniel has ever said his name with so much sorrow, sadness “What…?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Killua quirked an eyebrow “With…?”

“Zaikaria…” Killua groaned at the name being mentioned. Why did Daniel have to ruin the moment? Daniel’s face sinks into Killua’s chest, wondering what about Zaikaria caused such a reaction “forget about it…” he didn’t want to cause Killua anymore suffering, especially when he doesn’t sound like he wants to talk about it.

Killua gently rubbed Daniel’s shoulder, hoping to persuade the boy to continue. He was pretty sure his gesture was kind, even though it made his cheeks flush redder.

Daniel did continue eventually after a few minutes of persuasion “She didn’t talk to me after I ran back into the room, to see what frustrated Gon so much… what made him so angry?”

The boy paused, wondering if Gon was asleep as well, or awake to hear their conversation. But maybe this would be to reach the boy; whether or not he could hope to change the boy’s mood “I’m just a little scared I guess… Actually, we probably all are scared… but if we fight the Chimera Ants… I’m scared we would lose a part of ourselves during the battles to come…”

Killua’s eyebrows knit together, wondering what he would possibly have to lose in the upcoming battle. He’s sure his sanity would be one of them… or perhaps Daniel was trying to insinuate their friendship, the bonds the three of them hold… the memories that keep them tightly knit together “I don’t know… We’re dealing with enemies that may all be _Nen_ users now… Especially after seeing that puppet manipulating Kite’s body...”

“If that happened to you… I don’t know what I would do… how to save you…” Daniel quietly whispered his words, fearful from having to deal with a puppet manipulating Killua into attacking him.

“I- Idiot, that wouldn’t happen to me! It’s already happened to me… for majority of my life. I’m doing things my way now… I’m not gonna be an assassin, to please my family! I’ll tell Illumi to fuck off… especially after what he did to me. And… you know the rest… I’m not repeating myself…”

“Yeah…” Daniel quietly muttered, wondering how they were going to break the new about Alluka to Gon. Gon didn’t need to know, especially with the enemies they were about to face. He didn’t need any more distractions… “I’m still worried about us… as a group…”

Killua mentally thanked Daniel for the question “Gon’s strong… I’m strong… you’re weak…”

Daniel jabbed Killua in the side from he’s poorly executed jab “Ow, alright… you’re mildly weak…”

“Be serious…”

“I can’t when you’re like this… you’re being so cheesy, I could make sandwiches for the three of us. We’ll get through this… Gon is a lot stronger than we give him credit for… He’s…” _the light in my darkness…_

“He’s what?”

“Forget it! The point I’m trying to make is, after Gon gets back his _Nen_ , he’ll be back to normal, only this time with all the training, he’ll be able to take on that Chimera Ant. With the three of us… together, we’ll take her or him down without breaking a sweat…”

“Aww… My boyfriend is very compassionate…”

“Shut it B- Baka!”

Daniel quietly chuckled at Killua’s reaction, a huge smile spreading cheek to cheek “Yes, yes…” It was nice to hear this side of Killua, and hopefully, if Gon was awake, he would hear what they had to say about him. He hoped it would be enough to turn the tide, to hopefully anchor Gon’s emotions…

Gon had remained quiet during the whole conversation, tears spilling without a sound. He wasn’t as strong as the pedestal they put him on. He was just a normal boy, whom grew up on an Island.

All he wanted to do was find his father, not drag everybody down with him…

Not to put his friend’s lives in danger…

Not get Kite hurt, and manipulated to the point he was no longer himself…

He wanted his words to reach Kite, but something tells him, Kite couldn’t hear him at all… Whatever the enemy did to him, he’ll make them pay! He’ll make them fix Kite!

Gon’s tear struck eyes looked down at his phone, his last message still waiting to be sent to Sakura.

**I’m so sorry… I’m not strong enough as I am now. Please don’t tell Daniel anything, or say anything to Killua.**

**For the next few months, I’m gonna push myself hard; to become strong enough to save Kite. If that means I can’t talk to you for these next few months…**

**I’m sorry, but I must do whatever to save Kite first, before I can even think about protecting the ones I love now…**

**Sakura… No matter what, even if you hate me…**

**I want you to know I still love you…**

**I’ll be safe…**

**I promise…**

**Please don’t text me anymore just for these next few months.**

Gon’s finger shook before hitting the send button, hoping that Sakura wouldn’t message or call him. But he did receive a final text, one that made him pull his cushion even closer, muffling the silent sobs of his tears of agony.

Several crying Emojis, followed by the words he was hoping Sakura wouldn’t send him.

**T_T ~ T_T ~ T_T ~ T_T**

**Idiot, why do you have to make me cry like that! Especially when I like you so, so much as well… IDIOT!**

**NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, I WANT A DAMN BETTER APOLOGY THAN THAT…**

**BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!**


	100. Feelings X Inescapable X Calamity

Daniel looked outside his window, the scenery going by as he smiled. Ever since that one night, he had managed to cuddle with Killua, the boy had gotten a tad bit more adventurous. He spent a lot more nights sleeping in Killua’s bed, or Killua would comfortable enough to jump into his.

Very rarely would the two ever sleep in separate beds for more than two days.

Depending on the mood, they would either talk or go straight to sleep, tired out from Gon’s crazy training regimes shenanigans.

Surprisingly, they only had been barred from a few gyms in town. Daniel had expected a few more gyms to prohibit them, but fortunately for them, they didn’t need to run to the next town in continue training.

The train jolting caused the boy’s eyes to focus on something else than the scenery outside. He found himself looking at his best-friend and boyfriend trying to outwit each other, picking a card from the opposite’s hand in order to match one of their own.

So far Killua was in the lead, three cards as opposed to Gon’s five.

He found himself unconsciously smiling, remembering about the various topics they sometimes would talk about. Now that Killua had Alluka to talk about, there were a few plot holes to rectify.

Mainly the ones that didn’t matched up with Killua’s true history…

Behind all that cat-like, perverted, killer instinct bluster… was a kind-hearted, innocent child. If you could get past Killua’s dark history, anyone could see why the three of them got along. But that was beside the point…

Alluka seemed to activate this side of Killua, one that would contradict the boy’s _murderous_ backstory. It was as if, Alluka… was the only one that allowed Killua to be himself.

Hearing Killua talk about his past jobs, he was indifferent, calm, uncaring, sometimes even annoyed at the tasks required of him. But as soon as he spoke about Alluka, it was nothing but smiles, laughs and rainbow farting unicorns. Ok, maybe not so much the rainbow farting unicorns, but Killua’s smile never seeming to falter when Alluka was evolved, said a lot.

He didn’t have many kind things to say about his other family members. The only one whom didn’t seem follow that rule of logic, was Kalluto. He, possibly she didn’t have anything negative to be said about them… yet!

Kalluto was a black hole, one that Killua didn’t know much about. He neither loved, nor hated Kalluto. Kalluto, besides Alluka was his one exception.

One thing Daniel really adored about Killua when speaking about Alluka, was when he was getting into the really juicy stuff, the embarrassing stories. It was hilarious to see those neon red cheeks, discussing about how he once was having a bath with Alluka, the poor innocent girl grabbing Killua by the balls, and proceeding to ask what they were.

The stuff Killua comes up with on the spur of the moment was comedy gold. He remembered Killua explaining it as ‘life bearers’ one would give them to the ones they love the most, and Alluka complaining right after saying hers don’t detach, because she wanted to give _both_ of them to Killua.

It was during that moment Killua explained how he messed up further, by explaining boys give them to girls, while girls have something else they offer to boys. It was roughly in that moment, he seemed to gather something was a little different about Alluka.

Jumping into a tiny fit, she complained that she didn’t want them at all; she wanted to give them to Killua, because she’ll only love her big brother. But that wasn’t what tipped him off.

She then pointed to her penis, asking why it was getting bigger. At the time, he didn’t know what she meant by it, but as more time pass… the more he seemed to understand why she was asking.

Alluka started to point out things she wanted, that Killua never once asked for. She always wanted dolls, dresses, the things he imagined girls would ask for. He would always get it for Alluka, one way or another… but none of his family wanted to indulge Alluka’s wants and needs.

Only he did…

Daniel would notice the shifts in moods when Killua would seem to broach that side of the subject, but once Killua returned to what Alluka’s reactions would be like, he smiled like crazy.

And no matter how many times Killua stopped talking; Daniel couldn’t wait for the next time he brought her up again.

“~”

The various smells of different dishes waft through the diner, each person quietly enjoying their own food as they listened to the news being displayed. The news was all about their country, never once talking about other things happening all over the world. And Supreme Leader Deigo was the hot topic of the week.

Daniel’s eyes looked towards the tiny television as he drank some water. Something told him that where they were headed, Deigo… was at the root of their problem. The large network of Hunters may have a boundless limit of information when it came to finding out where the Chimera Ant were, but for the King’s next move, they still weren’t sure what his plan was.

**What is the agenda behind the sudden flurry of activity recently observed in East Gorteau? Supreme Leader Diego has personally invited all citizens to gather in the capital city, Peijing to celebrate the nation’s birth in ten days.**

Daniel watched the latest picture of Deigo flash up on screen his eyes focusing with _Gyo_ on the man. He had this violet glow around him, strings similar to the ones he saw on Kite disappearing off screen.

Until the camera pans off the man, he didn’t know if what affected Deigo was the same thing that effected Kite. But from the others’ lack of attention on TV, suggested his thoughts may be right.

**Yes, there have been occasions in the past during which all citizens were invited to participate. However, we’ve never seen anything on this scale, where practically every citizen, from babies to the ill, have been summoned for a celebration spanning three days.**

A patron brought more food, placing it amongst the other plates already overflowing the table. Daniel picked pieces of his new dish, stacking his bowl before looking back at the news as he ate.

The next wide screenshot of the man popped up on screen, guards behind him clapping for their ‘Supreme Leader’. That wasn’t what drew Daniel’s attention; it was what was above the man, which was the main focus of his attention.

The large clown above the man’s body, the exact same one as Kite’s…

**The logical conclusion would be that the goal this time is different.**

**What do you believe the goal to be?**

**Well, it would send a powerful message if he were to announce his successor and abdication simultaneously. But I find it hard to imagine the Supreme Leader relinquishing his power. It may also be meant to distract from some other matter.**

**In any event, the whole world will be watching East Gorteau in ten days. Next…**

Morel interrupted the group’s attention from the next amount of news to be announced; instead drawing their attention to something else they have learned. Colt, their go to Chimera Ant on Chimera politics has informed them of a possibility of what may happen next.

Due to the way Chimera Ants work, he couldn’t be too sure of his outcome, but it may help with what is about to happen in the future “Colt believes the celebration will be used as a screening.”

 _A screening… to see whether or not certain humans could live amongst Chimera Ants, or whom they will do despicable acts, discovering things about human biology which may help the Chimera assure survival after their food source is eaten away?_ Daniel pondered his thoughts in silence, waiting for the next person to continue along after Morel stopped.

“We don’t know what they’ll do with those found to have _Nen_ , but ninety-nine percent of the humans will die.” Knov stated calmly, without betraying any of his emotions. Even in such a dangerous battlefield, the man’s emotions were tamed “We must stop it before that happens!” Knov eyes narrow slightly, his next words being stern “Our time limit is ten days…”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably at the words being spoken. Despite that, he was still curious to know what the group thinks the King’s end goal may be. What do the Royal Guards and the King want to gather the entire population of _East Gorteau_ for?

Killua instead wanted to know something else, why a certain someone was missing from the group “What’s the old man up to?”

“He sent an e-mail saying that he’s already inside East Gorteau, but I haven’t heard from him since.”

Daniel opened his mouth; he was curious to know if his thought was a possible outcome “Is it possible that his already set up a base of operation, watching the enemy as he prepares for the battle to come? Because I highly doubt he just put his phone on silent… or the thing is just dead.”

Killua raised an eyebrow at Daniel’s though process “Or… maybe he’s been taken out?”

“If he fails to contact us today, we’ve been told to assume as much.” Knov addressed Killua’s concern, finding his possibility to be a more concerning one than Daniel’s thought process.

Knov’s phone went off, alerting the man of a new message. It was as if the Devil himself, could hear them talking about him “Speak of the devil, it’s the Chairman.”

Morel freaks out, dropping his fork in his food. As he sifted for his fork, the man spoke poorly of the Netero “That old man’s got some sharp ears…”

Knov smiled, handing the phone over to Morel “He already knows everything.” The man looked the message over, a smug expression showing as Knov continued “Including the fact that you boys are here.” Knov’s smile soon matched Morel’s “And that Morel-San is badmouthing him…”

The boys peeked over Morel’s shoulder, reading the message alongside him.

**_Divide into three groups and draw the Royal Guard away from the King. The night before the celebration, the operation will begin at midnight._ **

**_From the sharp-eared old man_ **

Killua smiled mischievously at the sign-off name, the **sharp-eared old man**. He knew for next time, to never speak ill of this old man.

“That guy really scares me…”

“You can say that again…” Daniel groaned, slumping into his seat as he returned back to eating, now more worried about Netero sneaking up on them. He could only imagine what the man could do if he could predict Morel insulting his hearing.

“~”

It was reaching the end of Gon’s long thirty day _Nen_ -less period, his aura soon about to return to him; Killua couldn’t help but smile. He was happy to know that his job was almost over, and that he’d protected Gon. He could point a finger at Bisky, and without doubt say ‘I told you so’. Technically though, only one Chimera Ant had been a threat.

But he was glad there were no other issues; even Palm was being way tamer than usual, never approaching them. In fact, she has being staring at Knov the entire time… she probably hadn’t realised they were in the same room.

It’s a good thing Gon didn’t notice her either. Daniel could only imagine what Killua would do if Gon tried to talk to her.

As they were crossing a courtyard, Knuckle’s **Individual _Ren_ Suppressor** activated, a beep alerting Gon of its time up. The boy stopped, turning to face the _Nen_ creature in questioning.

It had become sentient, speaking the script it was generated “I’m sorry to say that your thirty days are up. So I’ll make myself scarce! See you around… Bye!” IRS had been gesturing with every word, speaking an emotion which didn’t match the words at all.

One would think after thirty days, it would be sad, but it was speaking with a mild tinge of rage. Although, it didn’t help that the IRS smiled before disappearing into thin air. Seconds later, everyone could see the swirl of aura surrounding Gon, much larger than usual.

The aura the boy has been hoarding over a long period of time… the aura he was unable to touch.

Daniel shifted his weight slightly, a smirk forming once he noticed Killua’s reaction. As soon as his boyfriend noticed, Killua’s expression changed to a neutral one, hiding his emotions entirely.

It seems Killua already can read his mind. Considering they both shared a neutral secret involving a certain boy’s feelings about somebody whom just got his aura back.

Daniel frowned when Killua’s expression changed.

He should still be smiling, regardless of his feelings towards Gon. Sure, it did hurt him a little to know those feelings hadn’t changed at all. But if Daniel doesn’t expect them, it was only going to hurt him more, the more he attempted to pretend as though it doesn’t exist.

At least it wasn’t a secret like Daniel kept from Killua, about Sakura and Gon. Actually, he should probably ask Gon how they were going… It’s been a long time since his asked Gon about anything relating to his relationship… his SECRET relationship.

“Okay, now you can use _Nen_ again. Give it a try…” Knuckle spoke, a smile widening across his face as his arms opened wide. 

Now that the last member of their group can finally use _Nen_ once more, they could get the ball rolling, and split into three separate groups. Each group doing what they deemed was a great plan, to ultimately achieve Netero’s request to split the Royal Guards away from the King.

Daniel wondered how they were going to achieve their goal, to split the one whom attacked Kite, away from the King. As long as they worked together, it should be possible to take them down… but how, was a concern.

The boy was about to broach Killua with the topic, but Morel stepping forward, away from the main group and towards Gon, had stopped the boy from asking any questions “Gon…” Thinking the man was going to continue walking all the way until he was within arm’s reach of the boy, the man instead continued to walk further away from the group as kept a certain amount of distance away from Gon.

Morel had a plan of his own; it left Daniel with a puzzled expression. What exactly was he was about to do, and ask of Gon “Sorry, but I’m still not convinced we should keep you around.”

Daniel flinched at the words, and the reaction of the others surrounding him showed he wasn’t alone when it came to questioning Morel’s actions “Show me…” the man stopped several feet away from Gon, turning around to face the boy as he removed his tie “your resolve.”

Next the man preceded to unbuttoned his shirt as he spoke “Attack me as if I were responsible for Kite. If your attack is too weak, we’ll replace you with another Hunter.”

Daniel didn’t attempt to hide his anger, but neither would it be right for him to speak up. He wasn’t in any position to argue, to defend Gon’s position, when he still couldn’t get over his fear of killing someone… someone who wasn’t even of the same species.

He was thankful Killua hadn’t said anything about his failed attempt to defeat Rammot while alone…

But then again… if he said anything, that would’ve put him in the spotlight. If he had done so, he’ll be forced to tell them about Rammot…

Knuckle’s wicked grin showed, aimed towards the younger boy forced into a fight “Gon, show him your Jajanken.”

Daniel saw the sudden shift in Gon’s mood, the boy’s features stilling, almost making him seem as though he was becoming an emotionless doll “You want me to attack you for real?”

“Don’t insult me!” Morel spat venom with his tone as he unbuttons the last one. Discarding his shirt away, the man looked ridiculously ripped. Although, the shear amount of space the muscles had to cover, made up for it. The man’s muscles flexed as he reclined into a relaxed position “If you hold back in the slightest, you’re off the team!”

 _Please don’t test me next… I’ll fail miserably._ Daniel argued the thought in his head, really hoping his poker face hid all his concerns. Despite the fact, he probably wasn’t doing a good job of it…

Gon stepped forward, walking slowly towards the man “Got it.”

Daniel watched Morel take a deep breath, almost seeming as though he were calming his nerves. Within a second of letting out his breath, aura enveloped the man whole, making his muscle rip and protrude, making the veins able to be seen with the naked eye.

Gon did a similar thing as Morel, but… it seemed alien… unnatural to say the least. The boy’s breath stilled, the air around him seeming more vicious than normal. When his eyes opened, then the group saw why the sudden shift.

Gon’s eyes weren’t just empty… they were soulless. They contained no life in them, as if Morel was the intended target… the one Gon wished to kill without a second thought.

Daniel for a second freaked out, taking one step back in fear. For a second, he’d tricked himself into believing Gon would kill him next… but there was no way he would do it, right? It was just Gon playing pretend; to show how serious he was when it came to killing the enemy…

Killua’s eyes saddened at Gon’s mood. He had seen that look plenty of times in the mirror, reflected by his own eyes when he was preparing himself for his next assassination job. Sometimes if unlucky, he would see the exact same look being reflected in a glass object off to the side when having to leave no witnesses…

His brother trained him to leave no traces, and that meant innocent’s eyes as well. He especially hated it when it came to removing a child’s life, one that might’ve been his friend in another.

But the situation was different now…

Gon’s aura flared up, swallowing the courtyard in an eerie orange light; the effects even manipulating the surrounding environment. Trees wavered with the ripples in the air, tiles on the roof rattled…

Nothing was unaffected by Gon’s budding rage. Killua walked towards Gon, no one around him noticing his disappearing presence. _I know what you’re going through, Gon. You don’t have to do this alone… We are here for you. Daniel and I are here to help you…_

The boy’s cheeks tinged at his thoughts roaming around his head as he reached Gon. The fact is no one could stop Gon… only he could. Raising a hand, Killua gently placed it on Gon’s shoulder “Gon, that’s enough… you made your point. Right, big guy…?”

Morel was sweating, unable to believe that the kid was able to make him feel this much fear “Y- Yeah…”

Daniel blinked once, and then twice, making sure he wasn’t imagining the sudden shift of atmosphere. When did Killua move away? Was Morel actually afraid he was going to be killed by Gon? _Wait a second…_

Daniel’s features dropped. Killua was smiling warmly, a fraction of his sadness showing through. He held a gentle hand to Gon, as if his action alone would calm Gon… and it seems to be doing the trick.

Gon had stopped his attack entirely, but Gon’s further lack of movement made Daniel think that Killua may have learnt some ‘Time Controlling’ abilities while he wasn’t looking.

It took at least thirty seconds for Gon to snap out of his stupor, a weird foot stomping dance mixed with the shock and act of accidently slapping Killua’s hand along in the process, made Daniel quirk an eyebrow.

What was with Gon’s delay? Did his mind have to reboot after entering ‘kill’ mode?

Gon bowed several times first with Killua, apologising for smacking the boy’s hand away “K- Killua! Sorry, I didn’t mean to… Oh, ah thank you…” Gon proceeded to do the exact same dance as before when he turned to face Morel.

It was funny to watch, almost eliciting a snicker from Daniel. If it weren’t for the concern in Gon’s face, and the danger Morel was in seconds ago, that weird ‘foot stomping dance’ would have been hilarious. Gon slapped his hands together in prayer “Sorry about that, Morel-San! I was really about to kill you!”

Daniel froze to the spot, this moment felt almost nostalgic, a similar reaction as to when Gon outright denied Hanzo, stating that he didn’t want to lose his legs to his mock battle with Hanzo.

Only this time, it’s now in the reverse. Gon was willing to admit, without Killua’s intervention, he would have killed Morel without a second thought…

Morel was surprised by the boy, taken back by his words. He thought he’d be crying in terror… instead he found the situation to be humorous. He bellowed out a loud laugh, hollering in tears from the boy’s words. He couldn’t believe a boy not even a third of his age almost attempted to kill him “You got me… You got me good! You go crazy with the best of them!”

Morel turned to the others, a wicked grin showing “We’ll split up now. Use whatever means you deem best to fulfil your mission. Gon, Daniel and Killua, as you requested, you’re assigned to Neferpitou.”

Daniel’s eyes widened, it’s the first time he has ever heard the creature’s name. Neferpitou was the name of the cat-like woman… possibly man they were up against. Daniel walked over to his friends after a slight nod, happy to know that he has a name to match the face.

Morel however didn’t stop there; he turned to his apprentices next “Knuckle and Shoot, you’re on the one called Menthuthuyoupi. Knov and I will take Shaiapouf. Best of luck to you…”

Actually not that he thought about it, he wondered why he missed all three names. He knew the descriptions, but not the names. Did he stop paying attention when the names were said? He knew one of them was described as being a large, pink, monstrous figure, and the other one looked like a slim man with butterfly features.

If the boy had to take a guess, Shaiapouf was probably the butterfly-like Chimera Ant. The name sounded like it would fit the description; although, he shouldn’t sweat the details. Shaiapouf wasn’t a concern… Neferpitou was…

And once that creature met Gon once again, the boy too… would be a concern.

The group departs, each heading in their own direction. Right now, the problem was how they planned to get into **Peijing, East Gorteau**. It wasn’t like they could walk right in the front door. Daniel shifted close to Killua, speaking into his boyfriend’s ear loud enough so that Gon could also hear “So, how are we getting into East Gorteau?”

A wicked grin grew along Killua’s face “I hope you like skinny dipping… because we are going in commando, through the bogs.”

Daniel blushed. He knew what going commando meant, and if he thought skinny-dipping is what he thinks it is… that meant Killua is going to see him naked, as he too would see every inch of Killua’s body “I don’t think I’m ready for this… can we get in some other way?”

“Nope… It’s the only way to get in without being detected. They’ve seen our faces, and most of them wouldn’t have seen Knuckle or Shoot yet. So we’re going in at night, through the bogs.”

Daniel was a little relieved to hear that it will be under the fall of night, but he still didn’t want to see Killua naked yet. He wanted the occasion to be slightly… special… under the right mood. With a reluctant sigh, Daniel agreed to Killua’s demands “Alright, but I’m putting my clothes on as soon as I can.”

“What?! There is no way on earth… we walking ALL the way, while naked… Right up to Peijing’s gate! And YOU’RE calling me a PERVERT!”

“What else were you expecting me to think when you said going in commando? And you’re probably saying this because you want to see Gon and I naked!”

“N- No way! I- Idiot! I’m not doing this to check you guys out…”

“I didn’t say anything about checking us out! NOW whose the one thinking of perverted thoughts!”

“Shut UP! You were the one implying it… IDIOT!”

Gon broke out into laughter at his friends’ argument. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other naked before. The only difference between then and now was that they were just a little older now, so not much should be different about their body. The evil glares he received when he brought up that argument didn’t help the situation, but he was glad for this moment… that they could still argue.

Because as soon as they reach Neferpitou… whatever arguments they had in the past, they’d have to put it behind them, and face the monster head on.

“Come on Killua…” Gon grabbed Killua’s arm, and then Daniel’s next pulling them forward as they ran towards the unknown “Daniel… We have to reach East Gorteau before the others do!”

Killua and Daniel felt themselves smile at their friend’s request; his smile could melt any tension away. They’d do anything for Gon, as long as he never changes who he is. Neferpitou would be just another bookmark in their adventure, and the next would be Alluka’s jail escape…

Then Ging… And then the rest of the world, still waiting to be explored…


	101. East X Gorteau X Surveillance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Seriously, I'm on a roll with these chapters! By the time I posted chapter 100, I was already more than halfway through this chapter.
> 
> Which reminds me... I'm almost half way through the next chapter...

The night was pitch-black, light barely being able to be seen for miles. The boys swam through the swamp, the water swaying only when they came up for air. One would think they would’ve run into a Chimera Ant by now, at least one that swam through the water…

But the place was voided of life, except for the insects; the crickets chirping off in the distance or the occasion firefly fluttering about. In this situation, Daniel was at his worst. He couldn’t use any of his _Nen_ abilities, not unless there was a sufficient light source, other than a few measly fireflies flitting about.

Being in this darkness… he could rely on his weapon, but the noises he could make would draw even more enemies. And if he is alone… he’d eventually be overwhelmed if he drew too much attention to himself.

So, he’d have to rely on his hand-to-hand combat to be quiet, which wasn’t the best circumstance to be in. If Rammot’s strength was any indicator, most Chimera Ants would have far more superior defences… something which Daniel could survive, only if he were able to use Wolfbane or his _Nen_ abilities…

None of which were best for getting into East Gorteau quietly…

It was an endless vicious cycle, a puzzle which was hard to solve in the circumstances given.

Killua stopped swimming, coming up for air as looked around, the others coming up alongside him. The boy’s eyes narrowed as surveyed the area. They could keep going, but he couldn’t see another bend in the stream.

He would like to get closer to his destination though this method, but the situation wouldn’t permit it. Looking to his friends, he nodded, letting them know this is where they get out.

The three of them shivered as they ran out of the water, trying to be as quiet as the cool air hit their wet bodies. They made a beeline for the nearby trees, hiding in the bushes. They had to make sure the area was clear before they got redressed.

Daniel unwrap the bag with his clothes in it, once Killua gave the signal. He wiped off some of the excess water from his body before putting his boxers on, making sure they don’t accidently making a noise when they ‘snap’ on.

Next the boy threw on a pair of black, with two red strips on the sides of shorts Killua got him while shopping. He couldn’t get over Killua’s style, liking the boy’s clothes he chose for him, not matter if it was before or after they became boyfriends. Next Daniel threw on his black shirt with the white wolf and then a dark grey open vest, a hood resting against his back.

Once those were on, Daniel reconnected his belt with Wolfbane attached before draining the rest of the water out of his hair, whispering the one question plaguing his mind “Killua, are you decent…?”

“Yeah… we’re all are…”

Daniel snuck out of the shadows, seeing Killua’s cotton ball soft hair swaying in the wind. _Cute_ … the boy thought as he ran fingers through his hair, letting the strands dangle back into his hood.

Killua made sure Gon was ready to go before walking off into the dark forest.

“~”

Getting into East Gorteau was done, now the hard bit was getting to Peijing. They had a longs way to go, and Killua was already thinking about it. The boy’s eyebrows knit together, thinking about the best possibility to assure all three of them got there safely.

They could split up… but that meant leaving poor Gon and Daniel to fend for themselves. Killua hummed the thought over as he addressed his concerns out loud “Sneaking in was easy. But the question is how to get close enough to the enemy.”

“And we can’t let just anyone see us, either…” Gon agreed with Killua’s basic concerns, which left Daniel to either go against the group, or agree with them “And it doesn’t help one of us can’t use _Zetsu_ either… so we can’t meld in with the masses.”

“No, you can’t…” Killua rolled his eyes at his defenceless boyfriend “We can…” the boy then gestured to Gon and himself. How this country was set up, Daniel was in the worst position to be in… unless he could charm his way through the entire country, he’d have to learn to blend in without _Zetsu_ “This country… has a powerful information regulation system that operates in secret using groups of informants.”

“Informants…?” Both Daniel and Gon asked in confusion, wondering how such a system works without anyone knowing about it. How would the Chimera Ants sneak in, taking control of that system without anybody fussing was a miracle in itself?

Killua chuckled at his friends’ confused expression. He only learnt about this, because of his fat otaku brother, one of the rare few times he would ever thank a family member other than Alluka for anything “Yeah, if you discover an enemy spy, you receive a reward. If you find evidence of insurgency, you receive a reward. If you stop someone from fleeing the country, you receive a reward…”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned now. He’d be the easiest target in the group, and there were a lot of incentives for his capture now “That’s a lot of rewards to be obtained…”

Gon however didn’t seem as concerned as Daniel was. He was more curious about how the system works so well “So the people will do anything for that reward.”

“And they are just after the money… After racking up enough information points, the entire group is promoted. But if someone provides false information or a member commits a crime, the entire group is punished.”

“Carrot and stick, huh?”

“Heh…” Daniel smirked at how quickly the group was punished for failures, when compared to the minor positive rewards “more like throw in a stick, get belted by a tree…”

Killua chuckled from both Daniel and Gon’s take on the country. But he’d secretly admit, the stick and tree was a good analogy “It’s a pretty nasty business. Family members are put in different groups. So if an entire group tries to escape, the other family members can be executed or imprisoned for life…”

“Wait, what?!” Daniel freaked out about the situation. He didn’t know if he felt comfortable being in a situation that caused grief for other family members for failures they couldn’t help with “By us being here, we could put families in jeopardy?! I don’t know how to feel about that…”

“It gets worse… If a family is caught trying to escape together, they’ll be executed, no questions asked. For this country’s elite to live the good life, the rest of its citizens must scrape by. But the media also spreads lies. Such as that, in other countries, half the population staves by age ten. Foreign aid never reaches the needy. Instead, it’s spent on cars, jewels, and missiles.”

Daniel looks over his shoulder, Gon becoming more restless, the more Killua elaborates on the countries situation and lies. He wanted to tell Killua about Gon’s impending demise, but at the same time, he was curious to know more about the lies spread.

Something told him, that he should be paying attention, rather than disrupting Killua’s explanation.

“It’s even said that East Gorteau spends grant money developing nuclear weapons that become bargaining chips in negotiations for unprecedented foreign aid increa-”

Gon finally broke, overloading from information. It was like watching a kettle burst from the seams, smoke shooting out from all sides. Killua became concerned for his   
best-friend, grabbing both of the boy’s shoulders “Hey, don’t overheat!”

“I th…” Gon smiled lightly, scratching his chin while pretending as if none of that happened seconds ago “think I’m okay… That was just complicated…”

Killua sighed from the boy’s excuse, head dropping down to face the floor “Seriously…”

“Not really…” Daniel argued as he crossed his arms, one finger being raised towards the sky “The lies basically say, the _government_ , outside of _this_ government is more corrupt, and this is why… It’s actually pretty good to know. I’m more worried about, how and why Killua knows this… care to elaborate?”

Killua rolled his eyes, already walking away. He blushed from the though Daniel showed a little concern in his voice about their current situation, and that he was also willing to listen without overloading full of facts “My brother told me everything…”

“Emotionless doll guy, or as you put it… my fat _piggy_ brother…?”

“Fat piggy brother… although, he probably heard it from grandpa…”

“Your grandpa…?” Gon asked, curiosity filling his voice. This was someone he hadn’t seen or heard about yet, and he was curious to know more about Killua’s grandpa.

“Yeah… A long time ago, he infiltrated the country for a job. And I’ve also seen similar information on Hunter websites.”

“Oh, you’ve been busy…” Daniel complimented his boyfriend with a smile. At least someone had been gathering more information while the others were being lazy. Then again, Killua was normally like that, gathering more information as a precaution.

“Sh- Shut up… you really embarrassing.” The boy let out a sigh as he tried to calm his nerves, allowing his cheeks to cool down “The system is most likely still in use.”

Killua suddenly dropped once he saw what was ahead of them, Daniel and Gon joining right after. There was a small village in front; they must have stumbled upon it by either poor luck or unfortunate circumstances. Regardless of their chances of their accidental find, they had to be careful now.

There could be people about, ones that were a part of the large network of informants around the country.

“There’s a village out here?”

“Yeah…” Killua rolled his eyes at Gon’s statement, finding it a little humorous to have the blinding obvious being pointed out, even though Daniel and himself could see the exact same thing Gon is seeing “and it’s not _very_ big…”

“That’s two…” Daniel mocked with a dry tone “wanna go for a third? How about, they have thatched roofs…”

“Ha… Ha… very funny…” Killua mocked with a quiet, dry tone.

Gon quirked an eyebrow; he was curious to know why his friends were mocking obvious features about the village? It wasn’t like he did the same. He only was taken aback by the fact there was a village this far out, and close to where they landed. He thought Killua would have pulled them a little more in land, where they wouldn’t be spotted immediately “What do we do?”

Killua tilted his head, a little surprised by Gon’s question. He was half expecting the boy to say they should investigate it “We sneak in.”

Gon was confused by Killua’s suggestion. He thought the boy would have requested they avoid the village entirely “Is that a good idea?”

Killua’s gazed turned back to the village, thinking seriously on the boy’s question. Would it be wise… probably not, but for them to achieve their goal, they needed to know certain facts, ones which would help them on this mission to capturing Neferpitou “We need current information. Knowing what kind of clothes, they wear or how to identify someone’s rank will help...”

Daniel thought seriously about Killua’s argument; he originally thought everything Killua stated prior to stumbling across this village, was up-to-date details on what they were currently dealing with, but in actuality, it was the only information from a job his grandpa could have completed years, possibly more than a decade ago… that meant they could be dealing with an entirely different situation, especially now those Chimera Ants were involved.

Killua however didn’t stop there; he elaborated more on their current predicament “They may have certain practices to root out spies. The more data we have, the better. Wait here…”

Daniel gave the ‘ok’ sign, Killua disappearing into the night to search the village.

This left poor Gon and Daniel alone, waiting for Killua to come back. Daniel took the silence as an opportunity to talk a little “So, Gon… I’m curious to know. What do you think of our situation? Would it be right, for us to be here…? I’m not asking because I don’t want to save Kite… I’m asking more in safety of the country’s residents… we’re kinda putting them in danger.”

Daniel saw a little flash between Gon’s eyes, something that made him reconsider his original argument. It almost looked as though Gon maybe have a biased opinion. But the boy’s eyes slowly relit themselves, the innocent go-happy boy shining through “I am… but Killua may be right. His better at this than I am… so he would know which is the righter approach… do you not trust your boyfriend?”

Daniel was taken aback by Gon’s claim… he wasn’t expecting the boy to use the   
boyfriend argument “No… I do… it’s just… this whole situation doesn’t feel right. Granted, we are dealing with another species… but, that still doesn’t mean we couldn’t complete this mission without putting innocent lives in jeopardy, right? My idea isn’t a pipe dream, right?”

Gon pondered the thought… could they complete this task without any more loss of lives. He really hoped so, but his gut feeling, made it feel as though Daniel’s dream was impossible to achieve… Gon was about to answer his friend, but he caught something off in the distance, a fellow white hair frowning while waving at them.

Gon smiled apologetically as he pointed at Killua “I think he has been calling us for a while now…”

Daniel looked mortified at Killua from a distance, forcing himself to run down the side of the hill as quietly as possible. He couldn’t afford to make his White fluffy-hair boyfriend wait any longer than needed.

Killua remained fuming, even when both Daniel and Gon were in front. He wasn’t going to take any of their excuses, because something more important awaited them in the houses. Killua led them to one of the houses in the village, opening the door to one of the many houses to be met with an eerie silence.

Killua waited as they searched the building, Gon looking around as Daniel focused more on the floor.

There were large scuff marks, as if multiple people had been dragged out…

Gon was the first to acknowledge their dilemma “It’s completely deserted… Maybe everyone already left for Peijing?”

“No…” Killua rolled his eyes at Gon’s optimistic view “ _something_ happened here… And someone’s trying to hide it.”

“And failing miserably I might add…” Daniel ran his fingers across the dried red scuff marks on the floor. Dried flakes of what the boy assumed was blood crackled off the floor boards. There was no way it was animal’s blood, because no one would drag in a dead carcass, only to drag it back out without a trace.

Killua grabbed a chair, pulling it aside for Daniel and Gon to see what was hidden. It was a small bullet-hole size crack in the wall, filled with blood “They did a sloppy job…” Killua led the boys outside, following the blood trail to where it led. They had to see the icing on the cake.

The trail ended to a small ditch in the ground, barely dug by whoever was trying to hide the evidence. Dogs chewed at what remained, Daniel finding himself gagging at the contents.

The dogs looked up at their watchers, retreating into the bushes, once they realised who was staring them. The boys heard the constant growling as Killua explained what he thinks happened “The people didn’t dig deep enough, so the wild dogs ended up reaching the bodies. I’d imagine the entire village is buried here…”

“Wh… What’s going on?”

“This is the true purpose of the national celebration. It’s a pretence for entire populations of towns and cities to vanish without raising suspicion. The selection has already begun…”

“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop it? These are poor innocent lives in danger… family being ripped apart for what…?” Daniel points at the dug up grave “A world-wide genocide?!”

Killua’s eyes narrowed slight “It might be a little more than committing **genocide** … they’re sorting out lives. Choosing the worthy…” Killua craned his head towards the open grave “and leaving the ‘trash’. In hindsight, it would be tough to summon all citizens to the capital and make the selection so quickly. This nation has a population of around five million. Clearing out one town or city at a time is more effective. In that case, their only concern would be co-workers or family members raising a fuss over the missing…”

Killua’s eyes gazed over towards the animals still growling at them “But with the pretext of the national celebration, no one will find it strange that they can’t contact someone.”

As Killua walked away from the corpses, Daniel became worried of the boy’s lack of emotions to the poor half devoured bodies “Wait, we can’t leave them like this…”

Killua looked at the open mass, then back at Daniel “There’s nothing we can do… they’re already half eaten. And the more time we spend here, the less time the others who are alive have…”

Daniel tightened his fist, returning the growl back at the animals. Some of them ran off, a few still staying behind. Flicking out his hand, Daniel threw out a few specks of his aura, allowing it to rain down on the poor excuse of a grave. He could see the animals walking backwards, disappearing into the bushes “I know it’s not much… and they’ll eventually return. But at least it’s something…”

For some reason, Killua found himself smiling alongside Gon at Daniel. Was it a waste of aura, sure… was it possible the worst thing he could’ve have done by leaving a trace of himself behind. But at the same time, he knew Daniel could be tracked down, regardless of his actions.

Maybe the unfortunate souls would find a moment peace in the afterlife; even if it was for a few hours…

Drawing his attention away, Killua left the bodies as they were, driving himself forward to at least save the ones they could still save “In this nation, cell phones aren’t allowed, so if they believe the other party is traveling, it makes sense that they can’t contact them. The selection will go very smoothly. The capital city, Peijing, is in the southeast corner. They only need to attack the farthest towns first and work their way east. If each town is told that the government will assign its people time to depart, there won’t be any problems regarding communication between towns.”

Daniel pondered Killua’s words, thinking hard on their situation. With every new piece of information, the more the boy didn’t like his current predicament. They are in the most volatile country, where the slightest of movements would cause the country to implode. How were they going to take down every Chimera Ant without causing some serious backlash…?

It was impossible, especially when the way others get into contact with their families, partners… loved ones is being tampered with.

“So, by preventing people from meeting between towns to travel together, they eliminate any cause for commotion.” Gon understood Killua’s claim, the situation being direr than he originally thought, but something else plagued the boy’s thoughts.

Killua reached the end of the hill, jumping down into the bushes as Gon and Daniel followed.

Gon had one major concern… the Chimera Ant’s plan seemed a little flawed. Wouldn’t it be more work for the creatures, especially with the towns outside the borders, the ones whom don’t follow Deigo “But… that means they have to run around the nation to attack all five million citizens.”

“Yeah…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, something seemed a little off with Gon’s wording. Had he missed a critical point somewhere? He didn’t understand how **‘eliminating any cause for commotion’** , lead to **‘them having to run around the nation to attack all five million citizens’** … what was the purpose for that argument? Had he missed a vital clue somewhere? “Wait, what? What do you mean by _yeah_ …?”

Killua stopped, turning to face Daniel with an incredulously look “Haven’t you been paying attention?”

“Yeah, it’s just I don’t see how **eliminating all commotion** leads to **being forced to run around and attack the entire nation** …”

Killua sighed, eyes turning back to face the road ahead. He continued walking “If one percent survives, that gives them fifty thousand soldiers.”

“No, I mean before that…” Killua blanked out for a moment, this time staring at Gon confused “Huh?!”

“So I wasn’t the only one confused here…” Daniel butted in with a smile, Gon poking his chin as he pushed his thoughts out “There are ten… No, nine days left. If you wanted to check five million people in that time, you’d need a lot of help. Assuming that one _Nen_ user can check ten thousand citizens in ten days…”

Gon made a face, clearly struggling to do the math.

“That’s five hundred Gon… its basic math.”

“Exactly! Wait… you’re mean!”

Killua laughed at Gon’s reaction to Daniel’s words. But he was right in a sense… it was really easy maths, maybe not so much to Gon “You’re getting at the fact that there can’t be that many Ants who can use _Nen_?”

“Yeah…”

“I agree, but it probably isn’t that hard. They don’t need _Nen_ users to check everyone.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Daniel thought Killua’s words over, coming only to one possible conclusion… and it involved him. “Oh…” Daniel smacked one fist on top of his open palm. It had to involve someone who had a similar power… A _manipulator_ … “They need someone with a power like mine… a _manipulator_ , correct?”

Gon’s teeth clenched down tightly, his thoughts going back to poor Kite whom was still trapped in his own mind and body. Killua’s eyes narrowed slightly from his friend’s reaction “Exactly, the power the Chimera Ant used… I’m guessing it can be used to automate victims or, like Genthru’s power, can probably be used to control multiple people at once.”

“Wait… Genthru couldn’t control people on a massive scale like this. If anything, this ability would be more potent, considering it takes absolute control over their body…”

“That is true…” Killua sighed out loud “Ordinary humans have aura as well, so the manipulator could force a victim’s aura to concentrate in his fist. One punch alone could create an army of fifty thousand.”

Daniel laughed at his brains reaction a single thought crossing his mind. Killua raised an eyebrow in concern “Have you lost your mind?”

“No… I just thought of fifty thousand people screaming **Falcon Punch** … for no reason… Or you could also say they were defeated …” Daniel put on his invisible glasses, pushing the non-existent glasses slightly up along his nose “in one punch~”

Killua cringed at the bad puns “You’re the worst…”

“But the other week in bed you said I was the best…” Killua blushed from those words, vividly remembering himself saying something else along those words. But he had no clue why Daniel started blushing as well.

“Oh my god, that came out way worse than intended… ignore that last comment!”

“Oh…” Killua suddenly got a wicked grin. The boy intentionally set himself up, something which his going to get pay back for later… as soon as Gon wasn’t around “Yeah… I guess I did. But what happens in bed… stays in bed…”

Gon looked confused at his friends “What do you mean Killua?”

“It’s a joke Gon… we have more pressing issues. As I was saying… one punch alone could create an army, while leaving four million, nine hundred and fifty thousand dead in the process. But this isn’t all bad news. If my theory is correct, causing a commotion to stop their selection will be simple.”

Daniel smiled at Killua’s own smile, awestruck by how happy the boy looked. He completely stopped listening, focusing only on the smile “We merely have to pop up, take out whoever is being controlled and cause a panic. Then we just encourage the people who escape to check on other towns nearby. If the Chimera Ants have sent controlled puppets, rather than actual _Nen_ users, taking them down will be a cinch... We’ll just run around, taking them down one after another, and wreak havoc…”

“Yeah!”

Daniel snapped out of his trance, already freaking out. He hadn’t paid any attention whatsoever to Killua’s plan at all “Wait, we going to do what?!”

Killua gawked at Daniel “WHAT THE HELL… why weren’t you paying attention?!”

“Ahh… your smile was so cute…”

Killua’s features contorted, not expecting that answer at all “Wh… you’re terrible! WHY would you say that?!”

“Because-”

“Don’t answer that! We’re gonna run around and mess up the puppets!” Killua turned away, trying to mentally will his flustered expression away. He couldn’t believe how easily Daniel could compliment him in a serious situation. Why couldn’t he just listen like normal people instead of focusing on-

Killua mentally slapped himself, forcing his mind to go back to the main topic “The pro- problem is that they’ll detect us quickly…” Killua stopping, holding an accusing finger out as faced the boy in questioning “especially you!”

Daniel held up his hands in defence, not even bothering to argue back. He had absolutely no arguments, Killua was right… he would be the quickest to be detected if he ran with Killua’s idea.

The boy shifted uncomfortable, Killua already walking once again “Once we make our move, they’ll know we’re here. If we want to go with the old man’s plan, we should stay hidden.” Killua stopped another time, this time facing the boys with a blank stare. He wanted to know if he should come up with a better plan, or they had a different idea “What do you guys think?”

Gon thought the boys’ thoughts over, Daniel pressing a hand to his chin “Well, I can’t think of a good plan where I can work alone… especially at night, without making some noise. So, maybe I should work with you, Killua… or even Gon… Maybe I could lure enemies to one of you two?”

Gon broke his silence after a minute “let’s go with Killua’s plan. If the selection has already begun, we can’t stand around watching.” Killua smiled a few seconds after Gon finished talking “Okay, let’s do it…”

A wicked grin grew across the boy’s face “But I’ll do this alone.”

Daniel and Gon’s jaw dropped, taken back by Killua’s words “What?” They thought Killua would send everyone out in different directions, sending the Chimera Ants in turmoil. If all three of them attack at different areas, the creatures would have a harder time of tracking them.

“You two stay hidden.”

“Why?!” Gon argued back, face morphing into anger “It’ll go better if all three of-”

“Don’t forget our main mission! Defeating _that_ Chimera Ant… That should be YOUR focus. Let me handle everything else. I’ll stir things up…” Killua continued on, walking slowly as Gon and Daniel follow him once more “And no offense, but I work more easily alone…”

“Jeez…” Gon fumed as puffs of smoke bellowed out of Gon’s ears in frustration. He didn’t like Killua’s plan, at all… but he guessed Killua was right. Neferpitou was their main enemy “Fine, I got it.”

“Really…?” Killua stopped, not even turning to face the boy “Do you really understand?”

“Killua…?”

Why couldn’t Killua just continue walking, instead of stopping every few meters to argue? Daniel was getting slightly agitated after stopping some many times every few meters. But he could sense something in Killua’s questioning voice. Something was eating at the back of Killua’s mind, something Daniel must pursue before completely splitting.

Maybe Killua could sense the darkness in Gon’s heart, threatening to spill out as soon as the boy came into contact with Neferpitou. He’d have to ask Killua, if he wanted an answer to that question…

Killua clenched his fist, angered by Gon’s tone. Gon, the innocent one… the one’s whose sunshine smile could devour his darkness’ light was dwindling ever since seeing Kite stitched up, and being manipulated by Neferpitou…

He couldn’t lose Gon; the boy meant the world to him. Sure, he still did have feelings for Gon… feelings that weren’t going away anytime soon… but as painful it was to admit it at times, he was with Daniel. Gon was still his best friend, the one whom pulled him out of his darkness…

He couldn’t lose that light, not now… not when his so close to breaking through. He still needed Gon’s, as well as Daniel’s help him break out his sister. He just couldn’t lose Gon, not now…

Killua turned around, frustrated at himself for not knowing how to save his friend “PROMISE ME you won’t make a move! Not even if people are killed right before your eyes! Promise!”

Gon failed to respond, diverting his eyes away from Killua. Killua saw the sadness, the dwindling determination to follow through with his command. It irked, even bothered the boy that Gon couldn’t agree to such a simple request. Killua turned back around, clenching his teeth.

The boy calmed his nerves, relaxing his body after a few seconds “I’ll contact you by text… both of you… Our cell phones should still work in this area.”

“Are you ok…?”

“Sorry… It’s nothing! I’m just a little tense.”

Daniel could see through the boy’s façade after staring intently at him for so long. The boy was hurting, though he couldn’t tell to what degree yet. He had so many questions to ask Killua now, but not while Gon was so close. He needed to ask Killua, while they were out of earshot from Killua.

That makes two major concerns right now…

The first being, on whether or not his picked up on the darkness in Gon’s heart threatening to spill out …

The second being Killua’s feelings as of right now, or more importantly, why he’s hiding his sadness.

He needed answers, but he’d have to wait until they depart.

Killua eventually stopped, turning for the last time to his friends “Ok, this is where we split. I’ll head East, Gon, you take the west… that leaves you to go north…”

Gon nodded, smiling at Killua. But then Daniel asked a question he wasn’t prepared for “Hey Killua, is it alright if I tag along with you for a few hundred meters. I have few questions…”

Killua quirked an eyebrow; he was unsure why Daniel was asking the question now, considering they should be departing. But something was laced in Daniel’s voice, concern “About…?”

“ _Zetsu_ … Specifically hiding…”

The boy’s eyebrow didn’t drop, sensing a hidden question in the boy’s voice. It was the way he showed his concerns in his voices “I guess so… but as soon as your questions are done, you should at least head North-West.”

“Of course!” Daniel smiled at the request, happy to split apart. The less danger Killua was in, and the easier it was for the boy to perform his task.

Gon however didn’t like it “Awww, why can’t we continue walking together?”

Killua frowned at Gon’s reaction to Daniel’s request “Unlike you, Daniel can’t use _Zetsu_. So he’d probably be in more danger. I guess I could give him a few pointers since his... You know…”

Gon broke out into laughter; from the way Killua was so hesitant to say ‘boyfriend’. He didn’t think the boy would struggle so much to say a simple word. As much as he wanted to still be able to join them, maybe Killua would offer better advice. Although, he wished he still could join them… he did after all, have a few questions for Killua as well…

Specifically about what the boy was hiding… “Ok, I’ll go this way then…”

Gon departed from his friends, heading off to find a place to hide.

Daniel and Killua continued to walk to Killua’s destination, the place the boy would first put his plan into play. He’d need to hit the other towns before going for the bigger cities. The more the armies’ attention was diverted, the easier it’d be to slip into the bigger cities.

Once Gon was out of ear-shot, Daniel asked the first question plaguing his mind “Ok, sorry for lying…”

“I could tell…”

“Ok, something’s wrong with Gon… his a little…”

“Dark…?”

Daniel’s expression soften, a warm smile forming across his lips. Killua had noticed, and from the boy’s expression, he could tell Killua was worried for Gon as well… whether it’s out of friendship, or _more_ “Yeah, I’m worried about Gon. Ever since seeing Kite his… well his lost his moral compass.”

“I am to… for different reasons…”

“You still like him…”

Killua stopped, turning to face Daniel with wide eyes. He been taken completely off guard, especially with the boy’s tone “Wh- What?! No… I mean-”

“It’s fine… I don’t expect those feelings to change… at least not any time soon…”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing… It’s just…” Daniel closed the distance, cupping Killua’s cheeks with his hands. The boy’s cheeks felt warm, now even hotter that he has closed the distance between them “I know you want to help him… and I want to help him too… but, I really want your opinion, on how we can help him…”

“I…” Killua bit his lip “I don’t know, at least not yet... The easiest way, should be to save Kite. I’ll… I’ll have to figure something out…”

Daniel brought his face even closer to Killua, his forehead resting against Killua’s. He wanted to ask the boy a serious question, even if Killua doesn’t want to answer it. The boy needed to know someone cares for him… That someone wants to help him “Killua… You mean a lot to me… I might even dare say the world. I can see that you are hurting deep inside… and that I want to help you… as long as you let me…”

Killua bit his lip, turning his face slightly away. He could feel his cheeks burn, his heart hammering loudly at the request. He can’t handle this side of Daniel, at least not for long. He still wasn’t used to having all these feelings of affection bombarding him like Gatling-gun firing off mini-nukes.

Killua could tell the boy could sense the pain in his heart, but from the sounds of it… Daniel still didn’t know why he was hurting.

Daniel turned the boy to face him, a light kiss being pressed onto Killua’s forehead “Please…”

Killua was about to explode into various shades of red “You’re… You’re the worst!” When Daniel moved down, this time aiming to place a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, Killua lost his shit “Alright! I’m worried Gon might become me…”

“EH?!” Daniel pulled back, mortified at Killua’s response. He actually wasn’t prepared for Killua to say that “WHAT YOU MEAN HIS GONNA BECOME YOU?!”


	102. East X Gorteau X Hiding

Daniel was desperately trying so hard to wrap his head around Killua’s words. What exactly did the boy meant by **becoming me** …? Sure Gon was slowly falling down into a pit of darkness, seeking revenge on Neferpitou, the Chimera Ant who hurt Kite…

However, that still didn’t explain why Killua would try to connect the two in _that_ way. He was far from revengeful. Unless, could Killua be talking about his past in this aspect? What Gon was becoming now, Killua was like in the past…?

No… there was no way Killua was like that in the past “What you mean his gonna become you…?”

Killua remained silent for a few moments, Daniel forcing himself to wrap his arms around the boy, holding him close “I’m not going to judge you… you are my friend… my best-friend… best boyfriend!”

Daniel wasn’t helping situation although, he was a little thankful by being buried in Daniel’s chest. It meant Daniel couldn’t see the flushing wreck he had become from the boy’s words.

“The darkness… I’ve experience it… for the longest time of my life, that was our family’s motto. **All you need is** **darkness… You don’t need love** , and that eventually… well… eventually, **the ones that mean the most to us, will be kill by our hands…** ”

Killua paused for a moment, rethinking about his relationship, maybe it was a bad idea to date “Eventually, I’ll stand over your body, your blood dripping off my fingertips as watch the life drain out of your eyes…”

“Is that all…?”

Killua pulled himself out of Daniel’s grip, bewildered from just a simple reaction. He was expecting something more, fear, to be etched in Daniel’s words… Instead all he got was a puzzled expression and words “ **Is that all…?** IS THAT FUCKEN ALL?! You’re not worried about Gon eventually becoming a killer?! Or that I might one day stand over your dead body…?”

Daniel looked around, thinking seriously for a moment. Killua’s reaction was a warranted one… but he should know by now, his opinion would be biased as fuck “Yes… and no… I am worried about Gon, but I’m not worried about you… at least not in that way. You’ll never become a killer, at least not while I live! How about this! When, or if the way I’m going… become strong enough to take a life, and you’re pushed into that position, I take up your mantle…”

“Wh- What…?”

Daniel drew close to Killua, pressing his lips against Killua’s own, letting the two of them spiral down into a world of affections. He strangely enough wanted this, to be kissed by his boyfriend. He allowed himself to fall into Daniel’s trap, his hands wrapping around the boy, hoping he’d devour his worries away.

Killua was the one to push himself away… he really needed to get to work, especially now when time was running out. He had to say something, something that will allow himself to untangle himself from the situation.

But Daniel was faster at responding “Killua, as long as I live, I won’t allow you to fall into that darkness. If anything, I’ll stalk you from the shadows, dragging you out to the best of my ability…” The boy rubbed his chin, thinking about how to save Gon now, but he couldn’t think of anything to say “As for Gon… I’ll say something as soon as we cross that bridge…”

Daniel held a hand against both sides, a smile rivalling Gon’s “We’ll drag Gon out, together… Because that’s what best-friends do for each other… We help each other…”

Killua felt almost giddy, a little excited from his heart flip-flopping all over the place. A part of him wanted this… to continue this even when the dangers still persist “R- Right… together…”

Daniel pressed another kiss into Killua’s forehead, smiling widely at how easily the boy had given into the affections he was receiving. He was absolutely excited at the situation “Alright, I’ve probably delayed you for too long… should we depart?”

“Y- Yeah… we should… oh if Gon asks… stick to the shadows, and blend in with the trees. Try not to get caught… idiot!”

Daniel smile widened at Killua’s ending statement, uncaring that Killua still couldn’t refer to him as his boyfriend. Actually, now that he thought about it… he really liked the way Killua called him an idiot. It was almost… sweet… endearing…

Daniel waved, heading North-West, towards Gon, and away from Killua. He’ll try not to get too close to Gon, while taking Killua’s advice to heart. Stick to the shadows, and blend in with the trees…

Killua’s eyes snapped to some rustling trees, eyes narrowing like slits. He heard something disappear into night, following after Daniel. Maybe he should warn Daniel… but then again, knowing how much time he has wasted, he’ll have a lot more ground to cover now…

He’ll have to hope Daniel can sense the enemies’ intent before its attack…

As Killua rushed off into the night, he pulled out his phone to check for the nearest town, he felt a sense of worry wash over him. Something almost didn’t feel right about the enemy…

Not that he thought about it, he saw the leaves and branches move without a single glimpse of the enemy… maybe it was the same one whom was stalking them earlier…

As much as the boy wanted to worry about it, he needed to return to his mission without delay. Killua flicked out his map, checking the area for the nearest town.

 “~”

Daniel heard the crunching of leaves under his feet, a giddy feeling being accompanied with each step washing over his body. He couldn’t be happier; he almost would even dare say he’d gladly break out into song and dance.

But alas, he was in enemy territory, and the last thing he wanted to be caught doing was singing and dancing like an idiot.

So, he instead settled for humming a quiet tune, allowing himself to get lost in his own thoughts. He focused back on their conversation, siphoning through Killua’s words. The first thought that cross his mind made he wonder more about the situation.

**_I’m worried Gon might become me…_ **

For majority of Killua’s life, he was an assassin. Killing was what he did best…

So, for Killua to worry about Gon becoming a killer was of little concern, or at least it should’ve been. How Gon acted during his fight with Morel, made him reconsider the argument…

The boy without a doubt couldn’t deny the possibility of ending the man’s life. There was no doubt, that Kite was the reason Gon was spiralling down into darkness…

But it shouldn’t have affected him like that. It caused Gon to go from:   
Questioning the Phantom Troupe’s leader, Chrollo, by asking why the man wanted to kill Kurapika… To Gon outright trying to destroy the life of an innocent man, one whom asked the boy to pretend for a moment that HE was the one controlling Kite…

It was ridiculous, but now that he thought about it…

To Gon, Kite was his father figure, the same one that helped him relight his desire to find his real father, Ging. If Kite never existed, or Ging didn’t give Kite the gruelling task of finding him…

Would Gon be in this circumstance… with Killua and himself? Helping the Chairman, Netero, deal with Chimera Ants issue? No, he didn’t think so…

Ging had to be the main reason why they were in this circumstance… and Kite was the justification for the boy going over the edge.

He just hoped that Kite could still be saved… without any excuse to push the boy, their best-friend over the edge. Daniel focused his attention to another argument Killua brought up.

**_The darkness… I’ve experience it… for the longest time of my life, that was our family’s motto. All you need is darkness… You don’t need love…_ **

When Daniel thought turned to Killua’s argument about **The Darkness** , he wondered if it was possible at all, to save both Gon and Killua at the same time. The second part to Killua’s argument shouldn’t be an issue, considering he was still to this day, introducing the boy to feelings of affection… love…

At least he hoped so…

Love is a huge umbrella, one that incudes even one-sided love… The same love Illumi might have for Killua. He shivered at the thought of Illumi loving Killua in his own, sick and twisted way…

Then again, there was a time where he to, was experiencing one-sided love.

 **The Darkness** that should consume him…

Daniel wouldn’t dare let Killua fall into it, letting it consume him… to force him into becoming the monster his family wanted to raise since the beginning. He wouldn’t let that happen…

Not now…

Not ever!

It was Killua’s life to control, and all Daniel wanted to do was be a part of it… to see the boy grow in his own way. Not to see the boy fall, becoming something his not…

Daniel let out a small huff of annoyance, eyes focusing back to his surrounding area. It was strange, too quiet for his taste. He’d need to find a spot where he could watch the entire area.

As the boy continued to search, he moved onto his next thought.

**_Eventually, I’ll stand over your body, your blood dripping off my fingertips as watch the life drain out of your eyes…_ **

This was an interesting argument, one that gave Daniel the chills. If Killua fell, this could possibly become a reality. How would he feel, Killua holding his own heart, his sight fading away as watched his own blood drip back onto him.

What would his last few words be to Killua…?

I’m sorry…?

How could I fail…?

Would he blame it all on Killua, telling his ex-boyfriend in that scenario that the fluffy, white-haired boy was a failure…? He couldn’t imagine it… no matter how hard he tried…

He’d blame everything on himself; he would be the failure, the failure that couldn’t notice the foreseeable future. He’s the one spending so much time, eyes drawn to every little movement Killua made, yet he couldn’t see the moment Killua fell into the darkness…

The thought made him sick to the stomach.

He’d need to keep his eyes out, and help Killua the moment his demeanour changes. He failed to stop Gon from falling, but that doesn’t mean he should give up. He’d either have to catch Gon on the rebound, or find another way to save the boy from falling further…

But at this very moment, he had no clue how he could help Gon. He’d have to trust Killua’s instincts, and hope that the boy figures out something… soon!

During all these morbid thoughts, the next one to cross his mind made him laugh out loud, his hands forced to cover his mouth instantaneously. He regretted the howl of laughter, his eyes forced to remain peeled on the surrounding area.

How could he have guffawed at this very moment of time, right in enemy territory? Who knows what was lurking in the shadows, no matter how funny the quote sounded in his head.

**_Stick to the shadows, and blend in with the trees. Try not to get caught… idiot!_ **

The boy’s eyes watched the area, double, even triple checking to see if any one came to check out what the commotion was. Nothing rustled nearby, the boy letting out an exhale of relief. He didn’t know if he could take on the enemy now, especially while his mind was distracted with the last conversation he had earlier with Killua…

No leaves crunched, just the sound of the wind whistling by made the boy relieved, at least for the moment.

“Stick to the shadows, and blend in with the trees…” Daniel whispered the thought, a quiet chuckle breaking through as he ended Killua’s statement “Try not to get caught… idiot…”

It made him smile as he allowed himself to fall backwards onto a tree, sliding down the bark as he hit the floor with a thud. Daniel pulled out his phone, flipping it open to check if he had gotten any messages from Killua. It was highly unlikely, considering he didn’t hear the notification sound.

Satisfied he had nothing to worry about for the moment; the boy looked up at the sky, counting every star as he allowed himself to relax “Be safe… Killua…”

“~”

Killua grunted, panting loudly after having to run from one town to the next. He struggled; desperately try to stay afloat from the fear bubbling in his heart. How many towns should that make… six… ten…?

He lost count after the third one, and didn’t help that he had to think seriously on his next choice, as whole process of picking and choosing was quiet mentally draining. Not only that, it didn’t help that his mind wandered at times, concerned about his friend. What if he made the wrong choice by not telling Daniel about their stalker?

Killua flipped open his phone navigating to messages, his thumb hovering over Daniel’s name.

Killua clicked his tongue in annoyance, finding this sense of guilt and worries more taxing him more than they should have been. The situation with Gon also didn’t help, being on the far reaches of his mind.

Maybe he should check in with both of them…

The boy felt a blush spread through his face, navigating his phone to a map of the area. He couldn’t let these thoughts consume him, now that the enemy was probably looking out for him after disabling so many of their puppets.

Killua’s eyes darted over the map, seeing three viable towns nearby “The closest village is at two o’clock. The next closest village are at eight and ten o’clock…” Killua bit his lip, moving the map around to see what else was around.

His thoughts were getting to him; slowing down his thought process. There was so many possibilities… so many wrong choices he could make “Should I skip them and head for Taba, forty Kilometres away?” Killua moved back to messages, feeling a little queasy. He hovered over to Daniel’s name, looking at for a few more seconds before giving in.

**Someone’s after you…  
\- Bold ‘idiot’ Daniel 19:42**

Killua hit send, snapping his phone closed before deciding to move on to Taba. It would be best to hit the next town over, considering the enemy would be focused on the nearest towns.

“Let’s play it safe…”

“~”

Daniel heard a beep on his phone, and notification to alert the boy of a message most likely from Killua. The boy flipped it open, eyes narrowing at its contents.

**Someone’s after you…  
** **\- Killua (My Angel) 19:42**

Daniel’s eyes flicked up, looking around. Nothing rustled when the boy looked up, meaning the enemy was either behind him, really good at hiding… or moved on to another target.

Daniel looked a back at the message, sending back a quick ‘thank you’ message.

**Awwwwww… that’s sweet of you to worry about me! Thank you for the alert.  
\- Daniel 19:49**

Within seconds, he received a reply. He wasn’t expecting an answer immediately, at least a few hours later. Maybe Killua was just relaxing at the moment, calculating his next step with precision.

**Idiot!  
– ** **Killua (My Angel) 19:50**

The message made the boy chuckle, secretly worrying about his current situation. If the enemy was nearby, he was in danger. He was surprised he didn’t sense or hear anything, which meant the Chimera Ant might be a skilled predator, one that hunts for a living…

Or that it’s simply skilled in hiding, meaning it’s used to being prey. The boy pondered the situation, coming to only one possible situation where he could lure said creature out.

Flipping the hood over his face, the boy pressed his back against a tree, pretending to snore softly. He’d have to wait and see if the enemy attacks him. One hour, one hour is the maximum time he’ll give the creature.

If it doesn’t attack during that time, either it’s moved on… or it’s going after Killua.

“~”

Chimera Ant’s fangs drooled in anticipation, multiple eyes flicking around, looking for anything in the surrounding area which could be considered a trap. She wasn’t too sure, considering the boy’s eyes looked up at her. But then again, it happened right after the young boy checked his phone, and he didn’t just stop there… his eyes also panned over the surrounding area.

Did she get spotted earlier? No there was no way… she’s been invisible, skin melding like a chameleon’s, becoming one with the forest. The kid hadn’t noticed her at all, or at least gave off a vibe showing he felt like he was being followed.

Then the white-haired kid must have noticed somehow… and decided to tip off his friend. But then the problem was why now? Why wait so long to alert his friend?

Hands dug through the ground, backing away slowly. She couldn’t be spotted. She wasn’t good with close combat… but then again, if she sinks her fangs into the kid, it was going to be an easy kill…

Pondering the thought, the creature ran claws over its armoured scale, double checking to see if there was nothing else in the area. She couldn’t get caught, not now… Shaiapouf would be pleased _if_ she caught one of the intruders. That meant fewer concerns for the King and his Royal guards. Maybe she could even score a promotion with the kid’s capture…

Fangs twitched in anticipation, drool leaking down to rot the earth. Once her venom enters the kid’s system, it would burn through boy’s skin, making him grasp for air as he bleeds to death.

The arachnid-lizard gleamed, hands digging into the earth. Scales melding with the earth, making sure her presence couldn’t be felt.  

The Chimera Ant moved through the bushes, making sure no leaves rustled upon contact. She inched closer to the boy, six legs carrying the creature to her intended goal. 

The creature exhaled, baring her fangs in anticipation to sinking into the unexpected victim. At the last second, she lunged.

“~”

Daniel heard an exhale, ears trying to pin point the monster intending to attack him. There wasn’t anything near him, at least something that could be seen. Whatever it was, it had invisibility, or at least an ability that enables such features.

The boy eyed his surrounding area, scanning the floor for any clues. He couldn’t act now, until he knew for a fact he was being attack. If the monster couldn’t be seen, it would make it harder to target later if he fails.

He’d have to get it on the first shot, taking down the monster in its tracks.

It wasn’t until Daniel was alerted, eyes snapping to his right. He saw a single foot print; followed by another, the only clue he had from the incoming monster. Daniel waited a few more seconds before making his move.

He flipped up his hood, stepping off to the side as he drew his weapon. The creature collided with the tree, a loud crash followed by the rattling tree being his own clue to where it was now.

Daniel swung his weapon at the area, a loud screech hollering. He had taken off something, maybe an arm or leg by blind luck.

Having lost its arm, the creature revealed itself, fangs twitching while multiple eyes stared at him. The Chimera Ant was a large humanoid spider crossed with another species, possibly from a reptile, either a snake or lizard.

It had three pairs of legs ending in scaled three-toed feet, attached to an appendage similar to a spider’s abdomen. It also had a single arm with a similar style to its feet, meaning, that must have been one of its arms he just cut off now.

Its head was shaped like a snake’s, but it was hard to tell, considering its tongue didn’t flicker out like a snake’s would normally do.

It wore a two-piece set of clothing, a loincloth and an open vest showing off its scaled, golden skin, and fuzzy chest.

The boy would have to be careful, considering it may have poisonous fangs, or could possibly shoot out silk to wrap up it’s intend targets in. Although, it was concerning that the monster didn’t bind him first.

Why didn’t it hold him in place before attacking? Did the creature’s ability to remain invisible was all it thought it needed in order to defeat him? Daniel shifted his weight at the thought, cracking his wrist as he prepared for the creature’s next attack.

“What the hell are you…?” Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the creature, unsure what answer he was expecting; for all he knew, this creature was a hybrid of a snake, chameleon and spider.

The Chimera Ant glared at the boy, holding its clawed hand against the open wound. She needed to retreat and try again, but not while she was bleeding. She’ll only end up leaving a trail for the kid to follow.

Then she got a wicked idea. Due to the boy’s weapon, the kid most likely was a short-range fighter, way more scared of her than she was of the kid. If she could create some distance, maybe she could get away… or if lucky, she could get the kid to intentionally get in close, within fangs reaching distance.

The creature sucked in air, getting ready to spit.

Daniel watched in curiosity as the monster sucked in air. Maybe it was getting ready to shoot it’s webbing, or possibly poison, considering it had spider-like features as well.

Daniel spun his weapon around, getting ready for a counter attack.

Eye twitched, glaring at the boy; the two stared at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Seeing that the boy wasn’t going to come closer anytime soon, she decided make the first move.

Daniel saw a glow around the creature’s mouth, followed by greenish goo fired at him. He moved out of the way, not even looking back at where the contents went. The creature may be an emitter, which means it may have dabbled in Manipulation as well, but considering it turned his back on him, the contents coming back to him like a boomerang wasn’t going to be an issue.

Daniel chased after the monster. One strike would be all he needs to kill it. The boy lunged, forward, blade being pointed at the creature. He swung Wolfbane, forcing himself to take that one step his failed every other time.

When the blade was inches away, his fear of killing kicked in, and his body instinctually rotated the blade. The creature spun around getting ready to spit again, but the blade made contact with its face, knocking it off balance.

The monster stumbled around, crashing into a nearby tree. But something else was wrong, its features, didn’t match the voice. The creature was a female, and it swore like a sailor as her eyes rattling in her skull “Fuck! You… piece of shit! You worthless human! You- You-” The creature grabbed her head, glaring at the boy, a smirk spread across his face… or for some reason now, his multiple faces.

Her vision was fuzzy, caused by the concussion of the weapons weight mixed with its strength. She ran her claw around the back of his head, feeling the cracked scales and sticky skin.

She was bleeding from a simple attack, an attack made by a tiny weapon. Whatever it was made of, she couldn’t afford to take a second hit. She’d have to keep spitting until she tired the boy out.

Daniel twisted his blade, now forced to glare at the creature. He still didn’t know who his attacker was, nor could he tell if she had other spider like features. He’d have to make quick work of the creature, and then move far away from the area…

He couldn’t afford to stay here, especially if she calls for backup. Daniel flicked his wrist, releasing the weapon’s shackles as he whipped it at the enemy.

The monster’s jaw dropped, dislocating her jaw as she prepared to launch multiple attacks. Unfortunately, she was too slow. The blade landed against the right of her face, eyes turning white. Daniel followed through, continuously attacking her from his range until she fell over into an unmoving heap on the ground.

The boy let out a sigh of relief, re-shackling his blade. The Chimera Ant must have been way weaker to normal ants, relying too much on her ranged attack. For all he knew the creature’s attack was either poisonous or sticky.

Daniel cracked his knuckles, thinking of how to dispose of the creature. No matter how hard he’ll try, he’ll never be able to kill it. So maybe he could bind her to a tree somehow.

The boy pondered the thought for a few minutes, before conjuring an extra evil idea. If he couldn’t kill her… then she, would have to kill herself instead.

The boy left, looking around the area for something he could use for a rope to bind the creature.

“~”

Killua panted, eyes looking around the area. Multiple army goons patrolled the area, stopping at a building every so often. The boy peeked around a corner, checking to see how many were around. There was at least thirty within a hundred meters of him, moving almost in sync.

Neferpitou was a highly skilled Manipulator, able to take control of so many puppets over long distances. He’d need to be careful, to not draw too much attention. Ever since Deigo was on TV, patrols have almost doubled at this point.

The boy retreated back to the alleyways, slinking down against the floor. He needed to catch a breath, to think about his next move. He could call Gon or Daniel for their help, considering his original plan was no longer viable.

Taking out guards was his only option, now that convincing the population a man whom he called dead showed up on TV just fine. He needed some extra man power, someone to make the job go more smoothly.

He couldn’t rely on Gon, considering the boy’s sudden shift in demeanour. That would leave only Daniel to ask for help, someone he really didn’t want to ask for help at the moment…

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Daniel, because he did… it’s just now… those past confessions sometimes make it hard to look his… boyfriend in the eyes. The feelings that would sometimes consume him inside out…

The feelings, that would make his heart pound against his chest…

He’s told Daniel so many secrets, ones he failed to tell Gon about…

For some reason, telling Daniel was a lot easier, maybe because the boy wasn’t so dense at times, and would understand certain topics. Topics that would make Gon possibly bubble over from information overload.

Killua pulled out his phone, looking at Daniel’s contact. Weighing the situation, Daniel would be of great use, considering no one needed to be killed. He’d have to rely on his instincts… and his instincts right now told him, an extra pair of non-biased hands would be helpful right now.

The boy took a deep breath, calming down his nerves as he pulled his phone up to his ear. He listened to the dial tone, waiting for Daniel to pick up.

“Hey… what’s up?”

“Oh, just running around… knocking people out. Say… Are you busy right now?”

“~”

Daniel looked at his master piece, the snake spider tied around a tree, mouth hanging loosely around her abdomen. In an unfortunate reveal he had found out that his original thought of the creature’s gender was correct, due to accidental reveal of her equipment.

But that wasn’t the concern right now… it was Killua on the phone, posing him a question. He just had finished his job, binding the creature in a way so if she were to wake up in a frenzy, she would bite down her own ass, injecting her venom into her own body.

In a worst-case scenario, if the venom didn’t work on her body, Daniel would have another fight on his hand. Maybe it would be best to leave the creature to her own devices…

“Sure, what you need?”

“I need you in Longtong by tonight. And then we’ll go from there…”

Daniel was concerned at the boy’s request “Why, what’s wrong?!”

“Nothing… Plan A is bust. So, it’s now up to us to take out as many as Neferpitou’s soldiers as possible.”

“Us, as in you, Gon and I…?”

“No… I’m not getting him involved… not while his like this. We need him to focus on defeating the Chimera Ant.”

Daniel listens to Killua’s request carefully, a smile creeping across his lips. For some reason, he found the request to be kind of sweet, and endearing in a weird and unusual way. To know Killua needed him for a task in the future… meant he trusted him. It made the boy’s smile show even more “Sure, hopefully we’re not killing anything…”

“No…”

“Great! What are we doing exactly?”

“For the moment, I just need you to be at Longtong. I’ll find you…”

Daniel frowned a little “Are you sure? I could come to your location now…”

“No, I’m trapped at the moment… I’m getting ready to leave. So, I need you to be there before me.”

Although the boy wanted to object, he trusted Killua with whatever the boy was thinking. If Killua wasn’t there by morning, he’d just go find the boy instead. He could always use the aura that linked the two, Daniel’s needs and wants always leaving a trail to the one he wanted to protect the most…

“Sure! I’ll meet you on the outskirts of Longtong.”


	103. Please X Reach X Out

Daniel slouched down against a tree, panting from having to run so far in so little time. But, no matter if Killua demands it or not, he’d do it… as long as it’s a realistic goal.

He couldn’t kill for his boyfriend… at least for now. It made him tremble in fear, the thought of having to hurt another just to keep himself or a loved one protected… it scared him a little to take that last step.

At least on the plus side, there was a loophole he could now get around. As long as he’s not doing it, he didn’t see himself losing sleep over another man or woman’s life. Maybe that was from a little bit of Killua rubbing off on him.

Maybe it just had to do with his biased feelings for Killua, his feelings for the boy forcing him to put aside his boyfriend’s gruesome past. Although, he couldn’t say with a definite _yes_ or _no_ on whether the loophole works or not; does it really count if he’s not there to see it?

Would he feel guilty, perhaps remorseful, knowing that it was his trap that got the spider-lizard Chimera Ant killed? Now that he thought about it, maybe he would lose sleep over it after all…

Daniel allowed his body to relax, putting his training during Greed Island with Bisky to good use. Even if he’s dead tired, he couldn’t risk the chance of an ant targeting him in his sleep. He curled up into a ball, closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds of nature hum quietly in his sleep-induced state.

“~”

Killua slammed his fist into a nearby tree, swearing at his failed attempt to quietly take out a large group of puppets. He was going so well, after tying down at least thirty guards before being spotted.

He thought he’d be able to take them all down before he caught the last one breathing down his neck. Instead, he found out there was at least another fifty in hiding, waiting for him to show his face. Neferpitou was driving him crazy, with all these extra guards popping out of nowhere.

He thought he was going so good, making it harder for his next move to be pin-pointed. Instead, he was playing well into the monster’s hand. He’ll one up the Royal Guard next time… for now, he’ll led them into a false sense of security, making it seem as though their guards may have wounded him by blind luck… and that his body was left to rot in some outback field they’ve yet to search.

But as soon as he reveals himself once again, he’s sure his partner-in-crime will give them a run for their money, or at least it will make taking down those puppets half the hassle.

Killua’s eyes drew to the thin line of aura, drawing him to Daniel. Now that he has thought about it, he’s never once inspected how the boy’s string of aura works…

Does it intermingle with his own aura, combining the two…?

How exactly does seek him? Does it work like magnets; the only difference is this works over long distances. Killua found himself entranced for a moment, weaving his fingers through the aura. It combined with his, but when Killua pulled his hand away, the aura extended, linking to closest body part it could touch.

When Killua took a step further away from wherever Daniel was hiding, the aura extended. From the looks of how the aura acted, it worked more like a pulley, Daniel being on one end, while Killua was the ‘hook’ the aura connected to.

An idea soon crossed Killua’s mind, wondering how his boyfriend’s aura worked during _Zetsu_? He knew that the boy struggle to use it efficiently, so maybe the reason for it acting up was because of the embarrassing pulley system he invented.

Killua cloaked his aura in _Zetsu_ , the ‘pulley’ waving for a moment, before acting erratic. It acted on its own, searching the area slowly, like a lost hitch hiker in the middle of the forest, trying to find his way back to the main path.

It acted like this for a couple of moments before stopping, completely remaining static… as if it was glued to that spot. When Killua took a step forward, the aura came to life, moving once more.

The aura seemed attuned to his existence as if it was on autopilot, but it wasn’t omniscient, but it didn’t know of his current location. It was habitual though, always existing out of a habit, obsession, one might even argue, when the boy was knocked out as well…

But that left one major concern for Killua. If something disastrous were to happen to Daniel right now, how would the aura react? Would it go on a rampage before dying out? Would it constrict around himself… suffocating him to death?

It was, IS a major concern, considering the repercussions are still unknown. Daniel did this on instinct, without him even realising it. Killua needed to bring this up, now that they are… dating and stuff…

Killua broke his _Zetsu_ , the aura flinching before hovering back to mingle with his own. Even with all the questionable thoughts, he can’t deny he admires how the aura always comes back to him… as soon as it finds him.

Although, Daniel seriously needs to find a way to control it, or at least keep it hidden. Daniel could be traced back to the root, making it another way the boy could be tracked.

Killua shoved his hands into his pockets, following the string of aura to its end destination, Daniel…

“~”

Killua found Daniel, holding himself close, tightly into a ball. He was sleeping quietly, which raised concerns for the boy. Daniel hadn’t reacted at all to his presence, as if Killua wasn’t even there.

 _This better not be a joke Daniel…_ Killua thought as he closed the distance, checking to see if Daniel was going to react to Killua’s presence when he was closer. As the boy closed the distance, Daniel failed to react, even when he was towering over his boyfriend.

The boy tapped Daniel with his shoe “Hey, idiot… it’s still early…”

Daniel stirred at the boy’s words, yawning as he stretched his arms out “So what are we doing?”

“I could’ve killed you… you know…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Killua’s statement. What’s gotten Killua upset all of a sudden, one might even say miffed. He hadn’t done anything weird, wait… he could have sworn he heard a little bit of concern etched into the boy’s words. Daniel laid his back against the tree, looking into the boy’s eyes as he spoke “I felt you…”

“Wh- What?! What do you mean you felt me…?”

“I could feel you getting closer to me, that’s why I didn’t react at all…”

“Oh… But what about that Chimera Ant? Did you know it was following you?!”

“Nope, not at all…”

“YOU-”

“However! SHE didn’t make a move until I pretended to sleep.”

“What if you fell asleep before I warned you?! WE ARE in the middle of enemy territory, surrounded by Chimera Ants. The least you could do is remain a little bit alerted. What if a Chimera Ant could make their presence be felt like mine? You’d be easy prey…”

Daniel was startled by Killua’s concern, clearly he hadn’t thought it through as much as Killua did. The boy was concerned for him, for who knows how long. And he highly doubted complimenting Killua for his worries would be a great solution to the current problem.

He messed up, and Killua was chastising him for his lack of protections in place “I’m sorry…”

Killua sighed at Daniel’s reaction, it wasn’t that the words didn’t sound sincere… he was just worried, a little _too_ over worried. Anything could go wrong at the drop of a hat, and he was taking out his frustrations and fears out on the boy “Its ok… look, just be more careful.”

Daniel smiled as Killua sat next to him, the boy letting out a long groan “We’re not going to do anything at the moment. Neferpitou is on to me, so I need a little extra hands to cover more ground… but I also want her, or him to get agitated that I haven’t moved yet. Maybe they’ll decide to move their puppets around, dispersing them over a wider area… or they’ll gather more puppets in Longtong. The more gathered there, the easier it is to take a large chunk of the puppets out.”

“Right…” Daniel murmured, lost in Killua’s eyes. He couldn’t help staring, no matter how creepy he comes off as. It’s nice hearing how worried Killua was for him.

Killua looked at Daniel, eyebrow raised. What on earth was going on with Daniel? “What…?”

Daniel didn’t answer, instead leaning forward to press a kiss onto Killua’s forehead. He pulled back after a quick kiss, looking into Killua’s confused eyes. He stared at Killua, watching the boy’s dazed expression look away. The boy was flustered by his action, but no complaints meant the boy could continue.

Daniel leaned in once more, pressing a kiss into the boy’s neck, a quiet groan escaping the boy’s lips as he moved closer to the boy, this time kissing the boy’s lips. Killua grabbed Daniel’s face, returning a more forcible, needy kiss.

Daniel couldn’t help his own actions, running his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair as the kiss became more animalistic by the second. He had a lot to learn from Killua, especially the way the boy’s lips moved against his, caressing them in a form of love like no other.

If there was one thing for certain, Killua was definitely more experienced, even though they have the same foundation to build on. Who knows how many _erotic movies_ Killua has watched, especially with the way Killua’s hands seemed to glide through his hair, down along his sides.

When it reached his thighs, the boy was a little worried with where Killua’s roaming hands intended to finish. When Killua’s hands drew closer, Daniel instinctually pulled back, trying to act natural with his smile. Although, in reality, he had pulled back a lot faster than he originally intended.

The action startled Killua “What’s wrong…?”

“Oh… it’s just… we probably should get some sleep. Don’t we have a long day tomorrow?”

Killua didn’t believe the words, especially seeing that they came out erratic, mixed in with concern. What could Daniel be possibly worried about with some sensual touching “Sure…?” It raised some concern, concerns he hoped wasn’t true. If Daniel was a virgin, there was no way he’d let the boy top him…

Killua shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of how badly their sexual adventures will go. He allowed his mind to drift to every worse-case scenario, mind ranking from the worst, to the best-worst outcomes. Before he realised it, Daniel had faded out of reality into dreamland, head falling straight into his lap.

It closed off his thoughts, forced to stare at calmly sleeping boy with his boyfriend’s face in his crotch. The act transcendently lifted all his worries off his shoulder, a hand running fingers unconsciously through the boy’s long hair.

For a brief moment, he tricked himself into forgetting all his worries. If Daniel can leave his life in the boy’s hands without worry, he was sure Daniel would do the same… at sexually.

After all, his mind is way _dirtier_ , _corrupted_ than Daniel’s…

Sighing at the thought, Killua allowed himself to relax, getting a few hours of sleep before moving onto Longtong. Four hours should be more than enough to recharge, at least getting out the tiredness, and aching in his muscles.

“~”

Killua moved on from one town to the next alongside Daniel, disarming every puppet along their path. They manage to reach the third town without any issue, Killua just tying up the last puppet to be knocked unconscious. Killua wiped the sweat away from his brow, a smile forming across his lips “That makes three hundred down, only forty-nine thousand, one hundred and seventy-two puppets to deal with…”

“YOU TOOK DOWN five-hundred and twenty-eight puppets… BY YOURSELF?!”

“Quiet-” Killua snapped his head to one direction, staring intensely at the forest. He could have sworn he felt someone staring at him from a distance, and he wasn’t the only one. Daniel seemed to be looking as well, but his eyes were drawn to a different part of the forest “I think they caught onto us…”

“More of Neferpitou’s puppets?”

“No…” Killua’s finger’s twitched, pulling out his phone to check the furthest town, at least eighty to hundred kilometres out. He didn’t want to want to run to the next nearest town, especially with eyes possibly watching them “Follow me, we’ll lose them in the forest…”

Killua picked up speed, running into the forest as Daniel ran to catch up. The two got lost in the forest, Killua checking his phone one last time “Let’s try to reach the next town within an hour. Pick up some speed!”

“Where on earth are we going…? Yorknew?!”

“No, we just going a little further than last time. We need to lose our onlookers. If they’re Chimera Ants, we can’t drag civilians into the battle...”

“Right…” Daniel picked up the pace, running side-by-side with Killua. The boy was right, their best bet is to aim for a town as far as possible, so that they could lose the enemy before continuing on with their mission.

“~”

Killua grit his teeth, frustrated at their current predicament. Here he thought he could get away from the onlookers, but instead he was lead into a well thought out trap. A Chimera Ant flew high in the sky above them, watching their every move. No matter how fast, the two of them ran, the flying ant always seemed to catch up to them.

Killua allowed an irritated sound to escape his lips, eyes looking over his side at the enemy high in the sky “Damn, we’re being followed… can you do something about him? He’s way out of my range…”

“Well…” Daniel peeked over his side, looking up at the enemy “I can’t use my weapon… he’s too far. And even if by some miracle, I managed to reach him, he’ll only have like… a few hundred meters to dodge. I can’t use-”

“Don’t say it… Don’t mention any of your abilities just in case. We want to still have the upper hand here.”

“Alright, well, anyways, _I_ can’t reach him in any way. And I’m not about to harpoon the guy with a stick or something. His just too far…”

Killua growled at their situation “If we don’t lose him, or defeat him, we’ll be in trouble.”

The boy kept running, reaching the end of a cliff that lead into the best Deus-ex machina in history. The boy’s eyes glinted, smiling in glee from the situation “Perfect! We’ll lose him in the jungle! The leaves are dense enough, so he shouldn’t be able to see us from the air.”

Daniel nodded at Killua’s quick thoughts, smiling from their blessings “And if he tries to get in close, he’ll only be leaving himself open for an attack from the both of us.” The boy followed his boyfriend deep into the forest before being dragged under a tree surrounded by bushes.

Killua panted, catching his breath as they waited. A few minutes passed, the creature still hadn’t shown himself. And it didn’t show signs of moving, nor did it look like it wanted to come any closer either.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, being pressed right against Killua with no room to move. He should be happy to have just this moment of peace, but the way the boy breathed so heavily and stared into the deep, dark, empty forest made Daniel feel even more concerned.

“Killua?”

“Shush… we can’t alert the enemy of our presence.” Killua grit his teeth as he attempted to slow down his breathing. Why wasn’t Daniel struggling to breathe like he was? The boy was barely breaking a sweat, and was only lightly panting. Then again, he did do most of the work, or at least double the amount Daniel had done.

Not only that, he was forced to slow down a fair bit due to Daniel’s lack of speed. It seemed the boy made up for his lack of _Zetsu_ and speed, with endurance and finesse. Although, his strength was almost on par with his own.

The boy managed to calm down his breathing, eyes once more panning over the area. _He isn’t coming? Did we lose him? But in that case, he should come looking for us…_

“Damn…” Killua quietly growled at their predicament. _We don’t have time to wait around! Hurry up, you damn fly!_

The ground began to rock, trees and rocks rattling “Oh, shit! What’s going on?!”

Killua’s eyes snapped to the opposite direction, staring into the abyss “Something’s coming…. from behind us? Something on the ground!”

Killua grabbed Daniel by the collar, pulling him out from under the tree as he leapt high above the ground, almost choking Daniel from the action. He dug his finger nails into the rattling tree, the creature slamming into their old hiding spot.

Killua’s eyes glared at the enemy before being forced to look behind them. Shifting his weight, he threw Daniel higher up the tree as he ran around to deal with their second attacker. Fingers enclosing around the enemy, and with a simple snap of his wrist, he took the creature’s head off without any issues, not a single drop of blood being spilled as he moved back down towards the one whom attacked them first.

Daniel twisted his body, groaning from being almost choked and thrown like rag doll. When his eyes darted around, he was already surrounded by more enemies lying in wait “Killua, thanks for getting me surrounded!”

The boy dodged the first attack, a large bear thrusting his fisherman spear, hoping the skewer him in two. Twisting his body, he grabbed the weapon mid thrust, forcing his body to slam his foot into the enemy’s ribs. The force propelled the enemy into a nearby tree, leaving him with only four more enemies to deal with “Bring it!”

Killua groaned in frustration, unable to deal with their first attacker while Daniel was being swamped. The boy would only be attempting to knock them unconscious, when he needed to be killing them instead. He used the boulder the creature rolled in on as a stepping stone, jumping high into the tree tops to join the fight.

Killua landed on a pink human mixed ant, digging his claws into the back of creature’s skull, pulling half the monster’s brain out as he flicked his wrist, aiming for the fox next, the Chimera Ant whom could stretch his finger.

He held the finger, breaking his attack as he pulled him forward. The boy’s eyes darted around the area, checking to see what was going on. Daniel had already moved on, aiming for a creature with long arms, aiming his pick axe at the boy.

The bear had already gotten up, charging them, but he was too far away, which left only one more attacker nearby, the one with two hammers and his tail holding an extra pickaxe which was aimed at Daniel’s open back. Killua swung fox in his grasp, using him as a shield for his boyfriend.

The fox let out a loud shriek, the pickaxe going right through his chest as it shocked the one, a tiny bear cub sized creature whom was attempting to attack Daniel from behind. Killua pushed himself forward, snapping the fox neck before using it’s dead carcass as a stepping stone to aim for the bear cub with two hammers.

Daniel heard the screech from behind him as his hand struck the long-armed ant’s chest, applying an extra oomph to the attack. He used the extra aura to force the creature’s back to hurtle into the nearby tree, while his free hand removed the pick axe from his grasp launching it behind him.

Killua grabbed the weapon Daniel threw, slamming it into the bear cubs face, breaking a few teeth in the process. His eyes quickly darted around the field, seeing the other, larger bear bringing his fisherman spear down like it was a club.

Using the upward momentum of the pickaxe, he swung it around, breaking the spear in half as he followed through with the attack, slamming it into the side of bear’s skull. He couldn’t remove it, so he grabbed the piece he broke off the spear, kicking off the dead larger bear to take down the smaller one next.

Daniel looked around, Killua already killing three out of the five enemies already. He saw him aiming for the fourth, which gave him a chance to dispose of two in one go.

The boy brought up his leg, slamming it into the long-armed monster’s side, launching him towards the tiny bear’s body.

A second ant collided with the bear, the force causing one ant to remain spinning in the air as the other had its back slammed into a branch behind him, knocking the air right out of his lungs. Even though Daniel’s attack stuffed up his original plan, it gave him a chance to dispose of two of the ants, one right after another.

He threw the broken spear through the long-armed creature’s skull, as his body landed right on top of the smaller bear’s frame. Killua drew out his claws, fingers aimed at the creature’s skull “Last one!”

Killua’s claws were inches away from the bear between his legs, seconds away from being erased. But the Chimera Ant from below them still had ideas of his own, slamming the boulder he rode in on into the tree they just happened to be standing on.

The trees falling caused the two boys to fall out of the trees, the enemy they were about to finish off getting lost in the rubble. It would take time for them to search for him, which wasn’t an option as of right now.

They would need to take out the beetle riding the boulder before he comes back with more allies. Killua grit his teeth at his thought process, deciding it would be best to go for the easier target out of the two “Follow me!” _Shit, I can’t believe we missed two of them…_

Killua jumped through the tree tops, getting in as close as possible to creature in the process of retreating. He didn’t care how far ahead of Daniel he was, all that mattered, was taking the head off the creature whom was leading the attack. _I won’t let you escape! You must be the leader… which means eliminating you would destroy the whole unit!_

The boy launched himself into the beetle’s blind spot, claws aimed at their skull.

Killua saw the spark coming out of the beetle’s backside, a single warning before the attack. He pulled his arms in front, manipulating his aura with _Gyo_ to protect his entire front. A huge explosion propelled him back, the boy skidding across the floor as his singed clothes swayed from the gust of fire blasting from the monster’s ass cheeks.

Killua’s eyes twitched, his teeth grinding back and forth as he heard the creature holler from far ahead of him “How’d you like that blast?”

“That bastard… just blew a FUCKEN fart at me!”

Daniel landed in front, ignoring his presence entirely as he bolted forward, aura propelling him forward with each step. Killua tried to call out to get the boy to stop, but he was already long gone, far ahead of him.

Killua took a step forward, but the explosion caused him to wince slightly. Why on earth did an explosive fart cause so much damage; it even ripped pieces of his clothes off from the impact of the blast. But his thoughts didn’t stop there.

 _No, there’s a bigger problem… S_ omething clicked, an idea that hadn’t crossed his mind until now. Why hadn’t he noticed it earlier actually…? The fact he got blasted from the creature’s blind spot should have told him something. _I completely concealed my presence, and attacked him from his blind spot. But he countered at the perfect time. Someone must be instructing him from a distance…_

Killua’s eyes twitched, drawn to the creature still high above him. _It must be you!_ _He’s still watching me right now… I’d guess he has a power that lets him track my location. In that case…_ Killua charged forward, eyes glued to Daniel’s _Nen_ string. He had to warn Daniel, before the boy made a grave mistake of revealing his skill set.

_I can’t, or allow Daniel to show him the cards in our hands, no matter what! I don’t want them to learn of my lightning or yo-yo! And they can’t learn about Daniel’s Shadow, or Wolfbane’s transmogrification ability, let alone his weapon mastery talents…_

_The ideal scenario would be to lose them and go back into hiding. But that’s looking impossible… especially with the way Daniel reacted._ Killua picked up the pace, forcing himself to catch up for lost time.

“~”

Daniel saw nothing but red, anger pooling in his gut, spilling out as he landed in front of Killua. The explosion reverberating throughout the forest triggered an emotional snap, making him wish nothing but death on the bombardier beetle.

Hell, he completely forgot to check on his boyfriend, making sure he was ok before giving chase. All he wanted to do was make that creature pay…

The boy focused his aura into his feet, propelling him forward, faster than he would have normally being able to run. The effort was reckless, using more aura than he normally would have expelled per movement.

All he cared about, was reaching the enemy, and taking him out. Daniel grabbed his weapon without even thinking, hitting the bottom to turn Wolfbane from a sickle to a miniature scythe, blade held back, slicing through the air he continuously propelled his body forward.

He saw the creature in view, still running away on top of the boulder. Daniel’s features twisted, warping into an exalted smile. He forced more aura out of his body, focusing only on his weapon and feet.

Kicking off the ground one final time, he heard a whistle blow past his ear along with a quiet screech. He ignored the sound, focusing only on the enemy in front, swinging his blade with enough force to slam into the side of the boulder. He followed through with the attack, screaming loudly as he focused more aura through to Wolfbane, this time swinging the blade right though.

The creature above screeched loudly as it fell off the rock splitting in two, stumbling onto the floor with a thud as it tried to get away. But the boy was already on top of him, one foot pressed into its chest, holding against the floor with the weapon held high.

He smiled like a monster, eyes gleaming with an immeasurable sense of darkness.

He swung his weapon downward, only for his weapon to fail to miss its marker. Daniel’s blurred vision looked around, wondering why he was stumbling around. He could hear a screeching near his ear, but all his mind could focus on was the enemy still on the ground, trying to run away.

Daniel stomped over to the bombardier beetle, this time intending to kill the enemy “You hurt my boyfriend…” He slammed his foot on the Chimera’s Ant back, holding him in place, swinging his blade downward, taking off a limb as he felt something dig into his chest.

Rather than finding out what was happening to him, the boy brought up his weapon again “I’ll make you suffer for hurting Killua!”

“~”

The Chimera Ant in the air freaked out from the boy’s lack of reaction towards his wound. So far, he has taken two bullets, and he wasn’t focused on anything other than the Chimera Ant beneath his feet, their limbs missing.

He drew his attention to the second boy, seeing him approach his friend too fast for his own taste “Group B, move in to assist bombardier. Ikalgo, listen for these coordinates.”

“~”

Killua stopped for a moment, seeing the trail of aura fluctuated, filled with a wave of negative emotions. He’s never seen this happen, not once until now. After seeing this, something was definitely wrong with Daniel.

It could be nothing, but then again, the boy could also be in danger…

Killua grit his teeth, pushing his body into overdrive; his thoughts blew the situation out of proportion. _Daniel hadn’t even turned around to check if I was ok… He just bolted forward… without a single concern. We’ll have to defeat them all without using-_

Killua felt something hit him in the left side of the face, the impact making him slide a few meters. _What was that? A gun…? No!_ The boy drew his fingers up to the side of his face, ripping out whatever hit him. He felt something wet trickle from where he pulled out the object.

It was concerning, knowing that whatever hit him was able to draw blood. The boy pulled the object to his view, inspecting the tiny object. Its colour slowly dimmed from the glow of being fired, revealing a small, living weird creature “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS… a flea?”

It looked like a giant flea, but it was shaped like a bullet, it had groves like a bullet… and its backside was a circular piece of metal. But it wasn’t any normal bullet; This was alive… and still moving.

During the boy’s stunned reaction, another bullet hit him on the same side as the last bullet; this time however hit his neck. He pulled it out, discarding the bullet on the ground “Damn it!” _Where did it come from?!_

Killua’s eyes scanned the area, inspecting every dark corner of the forest. A third bullet hit him on his left leg, knocking his leg up from the force of impact. Now this was getting ridiculous. Whatever was hitting him, it was extremely strong, knocking back whatever it hit like it was fired from a high-powered rifle.

Killua pulled out the bullet, blood trickling down from the open wound. Something was wrong, with the way the blood pooled from the wound. Usually after a few minutes his aura would kick in, stopping him from losing too much blood. _The bleeding won’t stop…_

This wound however was unnatural. If it was a type of poison, his natural immunity to poisons should’ve kicked in by now. Killua touched the wound, teeth clenching tightly against his jaw. Did Daniel get caught in this trap as well?

No, he would have notice a blood trail… or at least smelt the scent of copper lingering in the air. The fact he hadn’t seen or smelled blood meant Daniel should be ok, and that whomever was targeting him, failed to reach Daniel… or this was just a ploy to split the two up.

Killua’s eyes scoured the area, checking to see where the next bullet comes from. _These fleas are more than just big bugs…_ Killua felt a bullet hit him on his right forearm, the boy instinctually removing the bullet before it could inject whatever it was pushing through his system. However, it was too late, the blood already pooled, dripping from the fresh wound.

 _The sniper isn’t trying to deal serious damage. The real goal is to exhaust my strength through blood loss!_ Killua saw the next bullet flying towards him, his body twisting to avoid the shot. It sailed past his face, where his forehead used to be.

Killua’s eyes glided to the last area where the bullet came from. He had an idea which direction the shots were coming from, but not the exact location. Using that information, he could make it harder for the sniper… or he could try to pinpoint their location then hunt them down. _If I keep running around, it’ll be harder for them to snipe me! But I have to conserve stamina…_

Killua thought over his situation, wondering what the best option was. If he ran around the sniper might change targets, aiming for Daniel instead if he hadn’t done so already. He took in a deep breath, channelling his to surround him. _Come, I dare you to shoot me… but I’ll find you as soon as the first bullet hits._

A bullet entered his range, hitting him on the right side of his temple at a forty-three-degree angle with a twenty-one-degree elevation. The force of impact made him slide, but this time he was ready. He leapt into action, charging the sniper head first “Damn… so you were that way!”


	104. Run X for X Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Hope you like this extremely long chapter…
> 
> Also, I don't know why, but I forgot to post this chapter almost a week ago

Daniel heard several screams reverberate around him, his head barely turning to face one of them. Aura radiated, surrounding him with negative emotions. It gave the Chimera Ants pause, their eyes shaking in terror.

Daniel reached down, pulling his weapon from the butchered body beneath his feet, blood steadily oozing down the blade.

One of the ants stepped back in fear, drawing the boy’s eye to snap towards him. It didn’t feel like the boy was mentally there, his eyes vacant of the life that usually persists.

“You hurt my boyfriend…” Daniel curled his wrist, drawing the weapon high above him “I’ll make you suffer for-” Something hit the boy across the forehead, the left-side of his brain, close to his temple. It was as though his life was jump started like a car.

The boy felt bile build up in his throat as the shock of seeing blue blood caked across his hand and weapon built a very clear picture of what had transpired, with his previous vacuous actions. He didn’t have time however to think about the situation, as someone else nearby charged him.

Daniel swallowed the vomit, bringing up his foot to kick the enemy away, a   
feathered-scorpion ant. He needed to run, before anyone else found him. However, when his eyes darted around, he noticed three-more of them nearby, charging him.

One was a humanoid bull, Daniel dodged the attack, using the forest behind him as a way to escape the other two; a larger version of a fly and a slimy deer ant, genes most likely obtained from a slug of some type.

The boy fell down on the ground, vomiting the bile he tried to swallow earlier. It came out when he felt something piece his neck. But for some reason, red residue was instead leaking from the right side of his face. He pressed his clean hand to his face, bits of blood painting his fingertips.

When the fly hovered just above his back, he reacted quickly, fear driving his moves. Wolfbane slammed against the creature, knocking it into a nearby tree. The boy got up, running again, the slug-deer giving chase.

He tripped when he felt pain spread throughout his left leg. But, he didn’t stay on the ground for long, he got up, running as quickly as he legs could take him.

The boy tried to re-call what had happened earlier as he ran his fingers across his left side, checking to see what exactly was causing him to bleed. Finger tips ran over a bump, his fingers instinctually pulling out the object.

It looked as though it was a flea, but it was shaped like a bullet. It squirmed in his fingertips, the bug bullet getting lost when he felt like something hit his right forearm. However, there was nothing there on his arm. Daniel patted his body, checking to see if there was anywhere else he had been attacked.

He found the same bug in his chest, blood pooling from the fresh wound in his chest. Daniel immediately moved onto checking the rest of his body, after discarding the bullet flea. He found no other wounds, the places where he though he got hit, were messing with his reality.

He had no idea what was going on. He was very scared, especially now after realising Killua was nowhere in sight. He had no idea what was going on, he tried so hard to figure out what happened, after getting some sense knocked into him.

The first thing he remember seeing was a dead butchered ant below him. It was hard to make out, but it was very clear, that _that_ ant, was the very first person he has killed. He tried to recall what happened, but something hitting his right temple made him run his fingers across the side once again. Blood still pooled from the area, but there was nothing else there.

The boy’s hands shook, his body collapsing onto the floor in fear. He felt like he was almost going to break once more from the shock of all these random, unknown actions. He thought he ran deep enough into the forest, but the ants from earlier found him again, all three of them charging him at the same time.

He already killed one person, so another three would matter at this point of time… right? He couldn’t help the thought crossing his mind, especially with his sense of reality warping.

Swinging Wolfbane, tears spilled from the boy’s eyes “Please, Killua… help me!”

“~”

Killua stopped, the aura around him wavering, rippling from an unknown force. He held his position for a moment, looking at the string of aura attached to him. It looked as though it was calling out to someone, for someone to answer its pleas.

Killua grit his teeth, preparing to run to Daniel, but a bullet hitting him in the back made the boy ground his teeth. Killua ripped the bullet out, charging the original target once more. From the trajectory of impact, it didn’t feel as though the target had changed places.

If anything, it felt as though it was intending to draw Killua’s attention. A part of him wanted to go help Daniel, with whatever was causing his aura to react like that. But with this person targeting him so easily, he could probably, just as easily switch targets to Daniel…

Now that he thought about it, maybe he was targeting Daniel at the same time. Killua grit his teeth from the thought. He couldn’t afford to leave this dangerous target alone, especially when Daniel’s life was now on the line.

As he was running through the tree tops, he noticed something weird about the man’s attack. The bleeding had stopped on parts the flea barely grazed. The only parts that still bled were the ones the bullet had entered. _The bleeding’s stopped anywhere that the fleas only scratched me…_

Earlier, he thought it was whenever the bullet touched him, he would bleed, now it only effected the places it entered. _It can’t be a poison because of my immunity… SO it must be a chemical of some kind. Maybe the chemical the flea secretes stops the blood from clotting naturally, that’s why my body hasn’t rejected the effect…? This is bad…_

Killua dodged a flea fired in his direction, teeth grinding against each other. He fell to the ground, slamming his fist against the floor. This creature was annoying to deal with, especially with the one still high above him, helping guide the shooter to his current location. _If I start bleeding in too many places, I’ll be in trouble. I can’t let him escape!_

“~”

Daniel felt his weapon drive through the last enemy, tears continuing to fall freely. He felt so alone, unsure of how he should react. This is the first time he has ever killed anyone, or in his case four people in a row.

He can’t take any more of this, he needed to get away, far from the battlefield. But if he ran away now… he would be leaving Killua on his own. He needed Killua right now, but that meant he’d most likely be heading right into the middle of the battlefield.

If he has only gotten a couple, he could only imagine how many were surrounding Killua right now. Daniel became agitated from his thoughts, wondering what he should do in this situation. Regardless of his feelings, he needed Killua’s help…

Killua to help him cope, or at least overcome the situation of his first set of continuous kills. Daniel wiped away the tears, determined to hide his one weakness. He didn’t know if he could survive… survive without killing another one of them…

The boy took in a breath, calming down his nerves before looking forward with puffy red eyes. _Killua, I’m coming for you…_

“~”

The boy kept running through the forest, finally reacting the end of the tree line, this time entering a large field of stalagmites. His eyes darted across the field, finding the enemy on the highest point.

Killua’s eyes narrowed on the man, glaring at him. _Is that him?_

The man stood rather tall, voided of all emotions, unblinking eyes looking back at Killua. He wore a colourful set of clothing and a type of blanket over his right shoulder. But that wasn’t what caught the boy’s eyes. It was what was growing out of the man’s left shoulder.

It was a large organic rifle growing out of his arm, slightly pulsating if it was alive. But the person didn’t remotely look like a Chimera Ant. Was he one of the rare exceptions? The man attempted to escape, Killua giving chase.

He was lead through a maze the man stopping every so often to make sure he was still being chased. He was lead all the way to an open cave, the man barely smiling as he spoke. His tone was too low, especially with how far away he was. But from the man’s lips, the boy could tell the word ‘trap’ was being used.

Even if it was a trap, Killua just didn’t care. The man needed to be taken care of. The boy’s eyes glowed when the man leapt into the cave, Killua following, catching up to the man before he could fall a few metres.

He grabbed the man by the skull, and within a few seconds, he had snapped his neck as he sunk a finger into the skull. The skull felt empty as he pulled it out, eyes filled with just as much emotion as his words “Couldn’t care less if this is a trap. Just die…”

Killua was just about to leave the body to free fall when tentacles escaped through the man’s skull and mouth, holding him still as they freefall. He saw an underground lake, eyes blowing wide. If the boy had to guess, something awaited them in the water… Chimera Ants lying in wait, ready to eat him alive.

Killua heard a high-pitched voice come from within the dead man, letting him know he had killed the host rather than the Chimera Ant still hiding in the body. Though from the blue blood, it didn’t get out unscathed “Lookin’ for a taste of hell? Here you g-”

Killua revealed his claws, ripping off some of the tentacles as creature screamed in agony. He kicked off the body, using the freshly removed suction cups on the tentacle to grab onto one of the stalagmites protruding out of the water, meters away from the blue pool of blood, and a large group of ravenous ants chewing at the dead corpse which fell into the water.

Killua looked rippling water, being splashed up from the creatures still going at the body. Hopefully it took care of the parasite in the body. But his luck was a little on the enemy’s side.

The high-pitched voice still here, alive and well, attached to one of the stalagmites across from him “Bastard! How dare you chop off my precious legs?!”

“I couldn’t _just_ let you drag me into the water. Oh, thanks for these suction cups by the way… they saved me.” Killua quirked an eyebrow, confused at what he was looking at. It wasn’t anything like he was expecting, a more parasitic looking creature… not a miniature octopus.

Killua blankly stared at what he assumed to be was a male octopus “By the way… aren’t you an octopus?”

“Don’t call me an octopus!” The mini-octopus raised his voice, sounding less high-pitched with every passing second as he pointed his tentacle gun.

Even with the gun being pointed at him, it was quite humorous to see a Chimera Ant being offended from being called out for what it looks like. Thinking the Ant was going to shoot him, the boy prepared to counter the attack. However, he wasn’t expecting the ant to retreat.

Air blew out of the gun’s barrel, propelling him backwards “See ya!”

It caught Killua off guard, but not for long. Killua gave chase, heading deeper into the underground cavern. He caught up to the creature in seconds, scaring him half to death in the process. The boy grabbed onto the barrel just before slapping a suction cup to a nearby stalagmite, holding them in place with no way for the creature to escape.

He struggled against the boy’s grip, tentacle gun unable to be removed. The boy stared the creature down, eyes fluttering in confusion “So… where you headed? Can I join you?”

The creature laughed awkwardly at Killua’s request. He hadn’t expected the boy to catch up, nor ask to questions “So… ah… I’m you know… going home, not really a place for other humans. Not because I’m anti-human or anything… it’s just my friends don’t really like other-”

“Non-Chimera ants…?”

“Exactly!”

Killua loosened one finger, twisting the ant slightly before pointing down at the water “Then wouldn’t you go into the water, rather than flying through the caves? You are after all an aquatic Chimera Ant… You could’ve escaped me by going swimming, because those creatures would be drawn to me… ripping me apart the moment my blood touched the water.”

The creature freaked out, raising the boy’s suspicions “You should have an advantage in the water. Unless… you can’t swim, which would be surprisingly funny....”

“Uh, well…”

“They’re drawn to blood, anyone’s bloody… aren’t they?”

“You know-”

Killua’s eyes narrowed slightly “When they smell blood, your buddies in the water go berserk and attack the injured, no matter who it is… right?” Killua looked down at the water, the large group of carnivorous Chimera ants attacking the water, begging for their next meal to fall in already “With those wounds, if you went in there, you’d be torn to shreds. Am I wrong?”

“Uh, w- well…” Killua watched the Chimera Ant get flustered, fumbling over every word being muttered with every breath. It reminded him of someone… Daniel. Except in Daniel’s case, the boy got flustered when the topic of sex came up. This guy was getting flustered over being questioned “I suppose that’s one way to…”

The creature suddenly stopped, caught off guard by something. If the boy had to guess, someone was speaking to him telepathically. And it looked like his assumption was correct, once the octopus opened up his mouth “No, we’re still fighting!”

“You realise you did say that out loud… whose are you talking to? The pain in my ass in the sky?”

Hearing that, the octopus went into a major panic attack “I screwed up!”

“That you did…” The boy smiled slightly, finding the situation more humorous with each passing second. This guy was starting to remind him of Daniel, which means he may also be a manipulator as well… but then again, Illumi would contradict that statement “You definitely can communicate via telepathy after having that outburst. So you’re talking to your boss? It’s most likely that guy who was flying over my… _friend_ , and I earlier?”

“Wait, now look here-” the octopus stopped, pressing a tentacle to his face.

Killua quirked his head at the action, wondering what was going on in the Chimera Ant’s head “Hey, can we make a deal? If you tell me about his power, I’ll spare your life… Sounds like a good deal, right? I’ll give you ten seconds to think it over…”

The tentacle wrapped around the boy’s neck fell into the water, making a splash as the creatures from the water attacked the limb. His assumptions were correct after the action, making Killua wonder if a quick spark of electricity would fry all of them? But that meant he wouldn’t be able to find out the flying ant’s ability, nor would he be able to keep his word…

If the octopus rats him out, telling them about his lightning manipulation ability, that would defeat the purpose of hiding his skill set from the flying creature. The boy counted down, letting the octopus know times wasting “You have eight seconds left.”

Killua watched tears fall from the creature’s eyes, letting the ant know every time a few more seconds had past. It was hard to watch, but he made sure to keep his blank stare up, and keep his features unreadable.

“I wanted to be reborn a squid…” Killua’s eyes widened slightly at the words, face remaining unreadable. He was shocked, but not enough to show it. Although, he highly doubted this story would help him in some way to defeat the ant above him “I would’ve given anything to have been a **Chiroteuthis Imperator**. Do you think octopi and squid are similar? If so, you’re mistaken… Octopi are ugly. Squid are squidderific! I think they look divine!”

“Two seconds…”

Octopus smiled, raising a tentacle as if he were about to attack “I won’t betray a buddy!” Instead of attack Killua, he slashed his arm, cutting off the barrel Killua was holding onto.

 _Yeah, I could see that in your eyes._ Killua looked at the creature falling, feeling sorry for it. He wouldn’t be able to fall into the water, not if he had a say on the matter. But it gave him a slight pause, a thought he wouldn’t normally have for someone he was threatening to kill…

“I can only hope that in my next life, I’ll be born a squid…”

He can’t deny it, even if he tried… the Octopi was cool in his very last seconds of life. Killua grit his teeth, dropping the barrel of the octopi gun as he was reaching into his pocket. He pulled out one of his yo-yos, throwing it out to wrap around one of the creature’s tentacle “I won’t let you!”

“Huh?!” The Octopi freaked out, the yo-yo wrapped around his limb stopping him metres away from the water. He hadn’t expected to be saved, or is the moment the boy personally kills him? “Why…?”

“Because you’re a cool guy.” Killua allowed himself to smile at the man “In different circumstances, we could’ve been friends.” Flicking his wrist, the boy sent the man flying, his smile never faltering.

The boy, however, wasn’t left alone for long. Thinking he could move on from the battle, changing his direction to go back to Daniel, a large fish came out from the water, trapping against the pillar of stone. He flinched as its teeth dug into him, the Chimera Ant looking like a large purple shark.

The last batch of Ants he has dealt with always looked like a mixture of creatures, but these ones now look more like mermaids and aquatic life. Maybe this is the work of the Royal guards…? Although, he wouldn’t know how they are managing to twist the human’s DNA to change into a Chimera Ant.

The creature pinning him against the stalagmite laughed at his relaxed figure “You lowered your guard! Didn’t think fish could jump, eh? I’ll crush you and the rock behind you!”

Killua flinched as the jaw tightened around him, begging him to cry out in agony. But he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction, nor would this ever be considered close to what he has endured from his family.

“Come on… Beg for your life. Otherwise, this won’t be fun! Or are you in too much pain to talk?”

“Actually…” Killua let a long sigh of relief “this feels like a massage.”

“Wh… What?”

The boy’s eyes glowed, staring directly into the eye of the one pinning him against the rocky structure “Dealing with you, is like going on spa vacation. Having to fight scumbags like you is so~ much easier.”

“Huh?”

Killua pulled his hand out of the creature’s mouth, showing off his claws “I have no qualms about killing you.” The boy whipped his hand, slicing through the large fish’s mouth, right through to the monster’s brain.

It fell into the water, feeding the rest of its ‘friends’. Killua took his time crossing from one platform to the next, reaching a section of the caves where he no longer had to jump from one platform to the next.

Upon landing, Killua wiped away some of the blood “Damn it. The bleeding won’t stop…” The boy’s eyes surveyed the area, checking so see if there was a way out. From how deep he was, it looked as though it was a long way up to before he escaped.

From the lack of air flow, it didn’t feel as though there were any quick escapes “I need to find an exit.”

Killua thought it was over for now, that he wouldn’t have to worry about any more attacks… at least for now. But it was like an endless barrage of events with him, one after another. Can’t he just catch a single break of more than two seconds?

A weird sound played off in the boy’s head, made him pause. It sounded like an unusual ringtone, one nothing that sounded anything remotely like his message tone. Then again, he highly doubted his reception could reach this far down, so there was no Gon or Daniel will be able to text him.

 _What was that…?_ Killua’s eyes skimmed the area, checking to see if there was something in the area that could make that kind of sound. _It sounded like it came from my head, but that’s just not poss-_

Killua felt like he was just stabbed in the hand, his eyes looking down at what had hit him. It was a Needlefish, stabbed through the back of his right palm. _Where did this Needlefish come from?_ There was nobody nearby, and he didn’t see the fish come out of anywhere, until it pierced his body.

 _What’s going on?! I didn’t sense anything!_ A second one hit him, this time appearing in his chest. He only saw it the moment it penetrated his chest. _Again… I didn’t see anything or sense any aura until the fish hit me!_ The boy pulled the fish in his right palm out, excruciating pain ripping throughout his body.

The effect caused him to see things, imagine things that weren’t there before. Now he could see a pattern, like a target system spreading throughout his chest and arms. It had a four colour pattern; red, blue, black and white. A circle in the middle leading out to tringles with another ring where the colour system shifted to blue and red.

It looked as though it was some kind of dartboard target printed on his body and clothes. _What’s going on?_ Killua saw another fish hit him in the chest, joining the second pressed into his chest. _This is bad… I can’t tell were the attacks are coming from._

“~”

Daniel stopped grabbing his right palm from the sudden pain spreading throughout his hand. It felt like he was just stabbed, but there was nothing there. So it couldn’t have been what shot those flea-bullets earlier.

But that wasn’t the only thing that occurred at that very second. The moment he felt the pain in his hand, was the same moment he could no longer feel Killua. His aura reacted in confusion, disorientated from whatever was affecting Killua right now.

He felt something enter his chest next, but like his palm, there was nothing there. The boy became increasingly worried, running towards the last location he felt Killua. A third pain ripped through the same place as the second spot, causing Daniel to pick up speed.

He hoped he can reach Killua in time, and that whatever Killua was experiencing right now, wasn’t as disastrous at what he was experiencing.

“PLEASE make it in time… PLEASE let Killua be alright!”

“~”

A laugh echoed in Killua’s mind, the boy looking around to pin point the direction “108 points...” No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find the origins “You have no idea what’s going on? I should say that you’re hearing my voice in your head. Well, if you survive long enough, you’ll figure out what’s happening.”

The moment the man’s words finished, the two Needlefish in his chest vanished, turning into aura particles. _These are fish made from Nen. So why can’t I sense them? Something must be triggering them from somewhere else. That’s the only possible explanation! How else could I be attacked by something I can’t see or sense?_

Killua felt another three from fish hit him, one in his left shoulder, the second in his right   
mid-waist and the third in his left mid-waist. Like earlier they vanished a few seconds later.

“This is going well…”

Killua felt the next set of attacks; one in his left wrist, just missing the bone, the second in his right arm, just below the join bone and the third in his left foot. Like the second set, they disappeared after a few seconds.

“Well, have you determined anything about these attacks?”

 _Three… He can only materialize three fish at once. After that, the fish will disappear. And the vivid colours of the target he put on me…_ Killua grit his teeth at the question, several thoughts and ideas linking to a single game.

It definitely had to do with darts, as the attacks always came in threes, his markings look like a dart board and the Needlefish act like darts penetrating a board… in his case his body, was the board. _It can only mean one thing!_

Killua ran near to the water, checking his reflection to make sure his assumption was right “Your power involves darts!” His whole body looked like a dart board, and whomever he was fighting was playing darts, the only problem was which game of darts the voice was playing…

The next set of attacks began, one hitting him in the right shoulder. There were several variations of the same game, and there was no indicator of which version the enemy was playing. He needed just a single clue, and then he’ll be able to figure out how to defend against the attack.

“Bingo! That’s correct… But the great thing about our power is that figuring it out won’t help you. Because my _Nen_ fish darts have no physical form until the instant they pierce your flesh. That makes it impossible to block them…”

Killua ripped out the fish, discarding it on the floor. He had a clue thanks to the man. The darts appear right as they piece his skin. They don’t materialise in his flesh.

“Incidentally, your left shoulder is 54 points. I have a dart board that’s linked to various parts of your body. For instance…” The words gave Killua another clue, just as a fish hit him a second time “your right elbow is 27 points. Your right hand is 18 points. 99 points…”

Killua felt the third fist hit his hand, making it another set. He knew the name of the game they were playing, 01-501. Now all he needed to do, was recount the points back in his head. He can’t alert the enemy that his figured out the game their playing… at least for now. _You’re going to lose… I’ll make sure of it!_

Killua began counting backwards, using the 501 as his main reference. That means there’s 357 points on the board right now.

“Hey, what’s wrong…? I can’t hear your screams. Are you already dead? The game’s only just begun…”

Killua felt the next set pierce his body, the boy falling flat on his butt. The game was long, and he had to survive every set of attacks. How many sets was it now? Four? In a worst-case scenario, he’d have to survive at least ten rounds; thirty in a worst-case scenario. 270 points remaining.

Another set began, this time in the stomach. That makes it three times in the chest now.

“We are invincible. That is because…” Killua heard a second voice, this one being a female “We are bound by the strongest trust in the world.” The two of them may be either lovers or siblings. From the way they spoke, they might be closer to siblings…

Killua panted, pierced with too many holes he was bleeding out of. He didn’t know how long he’ll last, and hopefully the game doesn’t go on any longer than ten rounds. _It isn’t over yet…_  That makes 171 points remaining now.

The boy got up, waiting for the next attack and the second hit of that set. He got hit in the chest this time, close to his left set of ribs. This time the force knocked him over, his body feeling too weak to stand on its own.

Killua slowly stood up once more, only to have his weight pull him down once more. He could only kneel on one leg as he caught his breath, trying to stand up again. _It’s not… It’s not over yet!_ Killua brought his body up, standing like a zombie shambling around as the set ended on a Needlefish hitting his left leg.

The force knocked him down once more, Killua gritting his teeth, grinding them down as he bit back his groans of agony. He won’t give them the satisfaction of his cries of agony. _Damn… This looks pretty bad…_ 82 points.

Blood pooled around his body, leaking out of every piece of flesh stabbed by the ‘dart’ Needlefish as they vanished. At this rate, he’d die of blood loss before the last set. _I’ve lost way too much blood. I could die here, so no point in saving what’s left._

Killua kneeled once more, letting his aura flow around him. He let his electricity flow through him, relaxing his muscles as he awaited hopefully the last set. The first dart pierced his left ear, making him flinch, though not enough to make his posture falter.

The next attack pierced his right calf, the boy smiling as he held up his hand to his forehead. This is the last attack. Since he started on a double in, that meant his last attack was going to be a double out. It helped knowing that the dart had to score forty points. And the double twenty, just happened to be where his head was.

Killua felt his electricity funnel through his body, bolstering his hand reflexes. He knew that the Needlefish appears right before piercing, so all he had to do, was catch it the moment it appears.

He felt the last attack, right as it was just about to piece his body, his fingers clamping down on the piece of fish. Killua got up, shambling over to the octopus’ tentacle he severed earlier.

Panting, the boy snapped the Needlefish’s nose in half before removing a suction cup off the tentacle, replacing what used to be a nose with the suction cup. He rammed it into his head, making sure to keep it in the position where it makes the enemy believe they killed him.

 _Done… I’m gonna kill you for using my body as a dart-board_. Killua fell over, drawing a fake last breath. Now all he has to do is wait for the brother and sister to find his motionless body.

“~”

Daniel felt the aura trail waver, slowly losing its fortitude. It was as if was losing its potency… or worse, it was losing Killua. The boy picked up the pace, running as fast as his body could take him.

He can’t lose Killua, not now… not when he was so close, or at least he hoped he was close. It was hard to tell, seeing as the durability of the aura string was thinning at a much faster pace, than it was recovering.

He could only hope that he was able to reach Killua in time, and that his boyfriend’s wounds aren’t as bad as he was imagining it was.

“~”

Killua heard the water stir, wet feet making ‘splat’ noises as they stepped around him. He made sure to hold his breath, making it seem as though he had drawn his last minutes ago.

The first person to speak was the female of the pair, her eager voice failing to hide her emotions of euphoria “You hit him right in the forehead.”

The two were silent, Killua waiting for a clue on whether or not the two of them were nearby. It was the girl who alerted, Killua whom was still playing dead of some good news “Great! We can be assistant squadron leaders now!”

Killua heard the two celebrating prematurely. The boy opened one eye, peeking to see what the two of them were doing. The siblings were clapping their hands together, giddy with the rewards they were about to receive.

Killua however didn’t care about the reward, from the way they acted, they had clearly already alerted the Chimera Ant in the sky that he, was dead. And that’s all that matters right now, the enemy believing he was dead.

Killua’s next move was quick and quiet, decapitating the celebrating siblings. The act had pushed his body over the edge, causing the boy to collapse back onto the floor with a loud groan. He didn’t think moving his body that quickly would cause him to recoil in pain, hitting the floor once more with a ‘thud’.

“H- How?”

The boy shifted, trying to stand up again, but his body wouldn’t allow it. So instead, he settled with sitting comfortably, at least until he had the strength to stand. Killua’s glassy eyes observed the floor as the male Chimera Ant continued to question his earlier act “How can you be alive with a dart sticking out of your brain?!”

Killua pretended to act unfazed, even with all the wounds continuously emitting blood. What was once dead, Killua’s eyes returned to life, staring up at the fish still attached to his head.

With a ‘pop’ the boy removed the Needlefish, showing the plunger suction cup off to the two heads laying perfectly vertical on the ground. It was amazing feat, seeing the two heads standing upright considering he was not only very weak, but he was only aiming to chop off their heads.

“What?”

“It’s a suction cup from an octopus.”

“S- Seriously?! No way… How did you mange that trick?” The man shook his head at the question, Killua finding it humorous, seeing as it looked like he was saying ‘no’ sideways, instead of trying to shake the disbelief away “No, wait… My… My darts were perfect! It’s absolutely impossible to stop them!”

Killua gestured to his body riddled with wounds “Does it look like I stopped them?! Seriously… I didn’t stop it. I just grabbed it, the moment it materialized at my head.”

The bodiless man stared in disbelief at the boy, which made Killua sigh at the reaction “From what you were saying, I could tell you could hear my voice, but couldn’t see me. Not only that, you gave plenty of clues how your ability worked. All I had to do, was switch out the needle for a suction cup.”

“H- Hold on… No human has reflexes fast enough to catch a dart!”

Killua smirked at the man’s response, silently chuckling at the request for more information. While he won’t give away all the details as a magician never reveals his secrets, he’d at least tell them how he managed to outwit them “Well, it wouldn’t have been possible had I not know where it would appear. But I knew exactly where and when the last dart would hit. The final dart must hit the board’s outer winger per double out rules. And you were playing a 01-501 game.”

Killua’s smile grew at the two siblings’ reaction “You start with 501 points, and the goal is to reach 0. These rules are used in professional competition.”

“I n-never told you what rules I was using!”

“As soon as I knew you were playing darts, my suspicions were confirmed.” _It also helped by you stating how many points you scored that one round…_ Killua raised a finger, pointing it at the male Chimera Ant’s head “Remember how your first dart hit double 4? The game starts by hitting the board’s outer ring. A double in… a sign that you were confident in your skill. A skilled player would play by official rules. Players with talent and confidence tend to seek public recognition.”

Killua looked away, staring back at the ground “After that, I just had to do the math and endure the pain. I subtracted your points from 501, and waited until your score was under 40.” Killua brought his hand to his head, mimicking his earlier actions to stopping the last dart “At that point, I place my hand in the 40-point area, my forehead. That’s all it took.”

The man began to sweat bullets, freaking out from the thoughts that followed. There was no way this was true, but he just had to know “Do you have some history with darts?”

Killua’s smile widened at the question, smirking from his own cerebration “At age six, I mastered the game. Sorry, but I had to learn these kind of things… I’ve even counted down from 1,440 points. It was part of my early training.” _I never thought that would come in handy later in life though… so thanks for proving weeks of training to not be useless._

Killua pushed his body, getting up as he heard the sibling squabble over themselves. He had been so engrossed in his explanation, a second thought crossed his mind as he was getting up. _Actually, I might have been seven…_ Killua shambles around the room, heading deeper into the caves.

 _I guess it doesn’t matter anymore…_ He had only one job now, and that was to get out alive. Killua pressed a hand to one of the many wounds, pressing forward as his blood continued to drip. _It didn’t help I talked for way too long. I need to hurry!_

After a minute of walking, Killua collapsed onto the floor, falling backwards. Something felt very wrong with his body. _Huh…?_ It didn’t want to listen to him, remaining motionless on the ground. He could see the roof of the cave, even though it was becoming more blurry with each passing second. _What…? My body won’t do what I tell it to… Wait, this can’t be happening! Is this actually really happening right now…?_

Killua attempted to get up, only to fall face first into something wet and sticky. He couldn’t make it out, but he knew this texture well from his childhood. _Wow… that’s a lot of blood… It feels like my cold body is taking a really warm bath right now._

 _Shit…_ Killua flinched from his dying thoughts. He couldn’t be thinking about taking a ‘warm bath’ in his own blood right now. _This isn’t the time to think about that… I should get going._

Killua held out his hand, but the longer he strained his eyes, the harder it was to see his own hand in front of him. _So that’s what it felt like… Crap, now I feel the coldness…_

 _Hehe…_ Killua chuckled deliriously. _And I just thought of a really cool idea for my next use of **Hatsu** … a way to improve my power._

_Am I… Is this where I die…? Sorry, Gon… Alluka… Daniel… I guess I failed… I guess I wasn’t able to help you much…_

_You know what really sucks…_ The boy felt himself sobbing, chuckling like he just lost the plot. _I can’t believe I’m thinking of this right now. I’m gonna die a virgin…_

“~”

Daniel felt a pang in his own heart, feeling at loss. It was like his aura could no longer feel Killua. He knew the last location, but even then, he couldn’t ‘sense’ any life at the end of his trail.

Panic filled the boy’s eyes, aura flaring at the prospect of finding his dead boyfriend at the end of his _Nen_ trail. He swears to whatever god exists, if he finds his boyfriend dead at the end of his string of aura…

The boy’s eyes turned red, the glow around his body turning into a dark, navy, malicious colour, sparking the surrounding animals hiding in the trees to run away. _I will hunt down EACH and EVERY Chimera Ant in a two-meter radius…_

The thought made the boy’s aura flair around him, unconsciously teaching himself _En_ in the process. _And kill you!_

Kicking off the ground, the boy made a small crater, throwing dust up into the air as his body was pushed over his limits, red eyes glowing with hatred, heading to Killua’s last location.


	105. Please X Don’t X Die

Killua thought all was lost, but standing before him, was a person he would’ve never thought, he’d be the last person to see him alive. The octopus he saved earlier was looking down at him, as if expecting him to say something.

The boy jokingly thought, that man was there to put him out of his misery. Except, he didn’t look like he planned to lay a hand on him at time soon “Octopus…?”

The Octopus man screamed loudly at him, even when he was so close to dying “Don’t call me an octopus!” The next thing Killua felt, was his body being dragged, tentacles grabbing and holding his motionless body into the air.

The boy half expected his motionless body to be shaken half to death, or at least thrown around like a rag doll. Instead, he felt the gentle tentacle arms caress his body, pressing his own against what he assumed was the octopus’ head.

Killua let out a groan, wondering what was going on. Where did the Chimera Ant plan to take him “What are you doing?”

The creature took off quickly, running through a series of caves as he addressed the boy’s concerns. Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t waste any, or stop moving “Isn’t that obvious? I’m turning traitor… Lame, huh? Now stop talking.”

Killua laughed at the series of jokes flying out of the man’s mouth, but something then caught his attention. He gasped in pain, the aura following around him constricting. Daniel was coming, and he was infuriated, maybe even feeling like taking revenge. He had to let the man know, at least before he passes out “H- He-”

“Don’t talk!”

Killua clenched his teeth, screaming as loudly as he could “Let go! Daniel’s coming!”

“Huh-” The creature felt a malicious aura hit him, surrounding his body as his head snapped in the opposite direction. His whole body stopped, frozen by the unknown force. The next thing he saw was a black blur, followed by a weight being lifted of his head.

He blinked several times, turning to look and see if whatever ran past now had the boy. He saw another kid holding him, tears running down his face as he caressed the white-haired boy in his arms.

“Killua… Killua! Don’t you dare die! Wake up!” Daniel at this point started to shake Killua, hoping to rise him from the dead. He didn’t want to lose him.

“I can-” The octopus tried to reason with the kid, but he was unable to even get a few words out. Dark red eyes met his, a large weapon being drawn, pointed at him. It shook in his hands, rattling as it was trying to aim it at the octopus “Don’t… SPEAK! I’ll kill you for hurting Killua! I’ll… I’ll kill-”

“Daniel…”

Daniel shifted his attention downward, looking Killua in the eyes. His eyes were barely open, unable to look back. Daniel took the opportunity to run his fingers across Killua’s cheek, pleading with the boy to stay awake “Yes, I’m here… Stay with me! Everything is going to be alright! I’ll call Gon… or Knov! SOMEONE! They’ll get you to a hospital, and then we can save you… just hold on.”

Killua voice was strained, trying to look at Daniel. But all he could see was a blurry image. He could hear Daniel curse loudly, swearing most likely from the lack of reception down here. There was someone the boy felt he could trust, and Daniel would continue to not trust with him, unless Killua gave the ok.

“Daniel-”

“Hush, it’s ok! I’ll protect you! I just find my way up and then try-”

“BAKA… Trust him!”

Daniel saw Killua’s eyes slowly shut, his body stiffing. He could still feel a heartbeat, but who knew how long that would last for. Who did Killua want him to trust… the octopus?

The boy looked up, once more, trusting Killua command. If the octopus was the one Killua wanted him to trust, he’ll trust him “Where… where were you taking Killua?”

“I know a secret doctor. It won’t take long by underground water way…”

Daniel stood up, holding Killua close to him. He could feel the sticky blood dripping onto his clothes, but that didn’t matter right now. All that matter, was saving Killua “Alright, lead the way…”

The octopus took off, Daniel following the man close by. A thought crossed his mind. If in the end, the octopus lead them into a trap. _I will just kill him… I’ll kill all of them…_ “What’s your name?”

“Ikalgo…”

Daniel offered the man a fake smile “And why are you willing to help Killua, especially with so much at stake, Ikalgo?”

“Because he called me a ‘cool’ guy…” Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Ikalgo’s words. That was hardly a reason to stake your life on anything, but then again… his staked his like on feelings too.

The reason he’s in East Gorteau, was because he wants to be by Killua’s side. Ikalgo didn’t stop at that reasoning alone, he continued on “Even when I look like this, an ugly looking octopi, he said I could’ve been his friend…”

Daniel broke out in laughter, two scenarios he would have never seen coming a mile away. One dropping all their allies for just a ‘friend’, and the second, Killua admitting that he would’ve been friends with someone given that chance.

The laughter caught Ikalgo off guard, the water way they needed to ride meters away “What’s funny?”

“Because months ago, it took forever for Killua to accept I was a friend…” Daniel ran fingers along the boy’s face, removing some of the stray hair hiding his boyfriend’s unconscious face “It makes me jealous… Alright, Ikalgo, if your help me, save Killua, you’ll make another friend. My name’s Daniel Darkscryer, and this is Killua Zoldyck… My boyfriend.”

The words took a while for Ikalgo to registered, but when he did, he freaked just like when Killua caught up to him in seconds. Sure, he has heard of guys liking guys, but never in his life, would he ever imagine someone would openly admit that…

Especially seeing as the guy, he just announced was his boyfriend was unconscious, unable to vouch for himself. But, from the earlier actions of Daniel; holding Killua in his arms, crying, begging, pleading for the boy to wake up… Those hopeful eyes staring down as Killua’s conscious returned for a few moments…

Those were love-stuck eyes, if he has ever seen any…

Ikalgo stopped at the water way, clenching his tentacles as he looked down “Follow me, because it’s tricky to get to. Make sure Killua holds on…”

Daniel held the boy even closer “I’ll keep him alive, even if I have to chase after death… and drag Killua’s soul back with me!”

Ikalgo jumped into the water with Daniel following right after.

Those words somehow made the kid sounded cooler. If Killua had friends like this, willing to protect and save him no matter how hard they struggle, then betraying his comrades for this kind of friendship would be better.

To each other, ants were nothing more than tools to be disposed of. But with Killua, and his friends, they sound as though they treated each other like comrades, exactly like… his past life. Thoughts of his earlier life flashed before him, him and friends working together with **Gyro**.

He’d have to explorer those thoughts later, because right now, he needed to save a friend.

“~”

Daniel collapsed into a nearby chair, crying in relief. They made it, just in time… the doctor even made it clear, saying a couple of minutes later, they wouldn’t be able to save Killua.

Although, he was unable to go in a watch. Then again, it probably was for the best. He didn’t know if he could stomach the thought of watching Killua having his skin cut into, and then stitched up.

Tears flowed freely, allowing himself to cry all the frustrations he had held onto for so long. Killua was strong… he’ll survive this. And that meant he too could survive, knowing that Killua was going to be alright.

The boy drew his hand to his pocket, wondering how much it was going to cost them. While Killua was getting fixed up, that didn’t mean they’ll complete the procedure for free “Thank you, Ikalgo… You helped Killua… you helped me… You really are cool.”

“Heh…” Ikalgo smiled, finding himself blush from the words. He could really get used to this, being called _cool_. For his whole life, he didn’t like anything about himself. But now, being called cool multiple times in one day… it really was awesome “It’s ok… I’ve known about this place for a while. Actually, we should really go get a change of clothes for the three of us.”

Daniel nodded, opening his wallet to pull out his Licence and bank card. He should have plenty enough saved in order to pay for a set of clothes and Killua’s procedure. The boy stood up, taking a few steps away from the seat “Sure, just show-”

Daniel felt his hand clasp his face, head pounding in his skull.

“Daniel…?”

He didn’t know what was happening? All this pain swirling around his mind, his vison becoming fuzzy. Had the adrenaline run out, and was all the damage he received earlier finally kicked in? _Shit…_ Daniel ran his fingers across the left side of his face, running over the wounds he received earlier.

He had forgotten about the wound in his left temple and chest. Actually, now that he thought about it, had he stopped bleeding from the wounds at any point? The boy collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, hand reaching out.

He could hear Ikalgo screaming his name and for a doctor, but all he could care about, was if he’d see Killua ever again.

Daniel felt his hand become heavy, dropping to the floor with a thud. _I… Will I get to see you again, Killua…?_

“~”

Ikalgo was left alone, sitting on a chair between both of the boys he was lucky, to have made two new friends… but both of them were unconscious now, because of his earlier actions. Those wounds on Daniel, were the same wounds he caused on Killua…

Upon making friends, he was the cause for putting both of them in a coma-like state. It was close to two days already, and neither one them were planning to wake up anytime soon. They were stable though.

Still, he didn’t feel alone all that time. He had new memories, ones sparked by a budding friendship. He could barely make out the distinguishing features of his past life friends, but two names came to mind **Zaikahal** and **Gyro**. With time, maybe more will come back to him. But now, those names were the only two things he remembers, as of now.

All other details were obscure, but now he remembers the name Gyro, he heard of an ant leaving way earlier than the others. And now that he thinks about it, others had mentioned the word ‘Gyro’ being muttered.

That couldn’t have been a coincident. Maybe if he spoke to other ants that join his cause, maybe, just maybe he could piece a few clues as to where Gyro is now. Ikalgo found himself looking up once again, staring at Killua.

He felt bad for littering the boy with several bullets, and once he woke up, he’d have to apologize. He was the reason he was in a coma right now. The same has to be said to Daniel as well, though he was surprised that the boy had dropped a little later than Killua…

Then again, Killua had been shot and stabbed several times, by two different ants.

Ikalgo felt his eyes widened when he heard a quiet groan, followed by the sounds of sheets rustling. His eyes turned to the area, surprised to see that Daniel was the first to wake. He suspected Killua to wake up first, consider that boy powered through all the attacks like a tank.

“Oh, you’re awake…”

“What year is this…?” Daniel groaned as he received a puzzled from the octopus “What do you mean year? It’s only been nearly two days…”

Daniel snapped wide awake, concerned for someone other than himself “Wait, two days?! What about-” when the boy turned to face Ikalgo, he could see Killua just behind him, alive and well. Tears fell at the sight before him “Kil… Killua’s fine?”

“Oh…?” Ikalgo turned around to face the boy in question “Yes, they wheeling him in a couple of hours after you. He should be fine after a couple of days of rest. Also… your clothes were destroyed and-”

“Forget the clothes… all that matters right now, is Killua is alive. Clothes can be replaced. What about my wallet, my phone…? It must have gone off by now?”

“About that… they may have taken your stuff.”

Daniel’s eye twitched “What do you mean they took our stuff… Wait, my necklace?!”

“They took that…”

Daniel clenched his fist “Do you have my wallet at least?”

“No…”

Daniel let out a long-frustrated sigh. What else did they take from him? “Do you at least have my cards…?”

“No…” Ikalgo felt flustered from being put in the spot, question over and over again by a new friend. Daniel long guttural sigh made the octopus look up at him “I’m sorry…”

“It’s ok…” Daniel admit after a while. He could deal with this. He’ll just ask for Gon to bail him out, and then he’ll bail Killua out “At least they gave us a spare gown and-?” Daniel pulled his waist band back, only to find he wasn’t wearing anything underneath “Oh…” The boy let it snap back, wincing for the loud ‘snap’ “Ok, well… looks like-”

“Oh, one of you is awake? That’s great.” Daniel looked towards the voice, finding a middle-aged woman with an unreadable expression. The boy’s eyebrows knitted together, a little peeved to see one of the nurses addressing him so calmly, after having stolen their gear “Yeah, I’m fine for the moment. Look, can I have my stuff, so I can pay you for your _hospitality_ …?”

“Nope! Not when you owe us 1.4 million Jenny.”

“How about you give me just my wallet, and I’ll double that!”

“I don’t trust you. You could run off without pay-”

“And why would I leave my partner here behind? That’s the dumbest _shit_ I’ve heard…”

“If you can’t pay, I’ll take body parts in-”

“How about… Noooo do you have a phone at least? I could call a friend?”

“Sure…” An evil smile crossed her face, making Daniel shiver at the thought. _This is gonna cost me…_

“~”

Daniel dial Gon’s number, pressing the phone to his ear. As he was dialling, the nurse decided to let him know about the shadow cost “Oh, it costs 10,000 Jenny per minute.”

“Seriously?!” As Daniel posed the question, he heard Gon’s voice “Hello…?”

Daniel was about to open his mouth, but then he thought that might be a bad idea. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he spoke into the receive “Hey, Gon, I-”

“DANIEL?!” The scream echoed loudly in the hallways, bouncing off every wall in the process. He had a feeling Gon would be this loud, but not expect seven-hundred questions to be fired off one-after-another so rapidly “Where are you? Are you okay? What happened? Where’s-”

“Gon! Hush… I’ll tell you when I get my stuff back! I need you to send some money to…” Daniel held out his hand, telling the nurse to give him the bank details. After reading the numbers out to Gon, he made sure the boy had it written down at least “Did you get it?”

“Yeah…”

“Send… 1.4 million… and 50,000 Jenny to that account. I’ll sort out Killua’s end, and then I’ll ring you back as soon that’s all done. Deal?”

“Yeah… I have so much stuff to tell you about!”

Daniel let out a sigh of relief “You and me both… Oh, and before I go… Killua is ok.” He could sense the smile on Gon’s face, especially seeing as it reverberated in the boy’s words “That’s great to hear!”

Daniel smile back at the receiver, pressing it down to end the call. He couldn’t afford to be charged hundreds and thousands more Jenny. For now, he’d just have to wait it out.

“~”

Daniel was left to converse with Ikalgo as they sorted through racks of clothing. He managed to find a replacement pair of clothing for Killua, but unlike his mess of an attire, he was left sorting through racks of clothing.

“Ikalgo, thanks for helping Killua and I earlier. It really means a lot to us…” The boy found himself smiling, even when it wasn’t being directed to the man the statement applied to.

Ikalgo grabbed a piece of clothing the boy asked him to look out for “How about this?”

Daniel shifted attention, looking at the article of clothing in question. It was a black military-style jacket, designed to cover up to the nose “I like it! Grab it for later… So, Ikalgo, what do you plan to do now? You can’t go back now… seeing as you helped the enemy. You’re welcome to join us… if you like?”

“What?!”

“I’m serious… having allies like you… well, it would help us even more. What Killua was doing, was trying to save as many people as he could in this country. He was trying to stop the selection process… you could help us, by telling as much as you can about the enemies in that building…”

Daniel scratched his chin at the next thought, wondering if he was pushing Ikalgo too much. Maybe the Chimera Ant wouldn’t want to help him fight against his old allies, which was ok too. Someone shouldn’t join a fight against their old friends “But… If you don’t want to join us, Killua and I would put in a good word for you! I’m sure Knov or even Morel, would be willing to help you evacuate from East Gorteau, Peijing…”

“B- But…”

Daniel drew his attention to Ikalgo once more, waiting for the octopus to speak. The man may have serious concerns to address, ones that may sway even his opinions “What I did… I wouldn’t… I don’t deserve to join you… I…”

Daniel drew his attention back through the rack of clothing “Look, I have a gut feeling you may have been the one to shoot us… But let’s look at this way. I love Killua, without a doubt… If you compared my life with his, automatically… you be thinking… now they’d never work. Killua… and I shouldn’t even be saying this. Killua, is an Ex-Assassin…”

Daniel stopped checking the rack, moving to another as he spoke calmly to the octopus “He doesn’t like the family job, so this… travelling the world with Gon and I, checking to see what he wants to do. Now maybe, in the future, we can’t continue to date, so for one reason or another, the relationship falls out. I’ll be devastated, but unfortunately, it happened… Somewhere along the way, say… Killua falls in-love with a girl, or another guy… maybe it turns out better for him in the long run… we don’t know these things…”

Daniel stopped his thoughts, quirking an eyebrow for a second “Wait, I’ve lost where I was headed with that… Oh, that’s right.” The boy smacked a fist in one hand “If what I had with Killua, changes him even in the tiniest of ways, making an impact with his life… I know I left a part of myself with him. I helped him find something about himself… Now if we do continue to date so far into the future, I would be there for a long chunk of his life… I stood by his side through the good and bad…”

The boy offered a smile as he ran his fingers through the rack, stopping at a pair of black shorts that go well with the jacket Ikalgo picked out “I helped him overcome, something, no matter how small… and made Killua a better person… hopefully for the better. I’m not the Midas touch of all things good, the shining example when it comes to helping others… Gon takes that cake!”

Daniel paused for a moment, laughing at his long confusing story. He had no sense of direction, wondering why he was bouncing from one place to the next “So, what you should take from that word vomit… Is, the past is so long, if you got lost in it, you’ll forget the person you have become now. Sure, you hurt us… sure… I’m still hurt, maybe even angry… but if you didn’t step in and help us… Killua would be dead, and I’ll be either dead, lost, crying or hunting down ants… maybe even a mixture of the four.”

Daniel flicked his hand through the last rack, grabbing a plain white shirt “Alright, I’m done. We should go back and check on Killua. Can you hand me the jacket; I’ll pay for these while you go check on him…? I don’t wish to leave him in a state of confusion.”

Ikalgo nodded, thanking Daniel for the talk as he left the boy alone.

Daniel found himself losing his smile as he bounced back to an old thought in his word vomit.

**_Now maybe, in the future, we can’t continue to date, so for one reason or another, the relationship falls out._ **

He didn’t know how he would really react, but one thing was for sure… If he continued to keep Sakura a secret, he definitely wouldn’t deserve to be by Killua’s side… He held that secret for far too long, and never once told his boyfriend anything…

Daniel pulled out his phone, hovering over to Gon’s contact. _After this, promise me you’ll help me… Promise me… that no matter what, I can still be by Killua’s side! I know you asked me to keep this lie… and I should’ve gone against you… but I really am in-love with Killua. I really enjoy spending every second with him… PLEASE, help me continue to be by his side…_

Daniel put his phone back in his pocket, heading towards the cash register to pay. _Please make this work…_

“~”

Ikalgo found Killua wide awake, staring at an empty wall in confusion. The boy must have been terrified, confused after having woken up all alone. The Chimera Ant crossed the room, greeting the confused boy “Oh? You’re wide awake?! How long have you been up? How are you feeling?”

Killua’s eyes stared at him, one eyebrow raised, as if he were trying to solve a Rubik cube with his mind “Wait, what?! Octopus! What’s going on?!”

“Don’t call me octopus!” Ikalgo got flustered from nickname he was given. The series of questions didn’t stop there, they instead ignored his fit of rage. More questions continued to fly out of the boy’s mouth “Where am I? How long was I out?”

Ikalgo stomped around the room, jumping up into one of the chairs lining the back of the wall. He was still pissed at the boy, but he probably should answer some of the questions.

At this very moment, Ikalgo was more surprised at how willing Daniel was to fork out a crazy amount of cash to hire Killua’s own private room. The boy didn’t even argue to drop down the price from 25 million Jenny. And now it looks like it was going to be a waste, considering it was only for a few hours “I told Daniel, but I might-”

“WAIT, Daniel’s here as well?!”

“YES! At least listen first…”

“Sorry…” Killua snickered at the flustered octopus hand gestures, and how quickly he went from calm to enraged in such a short time.

“This is an underground clinic for folks with roots in the underworld. You were out for two whole days. As for Daniel, he’s on his way…”

“Oh…” Killua ran a thumb across the back of his hand, imagining how badly his beat-up body looked to his boyfriend. He could only imagine what Daniel would say to him now that he’s awake “Octopus-”

“IKALGO… I-KAL-GO! My name is Ikalgo, not octopus!”

Killua’s expression widened for a moment, before settling down to a smirk. Once again, he has gotten Ikalgo flustered from a simple description. Although, there was a few things he wanted to find out first “Ikalgo, what did… How’s Daniel?”

Ikalgo raised an eyebrow at the question. Did Daniel lie to him? The concern in Killua’s voice said otherwise, but the question itself made the man pause “You mean your boyfriend?”

“Ah…” Killua scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly at the octopus. Of course, Daniel would announce that without a single afterthought, or worrying about the consequences others overhearing one of his many weaknesses. Then again, it wasn’t like they _couldn’t_ trust Ikalgo. He did save him after all… “Damn that idiot for spouting off stuff like that…”

“Huh?” Ikalgo caught the boy’s conscious statement, which Killua only ended up denying once again “Oh, ignore that. Where is the idiot hiding? Did he do anything… while I was unconscious?”

“Like, oh…” Ikalgo smacked one tentacle covered by a glove into his other tentacle covered palm “Spend 25 million on your own private room?”

“Eh?!” Killua looked mortified at the comment. He was expecting Ikalgo to say things worse than _that_. Then again, he did wake up all alone… whereas after hearing this was an underground hospital, he would’ve imagine this place to house at least several patients in a single room “He didn’t do anything weirder than that…?” _Like touch me?!_

“IDIOT!” Killua’s turned to the voice’s owner, cerulean blue meeting azure blue eyes. The voice just _had_ to belong to Daniel, and he just _happened_ to walk in at the worst time.

Daniel threw the bag of clothes across the room as he walked over to his boyfriend with tear-struck eyes, not expecting him to wake up at all on the same day. He thought Killua would’ve woken up later with considering his hazardous wounds. Yet, here the boy was, alive, awake, and well “I’m not the pervert here! You are!”

Killua recoiled at the statement, mouth twitching in disgust, couldn’t he have said it when Ikalgo wasn’t around. He didn’t have time to argue with Daniel, especially seeing as the boy had already crossed the room, wrapping his arms around him without a single concern.

He acted as though if he were to let go, Killua would relapse back into a coma, or disappear without a trace. It was nice to know Daniel was this worried about him, but couldn’t he do it when they were ALONE?! “Idiot, let go… You’re acting weirder than normal!”

“No! You almost died in my arms… It felt as though you _did_ die in my arms! I _need_ you… I STILL need you! If you died… I would have felt so lost… AND what about Gon?! What am I supposed to tell him…? How do you think he’ll go on his own against… against Neferpitou?!”

“Oi, oi, oi! Inside-”

The nurse that first greeted Daniel stormed right into the room, pissed off from all the commotion “What’s going on in here?! What’s with the- OH, the kid woke up?! That’s great! Now you can get out of here!”

Daniel laughed at the nurse’s response upon seeing Killua alive and well “That’s no way to treat your patient… especially, when the guy whom dropped a _large_ investment is standing right next to him.”

Killua rolled his eyes at Daniel as he thought about scoffing at the term _large_. 25 million is hardly large, then again, with a family like the Zoldycks 25 million would be considered spare change.

“Not when they screaming so loud, they’re disturbing other patients. Well, it’s good to see you alive and well. Now get out! I have other patients to fill this room with.”

Daniel scoffed as the nurse left “Wow, such a _nice_ nurse… It’s not like you weren’t bleeding half to death a couple of days ago.”

Killua attempted to get up, after the nurse left, which ended up provoking both Ikalgo and Daniel in the process.

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok-”

“You shouldn’t move around! Your wounds will reopen-”

“One of these things isn't like the other…” Killua smirked as he rolled out of the bed, stretching his limbs out as he pushed Daniel aside “Ikalgo’s more worried about me.”

Daniel rivalled Killua’s “Oh, it’s not like I wasn’t crying in your arms a couple of minutes ago. It’s not like I…” The boy moved around to the side of the bed, grabbing the bag of clothing he threw earlier to shake it “brought you a spare change of clothes.”

Killua looked at the bag, worried for a second. Hopefully it wasn’t a bad selection. Daniel wasn’t the best when it came picking out clothes.

Killua went through the bag, checking what clothes Daniel brought. The boy brought Killua up to speed, detailing some news after going AWOL the last couple of days “So while you were out, I took the liberty of speaking to Gon. He is worried about you, so you might want to ring him after getting dressed…”

“Hmm…” Killua hummed in acknowledgement as he held out the shirt. It wasn’t too bad, it actually surprised him for once. Although, it was a little more pinkish than purple like his last shirt, and the shorts were the same as his old ones, only with the blood washed out.

“Gon says we have a new ally, a Chimera Ant by the name of Meleoron. Apparently, he has a very powerful ability which we’ll be learning about once we get there. And apparently, the new friend is bonding with Knuckle as we speak. This could change our plans when it comes to defeating the King.”

Killua next grabbed the light green tank top, it didn’t go well with the light pinkish-purple shirt, but at least he could wear this by itself if he didn’t like the shirt. And it was cool he still had his old shoes, the hole made from the Needlefish being patched up.

Killua turned around, to remove his nurse gown, but when he started to remove his pants, Daniel freaked out “Wait, hold on! Let me leave with Ikalgo first…” However, the boy was already too late, Killua had already removed his pants before Daniel could finish his argument, forcing Daniel’s hand to cover both Ikalgo’s and his own face.

The Chimera Ant freaked out as he felt himself being lifted up and removed from the room. With a slam of the door, he was left alone, Daniel still in the room “Huh?!”

Daniel held the door shut with his body, face pressed into the door “They don’t supply underwear…”

Killua felt himself blush when he looked down. He was stark naked, and alone with Daniel… but once he thought about it, his boyfriend was in the worst position. Killua got a wicket grin, strutting over to Daniel while still naked.

He was going to have so much fun with him. Killua cooed sly as he spoke, accentuating every word as he drew lines on Daniel’s back with his finger “Oh, is somebody now shy all of a sudden… after saying how much _he_ _needed_ _me_ … hmm?”

Daniel shivered at the touch, both hating and enjoying every second of Killua’s teasing “N- NO… I do need y- YOU… just not LIKE-”

Killua drew a long line up Daniel’s back, smiling wickedly from how much he was getting away with “Like…? You said you needed me. And here I am… all alone with you? In what way do _you_ need _me_?”

Killua felt his body being shoved, pushed right up against the door, face-to-face with Daniel. From the other side he could hear Ikalgo pleading to know what’s going on, but that isn’t what’s drawing his attention, it was Daniel sobbing quietly.

Did he go too far with his teasing “WE’RE FINE!” the boy quickly changed his tune, whispered quietly to his boyfriend. He had to check and see if he was ok “What’s wrong… did I go too far?”

“No… It’s just I held you in my arms as you bleed out. You almost died a few days ago, and you’re acting as though none of that happened…”

Killua turned his head to side, avoiding the boy’s gaze. He just had to go and defuse the situation like that, ignoring all his advances, and only focus on the worst-case scenario “Sh- Shut up… You always say the worst things! You-”

“No, Ikalgo lead me here… I just held you… If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to save you!”

“Oi, oi, oi! Stop!”

Daniel face planted in Killua’s chest, trying to stop himself from crying further “I almost got you…”

Killua sighed in frustration, covering his eyes from all the attention he was getting from Daniel. Just once, could he stop… tormenting him with unabashed words “I’m ALIVE! You’re ALIVE! Stop crying, and look up!”

Daniel struggled to stop, but when he looked up, he found himself in awkward position. Killua had pressed himself against him, inciting the kiss for the first time. Killua must be blushing like crazy. But that wasn’t the only thing Killua had going on.

From the way Killua was pressed into him, he could feel something else twitching against him. Killua was standing at attention, _hard down there_. As much as the boy didn’t want to ask it, he had to ask.

He wanted to know why Killua got a hard-on? Was it was caused by being manhandled? Was it because he was naked? Or was it because of his body being pressed up against Killua’s?

Daniel pulled away slightly, embarrassed at the question he was about to ask “Killua… did you just get _hard_ from being man-handled or kissed?”

The next thing Daniel felt, was being smacked across the side of his face “You don’t say weird SHIT!”

Ikalgo blinks at the door, wondering what on earth is going on behind those closed doors?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** So, for the next month, I’ll have several holiday trips planned with my boyfriend. I’m going on a road trip, then to Japan in early-to-mid November for our anniversary, and then when we get back we’ll be going to Sydney at the end of November.
> 
> I’m not sure if I’ll get anything out at all during November, so I won’t get anyone’s hopes up during then. I’ll make sure I get at least one chapter up in December, if not I’ll wish everyone an awesome Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance!


	106. Knocking X Down X Barriers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I love Japan! The food was great and the weather wasn’t like Australia’s frequently changing moody weather. And their transportation was on point. We never experienced a delay once… I already miss it ;(

Daniel massaged his cheek as they headed towards the exit. He had no idea what he said wrong. All he wanted to know, was what caused Killua’s _down-south_ have an _uprising_?

He just wanted to know why it occurred, so that he could avoid it for next time. He’s not ready to rise to that occasion, or at least not mentally… yet! And why is Killua abusive to him and not Gon? He doesn’t see Killua knocking Gon out whenever he says weirder shit… wait, was he an exception?

Wait… was Killua a Tsundere? That kind of sucks if he is! Who knows how long he would have to endure through Killua’s hostile side before he mellows out…

Actually, what if he never mellows out…?

This was a serious concern! Daniel winced when he pushed a little too hard on his check “Ow…”

“Next time don’t say weird shit!”

“I was only concerned…”

“You have a weird way to saying it!”

Ikalgo’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, wonder when would be a good time to inject and question whatever happened in the room earlier? Was there _even_ a good time to ask?

Daniel pulled his hand away, wondering if the red hand print would disappear before they meet up with Gon and the others. When Killua saw the sign come into view, he picked up speed, practically running towards the entrance.

He couldn’t wait to ditch the hospital and get back into the battle. However, when the boy turned the door knob, he stopped to check behind him and see if he ran too fast for his new friend.

He managed to crack the door open a tiny bit before noticing Ikalgo wasn’t coming. He was almost at the other end of the hallway still, which made Killua confused.

Killua’s failure to open the door made Daniel turn around to see what’s wrong.

There Ikalgo was, at the other end of the hallways looking dazed, possibly confused. Actually, now that Daniel focused on the octopus, he was more perplexed, as if he was wondering if it was ok for him to join them.

“What are you doing? Let’s go!”

It was if Killua’s words revived the Chimera Ant from the dead, the octopus gasping in surprised from words “W… What?”

“What you mean _what?_ We’re gonna join our buddies…” The man’s blank stare only made the boy raise an eyebrow in concern. What was going through Ikalgo’s mind in order to cause the octopus to freeze up “I’ll introduce you to them…”

Ikalgo ran Daniel’s words from earlier through his mind once more, thinking about what the boy said earlier.

**_The past is so long, if you got lost in it, you’ll forget the person you have become now. Sure, you hurt us… sure… I’m still hurt, maybe even angry… but if you didn’t step in and help us… Killua would be dead, and I’ll be either dead, lost, crying or hunting down ants… maybe even a mixture of the four._ **

Would it still be ok to join them, when Daniel had been the only one to say anything? “But…” Would have Killua agreed with what Daniel said if he were in the room with them at that time? “I…”

Killua’s expression soften, able to see the concern being shown in the octopus’ face. Maybe Ikalgo just didn’t want to go with them, and he had no idea how to say it “Well, I won’t force you. I’ll just tell you this. Thank you…”

“Uh, wait… Actually… Is it really ok if I come? I mean, I’m just a…”

Killua’s eyes glanced in Daniel’s direction, only able to see the back of the boy’s head. He wondered what facial expression the boy was making “Did you say something to him?”

Daniel’s turned around, an expression bordered an almost smug one “I said a lot of things, things that you would’ve parrot…”

“Oh…” Killua faced Ikalgo once more, smiling at the man this time “So you’re still thinking about this, even knowing that we’re already friends?”

“So what Daniel said… It’s really… okay?”

“It isn’t about what’s okay. It’s whether you’re coming or not.” Killua pushed the door the rest of the way open, stepping out into the light. It blinded him for a moment, especially after not having seen it for two days straight. It’s a good thing it’s only morning, maybe late morning or even early afternoon, that gave them time to catch up to Gon and the others without having to run throughout the night.

The action caused Ikalgo to run after Killua crying in tears of joy, screaming at the top of his lungs in hopes of getting Killua to stop from running too far away “I’m going! I’m come with youse!”

Killua stopped turning around to face the man. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Daniel being the last to leave, closing the door behind him as he left.

Killua’s expression became neutral, unreadable as he spoke to the octopus “I want to make something clear. The next time something like this happens, I won’t bother thanking you. So, if something happens, and I end up helping you, you don’t need to thank me…”

Daniel could’ve sworn Killua glanced at him as he finished, as if telling him those rules now applied to him as well. That would be an interesting turn of events if that were the case… Then again, he highly doubted he’d stop saying ‘Thank you’ to Killua anytime soon.

Killua crossed his arms, expression softening “Friends are supposed to help friends.”

_On second thought, I don’t think those rules apply to me… I’m not your friend, I’m your boyfriend._

“From now on, we’ll be working together. So, we’ll be helping each other. Supporting each other isn’t a big deal. It’d be lame to thank each other for every little thing…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow as Killua finished, not really thinking it would be lame. Annoying, yes… Lame, no… But then again, he barely heard Ikalgo agreeing with Killua “Killua, I’m… I’m so happy, I could die!”

“Huh?!” Killua freaked out, jumping up onto one foot in surprise. He didn’t expect that to happen at all, to cause the octopus to cry out “Why are you crying?”

“Because…”

“You struck a nerve Killua…” Daniel interjected, closing the distance between him and his boyfriend. Daniel leaned onto Killua’s shoulder, wrapping one arm around Killua’s shoulder “You spoke the words Ikalgo has always wanted to hear, all this time… Am I right… _or am I right_?”

“Are you kidding me?!”

Ikalgo shook his head, wiping away every new tear that falls “He… He’s right! I’m crying because you’re doing this for me!”

Killua groaned out loud, frustrated at the situation “Seriously… Come on now!” Killua shrugged his partner’s arm off his shoulder, walking closer to Ikalgo. The boy stopped inches away, kneeling before his new friend.

Killua stared coldly into the octopus’ eyes “I want to make one more thing clear. The world you’re stepping into is far more brutal than the world of the Chimera Ants.” Killua’s words surprised Ikalgo, but that didn’t stop him from continuing.

Daniel’s smile faltered, knowing where Killua was about to head. Killua may be used to it, but for Daniel… hearing it come out of his boyfriend’s mouth hurts still. Hell, the same goes for when he hears himself say it…

Killua whispered the next part, making sure only Ikalgo could hear him “They seem similar, but there’s a huge difference between risking a life and throwing it away…”

The boy stood up this time, turning to face Daniel as his hands were pushed into his pockets “People staring death in the face every day don’t want to hear that someone’s ready to die. Only people who maintain a daily regimen to stay in tip-top shape, and can swallow just enough poison to fall short of a lethal does, get to survive. That’s how it goes…”

Even with Killua’s past, the boy still manages to look forwards thanks to a certain someone… a boy who also does the same. Killua cracked a smile, just like Gon would when he turned around to face Ikalgo “Are you ready to join us?”

Ikalgo matched the smile, head turning to face the floor. Now he knows why Daniel loves Killua so much… The boy sits on the fence of life and death, yet his eyes stare off into the fields of life, even with the claws of death lingering behind his back “That’s a foolish question. I see paradise before me. I’m going, no matter what it costs me…”

Killua smile widened even bigger at the words, this time turning to face Daniel. The boy’s eyes stared forward as he walked straight past Daniel.

Daniel thought he was going to be ignored, but just as the boy was passing him, Killua stopped to whisper something only he could hear “Are you coming… partner?”

Daniel’s smile returned, barely whispering a reply in return back to Killua “Hell yes!” Killua managed to step over a hurtle, referring to Daniel as _his_ partner. It still wasn’t the word the boy wanted to hear, but it was one step closer to being called _his_ boyfriend.

He wouldn’t dare say anything else other of fear from ruining the moment, so like a puppy, he’d follow Killua to the ends of the earth just to be by his side.

“~”

Ikalgo and the boys made for some small talk as they ran towards the hideout’s coordinates. They got to know Ikalgo a little better, including finding out clues about the other Chimera Ants’ abilities.

Apart from Flutter in the sky, Ikalgo told them little snippets about The King, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, Menthuthuyoupi, Hagya, Hana, Bloster, Cheetu, Meleoron, Welfin, Bat, Hollow, Inzagi, Maenore, Snake and Isone.

Isone was struck from the list, given that Daniel had already dealt with her… hopefully.

More names were stuck down when the two groups joined up, those being; Hagya, Bat, Hollow, Flutter, Snake and Meleoron, considering he was now on their side.

That meant only left ten apart from the King and his royal guards; Hana, Bloster, Cheetu, Welfin, Inzagi and Maenore were remaining. Ikalgo wasn’t able to tell much about their _Nen_ abilities, but at least the group knew how many more Chimera Ants were remaining in the palace grounds.

Meleoron looked like a human-looking chameleon, with his eyes bulging out and able to look in all directions. He wore a baggy style sweat suit, like the ones they sometimes saw people wearing in the gym.

Now that those details were sorted, Knuckle moved onto the main discussion, the plan to defeat the King. They had a basic map of the area thanks to Ikalgo and Meleoron’s help. “Using Knov-san’s **Apartment Complex** , eight people will infiltrate the palace. Shoot and me… Gon, Killua, Daniel, Meleoron, Ikalgo, and then Morel. A few seconds after us, the Chairman will enter from beyond Pitou’s _En_.”

Knuckle held out a finger, pointing at the third floor where the King would most likely be “During that time, we must draw the Royal Guard from the King. Gon, Killua, Daniel, and Ikalgo will go in first.”

Ikalgo freaked out, knowing that he’d be one of the first to enter. But that didn’t stop Knuckle from continuing with the plan “When we suddenly appear in the midst of the palace, their immediate reaction will be…”

“To protect the King with their lives.” Gon finished Knuckle’s statement for him.

Killua’s eyes narrowed slightly “They’ll probably use a formation like this…” Killua made a fist with one hand, as he used his other hand to make a tringle, hanging it over the top of his fist. He did it to show the King would be protected from all sides, surrounded by the Royal guards “Breaking it won’t be easy.”

Meleoron smiled widely, pointing a finger towards himself as he piped up “And that’s where I come in.” The man continued on discussing his main two abilities **Perfect Plan** and **God’s Accomplice**.

**Perfect Plan** is activated by holding his breath. He uses an advanced form of invisibility, becoming not only invisible, but also completely undetectable by scent, contact, or even _En_. That meant no one, even when they’re right in his face would notice him.

**God’s Accomplice** takes **Perfect Plan** one step further, by applying the same technique to someone else when he holds their hand.

As soon as Meleoron was done explaining his ability, Killua launched right into making the plans to take down the king.

“~”

After a whole day, the foundation was finally set. After much debate, Killua combined two teams with two of their newest members. It still left Morel on his own, but at least now, Daniel had an idea of where he was stationed.

Killua’s plan was finally fleshed out, a stick being pointed at the King’s most likely location “Okay, any questions?”

Daniel had listen to Killua’s words intensely, wondering how his ability would fit in with protecting Ikalgo while he helps his friends deal with Pitou, as the group has now nicknamed them. Curling his shadows around Pitou wouldn’t work, as they’re a lot stronger than what he would normally have to deal with.

Maybe he could use his shadow as a distraction, causing the cat-like androgynous looking person’s attention to snap towards it. Cats are easily distracted... right?

Other than that, he had no real questions to ask, nor should anybody else for that matter. The plan was pretty well fleshed out… or so the boy thought.

Gon held up a hand, concerned about something Killua didn’t address “Uh, about Palm…” Killua turned to face Gon, frowning from the question he was about to hear. He couldn’t care about that paedophile grubby-handed woman! She forced Gon to go on a date with her, and even after getting her way, she forced the boy to write apology-after-apology… Gon shouldn’t care about that hoe at all!

Yet here Killua was, listening to Gon’s stupid, incoming question “Can we do anything to learn what’s happened to her?”

Killua let out a long sigh of frustration “She’s either dead or in hiding…” the boy knew he couldn’t voice his real opinion on the matter, at least while Ikalgo, Knuckle, Shoot and Meleoron is in the room. They don’t know what she really tried to do with Gon… or at least some of them don’t “If she’d gotten out, she’d have contacted us. If she were captured, she’d have taken her own life. When she left, she was prepared for that.”

Shoot chimed in, expression unreadable like his tone “If we try to check in on her, it would be an insult to her resolve…”

“Not only that… We don’t have a way to actually reach her. Unless one of us can communicate through the shadows… WITHOUT startling the enemies, it would be a waste of time mulling over how we can reach her…” Daniel added his own thoughts to the conversation, regardless of what the others opinions might seem to think about him.

Gon’s head dropped, sadden at how everyone so far has seen his concerns for Palm.

Killua was happy at how Daniel posed the situation, seeing as he wouldn’t have had a nicer way of saying **I don’t care about Palm** “Exactly! Now, next question?”

Knuckle clenched his jaw at how the group was treating Gon’s concern for Palm. Sure, Daniel made a good point, but surely there were other ways of getting into contact with Palm “Hey, you’re being too harsh! Gon’s just concerned about Palm.”

Killua groaned at Knuckle’s reaction. No one, except for Daniel and himself knows how bad Gon is. He’d say one thing, but as soon as you ask him how he plans to do it, he’d say **you think of a plan** or **I have a plan, but I won’t tell you how I plan to achieve said goal** “His concern is worthless!”

“What’s that?!”

“Knuckle relax for a moment…” Daniel chimed in, holding both hands up in self-defence for Killua’s sake “I know why Killua said that, because unlike _you_ we know how bad Gon can be…”

“Don’t you dare say anything either! Both of you just came back! SO WHERE DO YOU TWO GET OFF SAYING-?!”

Killua frowned at Knuckle’s reaction. He didn’t see the man offering any plans for Gon’s question, so why even bother jumping to _his_ best-friend’s issue? “LIKE DANIEL SAID… You shouldn’t jump to his defence! Assuming that Palm was captured alive, it would mean the enemy knows our plan…”

Shoot was sweating balls from the thought of their plans being up in smoke. If Palm was captured, and not dead or in hiding “That would mean we would be like moths to the flames…”

“We’ll be destroyed instantly…” Killua closed his eyes as he nods at Shoot’s example. There was no way to get into contact with her, so either she was dead or hiding. And on the off chance she did get caught, they’d be walking into their own graves… “But instead of worrying about worst-case scenarios, what’s important is that we trust Palm.” _As much as I want to dislike that skank…_

“Well, that certain makes sense, but Gon’s point might be that, if Palm has met such a fate, we still have time to change the plan.” Meleoron had stepped in this time, defending Gon.

For once in Killua’s life, couldn’t they drop the topic of Palm? She already has Gon wrapped around her finger, and they aren’t even dating… YET! Killua attempted to end the topic once and for all, this time driving a nail right through the topic “Think again! He’ll say that we have to save Palm first. But he won’t offer any plans for that. Right…?”

Gon’s stared blankly at Killua. He wasn’t wrong per-say… but he didn’t think he’d be that easy to read “R- Right…”

Knuckle grimaced at Gon’s reaction, half expecting the boy to actually defend his position “I- I can see your point now…”

Killua wasn’t about to stop, but rather than softening the blow for Gon, Daniel butted in “We know you’re upset Gon, but we’re all worried in our own separate ways. I’m not saying our concerns are more important than Palm’s life, but as soon as we step through Knov’s gate, were will be knee deep in trouble. We can’t be concerned about everything, while we have the main goal of this mission loaming over our head… Three guards are bad enough, but every little concern could distract us long enough to allow the enemies to regroup.”

Killua smiled slightly “Gon, listen to Daniel. All we’re asking, is to forget about her until we’re done. Once the fight is over, I’ll even help you look for her…” _as much as I hate her, I’ll help you until you’re satisfied with the outcome…_

Meleoron agreed with the boys; every second counted. If that meant leaving someone behind for the moment in order to complete the mission, it’s an unfortunate circumstance they’d have to go through with “If you’re distracted for a fraction of a second, that might cause our operation to fail.”

Killua walked over to the group’s makeshift count down calendar, striking off one more day off the list of days remaining “We still have two days… There’s still time for Palm to contact us.”

Gon looked up at his best-friend, smiling from the boy’s words. Even though he didn’t like how Killua was trying to shaft Palm of to the side, he was still willing to accept Gon’s concern. She might still try to get into contact with them tomorrow, so there’s still time…

Hopefully she’ll get into contact with them tomorrow.

“~”

Gon envied how close Killua and Daniel had gotten these past few days. During their down time while the group was relaxing, Gon chose to sit alone. He held his phone in his palms as he perused. He couldn’t exactly say Palm was his only concern right now…

Sakura was another thing distracting him. Had he made the right choice after asking Sakura to not message him at all? How was the boy feeling…? What was he doing?

Gon flicked through the last three messages, none of which Gon had replied to yet. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to reply, he just didn’t know how to…

Each text asked the exact same question ‘how was he?’ he didn’t really know how to answer the question. He’s felt lost… alone… unsure of himself…

He didn’t even know how to ask for Sakura’s forgiveness once this fight was over. Did he even deserve it?

Gon found himself looking up at Killua and Daniel, finding the two giggling amongst themselves, which ended up making the boy feeling more alone with each passing second. He felt himself drawing his attention back to his phone, deciding to close the massager app before he starts to sulk.

Once it was close, as soon as the boy looked up, he found himself connecting eyes with Killua. He could’ve sworn he saw sadness in Killua’s eyes for a split second, but within the blink of an eye, he could no longer see it.

And it took a few seconds longer to realise Killua had been waving him over. Gon felt himself cracking a smile at the gesture. Getting up to join his friends; the boy bounded over with an even bigger smile.

Every second counts, and after dealing with the Chimera Ants, maybe things could return back to normal once more…

Maybe, just maybe… they’ll be able to help him repair the bridge he felt he has destroyed with Sakura. Maybe then, he’ll finally be able to say what he’s feeling deep inside…

For everyone he holds close to his heart…

How much he loves them…

“~”

It was the last night before the assault on the King’s castle. This was where they had to put the plan in motion, to split the Royal guard before they could come to their King’s aid.

Palm had failed to contact them, which required alterations to the group’s original plan. They needed to know what happened to her, to clear Gon’s mind, which meant they needed to sacrifice someone… and ultimately reduce their overall strength. Considering with what they have, Ikalgo would fit the role the best.

With Flutter’s corpse, Ikalgo could take control of the body with his **Living Dead Dolls** ability, and infiltrate the building. The man could then find out what had happened to Palm, while they continue with the original goal.

The group; Meleoron, Ikalgo, Killua, Gon and Daniel still had Knuckle’s words on their mind as they headed deeper into the forest, while Shoot and Knuckle head back to help out Morel.

**_It’s about time for us to enter Peijing. The enemy should have noticed Morel’s distraction by now. We’ll make some noise in Peijing to negate their belief that this is all the work of one man._ **

**_At that same time, many citizens will be moving towards the palace. If we disappear the day before the celebration, they’ll believe assassins are hidden among the citizens, trying to kill the King. And their focus will be outside the palace, on the crowds._ **

**_That’s when we enter the palace with Four-Dimensional Apartment Complex! The King will definitely be here. Watching the selection from the third-floor throne room._ **

Killua re-ran the scenario in his mind, over and over again, but no matter how flawless it was with the given situation, he couldn’t escape this nagging thought.

_What if they were wrong…? Will the King really be there? Something… just felt off._

Daniel noticed the shift in Killua’s eyes, the way the boy would tense up when his lost deep in thoughts. He felt so attuned to the boy, the way even his most subtle of reactions would give the tiniest of hints to current emotions and feelings “What’s wrong, Killua?”

“Nothing, at least I think it’s nothing…”

Daniel twitched his nose from the words, deciding to drop it. Even though at the back of his mind this would be considered a distraction, unless Killua says something, this might actually end up being nothing at all.

Killua might just be recalling something about the plan, and he was hoping to rectify a plot-hole which needed to be patched up. The boy did tend to have the tenacity to over-think on these scenarios… not that he was any better. Maybe all Killua needed to do was let the thoughts run its course… and eventually die out.

As much as his mind fought it, he couldn’t argue with Killua, nor did he want to force his boyfriend to focus his thoughts on it anymore. Daniel let out a reluctant sigh as his eyes were drawn to the sky. Placing his hands on the back of his head, the boy mindlessly followed after the others, wondering what exactly was on Killua’s mind.

He just wished he had his sister’s ability, just so he could tap into Killua’s thoughts. Maybe then, he would’ve been able to help Killua solve his distracting puzzle.

“~”

Daniel swung at the air, Wolfbane poised at an invisible enemy. He wanted to be so useful to his friends, his boyfriend… but no matter how many times he swung his weapon, it wouldn’t compare to the very moment that he actually had to use it.

His hand would still quiver, shaking from the thought of having to kill a living, breathing person… regardless of their evil nature.

Actually, now that he thought about it… since leaving the hospital, he hadn’t asked the question that had been plaguing him all this time. How does he break this vicious cycle of fear when it comes to killing others? Would Killua even have a helpful tip… something for the boy to latch on, to help him guide his hands?

Ikalgo was still asleep, and Gon was doing some push ups to kill time while Killua was just watching both Gon and himself train. But now that Daniel had stopped training, Killua’s eyes were focusing on Gon for the moment.

Maybe now was the only moment he could ask Killua… or at least in private. He kinda didn’t want Gon to know that his fear of killing has gotten worse over the past few days “Hey, Killua… can I ask you a question?”

“Huh?” Killua eyes were drawn to Daniel, along with Gon’s questioning gaze. It seemed like he couldn’t ask for one person’s attention without drawing another’s “Alone…?”

Killua’s eyebrow raised at the second question. What was distracting Daniel right now? Actually, now that he thought about it, sometimes Daniel’s hands would shake whenever he swung Wolfbane around “Sure, Gon, stay here. Let us know when Ikalgo wakes up.”

Gon nodded as he returned back to his push ups, leaving Daniel and Killua to leave the shack. He did want to listen to their conversation, but maybe it was private… as in it was about their relationship.

Gon’s eyebrows knitted together, scrunching up from the thoughts that followed. As much as Gon wanted to think more on the thought, the more his mind wandered. Shutting out the thoughts entirely, Gon returned to his training. Hopefully it wasn’t too serious…

“~”

Killua had closed the door behind him, now a little more concerned about Daniel “What’s wrong?”

“Well… you see…”

Killua crossed his arms, a little bemused from Daniel’s lack of response. Was it a ‘dirty’ question? If it was, that would be a little funny, but now of all times would be the worst time to be thinking about _sexual deeds_.

“How do you do it?”

“Huh?” Killua’s mind went straight into a gutter, thinking about only one possible scenario… Daniel had just asked him about how to _masturbate_. It couldn’t have been about sex, because it did make the boy push himself away from Killua “Ah… in what way?”

“Well, you have more experience with this… topic. But at the same time, I don’t really want to ask you, because it… hurts to ask you about it.”

_Whoa, whoa, whoa… asking about sex and masturbating hurts you? You’re doing something wrong then!_ “Go on…”

“Well, you see… when I use Wolfbane-”

_WHOA, back up! You shouldn’t be jerking off with a weapon anywhere near your dick!_ “Daniel, what are you talking about?!”

“How do you do it… kill others?”

_Oh, thank god! My mind was going weird places…_ “Daniel, you don’t have to-”

“I should… if not now, at least for later!” Daniel grabbed Killua’s hands, holding them within his own. He refused to break eye contact, staring endlessly into Killua’s own deep blue ocean eyes “I can’t just leave you and Gon to do all the dirty work. I have to… I have to be of some use! I was-” The boy sniffed once, hoping that he wouldn’t cry “I was so terrified… seeing the blood on me after unconsciously killing some ants. And then there was that whole ordeal with you almost dying…”

“Daniel-”

“I’m not finished… I want to help lessen your burden. You shouldn’t be forced to protect me, when we’re up against Pitou. You talk about picking up the slack… so that should apply to me as well! I want to learn, so that even if in the future, if I can’t save you from your family’s… shitty job, the least I could take on some of the burden. Even if I can’t kill an ant this time around, maybe you could give me a tip so that in the future, I’ll be able to take on some of your so-called _darkness_ … there must be some way you can push me in the right direction.”

Killua listened to Daniel’s plea, unconsciously smiling at the request given to him. Truthfully, he had no way to push Daniel in killing someone without breaking him further… further that what Killua would dare admit was an aspect he likes about the boy.

He had a few ideas. Ones which may or may not help Daniel get over the fear, but to cope with the fact his killed someone, would be considered an issue he had no way of absolving.

Although, one the other hand, even with these contrasting differences from their childhood, they’re still together, the fear of killing his partner hidden deep within his thoughts; Daniel ironically saw it nothing more than a non-issue. If anything, he saw it as a challenge, as something he hopes to crush one day.

“Close your eyes.”

Daniel raised a suspicious eyebrow, but none-of-the-less, he did as the boy asked. The boy felt his body being turned, hands covering his already closed eyes as he was then lead in a different direction, forced to walk at the boy’s own pace.

“When it comes to these things, my family employs a technique called **Assassin Mode**. While it would be pointless, and impossible at this point of life to teach you how to activated said ability, I could teach you a different more… basic premises of the technique…”

“Ok…”

“Draw your weapon.”

“What for…?”

“I’m teaching you the trick.”

Daniel did as Killua asked, hoping the boy wasn’t going to make him actually kill something. Killua’s next few orders were weird “Good, now point the weapon’s blade to the right. Good, now swing left, slowly, until you feel some resistance. Make sure to _not_ exert any of your strength.”

Daniel followed Killua’s requests, hearing a thud to alert him that he has hit something.

“Good, now, don’t open your eyes or alter your posture in any way.” Daniel felt the weapon being removed from his fingertips, the boy instinctually letting go as Killua takes his weapon away.

Daniel next felt Killua return to behind him, hands covering his already closed eyes once more “Now, I’m gonna cover your ears, and when I tap the side of your face with my fingers, I want you to imagine Wolfbane is in your hands, the blade pointing to the right. Then, I want you to swing your arm all the way to the right, and stay in that position. Can you do that?”

Daniel nodded at the request, finding it to be a little weird. He hadn’t the foggiest idea of what Killua wanted him to learn from this little demonstration, but he’d do it with the intent of hopefully learning something.

A few seconds later, Daniel heard the muffled noise from his ears being covered, a hollowed sound of nothingness followed right after. It felt like an eternity went by, unable to single sound. No crickets, no animals… absolutely nothing.

As soon as Daniel felt the tap, the boy swung his arms all the way to the right. He heard a slight crack of noise escaping through into his ears after Killua had let go. The nocturnal animals count be heard, followed by Killua’s voice “Now open your eyes.”

Daniel open them, and the first thing him saw was a tree, old, standing proudly amongst its old and new friends “Alright, you’ve made me more confused than answering my question…”

“Imagine that tree was a Chimera Ant, and everything would make sense.”

“So… I just killed an imaginary ant?”

Killua sighed at Daniel’s sarcastic response “No, you killed an enemy, without seeing or hearing it. The moment you intend to kill, don’t think, look or hear it. Imagine it’s not there for a moment, picture the enemy before your eyes disappearing the moment you swing. Don’t look back, don’t listen… but keep going forward. Just make sure you aim for the head.”

Daniel stared at Killua for a moment, disbelieving his boyfriend’s request.

“Don’t give me that stupid expression. That’s the most basic version of **Assassin’s Mode**. Try not to think about what you’ve done. It might be difficult the first few times, but if you think you’ve done nothing, you won’t have to worry about taking another life. Or you could picture every enemy that you kill was Illumi… that would work to.”

Daniel laughed out loud, forcing Killua to cover his mouth in the process “We’re supposed to be hidden, remember.”

Daniel nodded as Killua let go, but for a moment, now that he thought about it the process wasn’t too bad. It was going to be hard to get used to the idea he had taken a life, but on the plus side, he could now imagine every enemy he kills was a clone of Illumi.

And nothing is more pleasing than plucking the life of the man who hurt Killua the most, in his own opinion, right out of existence “Thanks, Killua… I’ll try to think about it that way. I’m not going to make any promises though.”

“Sure, but try to think about it in that way… the more you don’t focus on the act of _killing_ , the easier it is to digest. Or just think you’ve killed Illumi… that works to… you have mentioned how much you hate him. I wouldn’t be surprised if you want to kill him…”

“Maybe…”

Killua chuckled at the response, a hand reaching over to stroke the top of Daniel’s head. He messed the boy’s hair up as he spoke, unconsciously saying something he would never imagine himself saying out loud “I love that about you…” it took a second longer than what it should’ve taken for the boy to realise what he said. He outright declared he _loves_ the fact that Daniel _may_ have innocently agreed to killing Illumi “like- LIKE that about you…”

“Too late!” Daniel announced. He had already caught Killua saying he **loves** something about him, and he’s going to tease Killua for it, even if the circumstances for his reason to admitting those feelings were ones that he wished wasn’t the case “You said you _loved_ something about me.”

“Shut up idiot! I don’t _love_ anything about you…”

“Awww…” Daniel pouted from the response, but he knew for a fact, that wasn’t the case. Killua just didn’t want to admit what he said was fuel to a fire… a bonfire made entirely out of feelings for each other.

“You’re… You’re the worst! We- we’ve w- wasted too much time already! Gon’s probably looking for us already…”

Daniel felt insanely jealous at the mention of Killua’s words, but it probably was true. He wouldn’t be surprised if Gon was out looking for them. But he couldn’t just go back yet… he still had something to say to Killua “Wait, Killua…”

Killua stopped, glancing slightly over his shoulder towards Daniel “What…?” the boy saw the sweet, innocent smile given to him by his boyfriend, making his heart stop for a second. He thought he had seen the same one given to him by Gon at some point, maybe back on Greed Island.

But this one was a little different… or maybe it wasn’t so different, considering the changes in circumstances between back then and now. Back then, he didn’t know what it felt like to be loved or in-love…

Back then, he didn’t think he was deserving of any such feelings…

But now, he knows what it means, and given the circumstances as to why Daniel was smiling at him this way, it wasn’t that he deserved it… it was because of a little assistance, whether or not it helps Daniel it the long run…

Daniel was offering as a ‘thank you’ without words, a gift which in the next moment his heart jump started, he excepted it greedily. The boy lunged forward, holding a hand against Daniel’s eyes so the boy couldn’t see what he was about to do.

Killua stole a kiss, cheeks flaming with the shock of his current act, an act which he would have never dreamed he’ll ever commit to. He felt the boy tense beneath his sealed kiss, eyes opening from the shock of the act. Although, due of Killua’s hand, he knew the boy would’ve have been able to see anything.

The moment Killua felt Daniel’s eyelashes the second time, closing just so he could embrace every second of the kiss, he dislodged himself from Daniel… quickly leaving so that to Daniel, it felt nothing more than a hallucination. It was one which Killua would gladly pretend was the case.

Once he’d created enough distance, that’s when Killua pretend, hoping that his voice wouldn’t give away the tinniest of his current feelings “What are you standing there for… Gon called out for us?”

Daniel opened his eyes, a little confused. He was pretty sure Killua had kissed him a moment ago, and that Gon hadn’t called for them. But, if he wasn’t imagining that kiss, and that it was for real… it would be imprinted in his thoughts for the rest of his life…

A kiss that would be unforgettable, no matter what…

It made him smile at Killua walking away, knowing that he was pretending as though none of that really happened, that it had caused Killua’s heart to probably pound against his chest. If it was real…

Daniel shifted his weight from one foot to the next, unconsciously smiling from the real or fake kiss. He was love-struck, and he loved every second of that dream-like-kiss. He couldn’t wait for the next one, whenever that one was…

But as much as he wanted to stay in pixie-land, off with the ferries… if Gon was really calling for them, he’d have to catch up quickly “Wait for me Killua!”


	107. Peace X before X War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I managed to sneak in one last chapter before the end of the year. And god damn this was hell for me! Between the heat waves and heavy rain (In Australia, especially Melbourne; the weather is both random, and moody as hell!), mind blanks, work, incoming Christmas “cheer”, my family and my _moody_ tendencies…
> 
> I have finished the most brooding chapter I’ve ever written… I think…
> 
> So, I shall wish everyone a final, early Merry Christmas and a Happy New year as I try to survive the incoming 2018 Apocalypse I’m about to embark on.

It turned out Gon hadn’t been calling for them, he was merely waiting. In fact, he hadn’t stopped exercising at all; he was still preforming his hand-stand-push-ups. Daniel checked his phone, wondering what time it was.

He was mortified, aghast, after having realised what time it was, 02:42am. He has never been up this late, while still being able to function. Was this the biproduct of over-thinking the whole time? He highly doubted it, but one thing was for certain…

Between the Hunter’s Exam and now, a lot has definitely changed. He has friends that care about him, and someone whom has been able to get closer than his allowed anyone… to bypass _his_ barriers. He never thought he’d see the day, someone managed to touch his hair without him swatting their hand away…

Yet here he was… Changed hopefully for the better.

Yet, that was all being threatened now. In less than 22 hours, they’d be running head first into a warzone, acting as distractions towards a bigger, end goal… one that hopefully ends with the King being killed.

The fear of death loomed over them; this could possibly be the last time they’ll ever see each other. Yet neither one of them wanted to show it, instead opting to hide those feelings, deep within themselves.

Daniel has had some guidance from Killua; would it really be enough to help guide his hand… or would it be a waste time that ultimately gets him killed? The boy checked the time once more 3:04am. Less than 21 hours before they launch their attack.

“~”

It took a lot longer than expected, but Ikalgo was finafearlly awake after 4:45am. After each one was prepared to leave, Killua finally had the perfect time to get something off his chest “We have nineteen hours until midnight strikes on selection day.”

“Yeah… Tonight, we finally make our move.” Gon clenched his fist, the realisation that in less than a day, he’d be able to save Kite. Pitou has the means of saving Kite, and the moment Killua, Daniel and himself get into contact with Pitou, they’ll be able to subdue them, and then ultimately drag their bruised, battered body to Kite’s location, and finally heal the man’s scars as well as return him back to normal.

Killua shifted his body across a crate, resting one of his palms against the side of the crate while he used the other to extenuate his words “Let’s do one final check. Once inside, Gon, Daniel and I will immediately head up the central stairway, towards the throne room.”

“Yep…”

Daniel continued off Gon’s acknowledgement “Right into the heart of enemy territory.”

Killua nod at the boy’s words before facing Ikalgo next “Ikalgo will take the northeast elevator down to the basement, to search for Palm. If you find her, escape without us.”

“Right!”

Due to Gon’s complaints, the request to search for Palm’s whereabouts was forced upon them. Ikalgo searching for her was the compromise Killua eventually gave into. Without it, Gon would still be hounding them to this day.

Hell, he didn’t even know what he gave into it… maybe it was the only way he thought it could ease both Gon’s mind, as well as forcing the boy to ultimately focus on their one goal… defeating Pitou.

The boy pushed those thoughts aside, so he could continue on with what had already been laid out “If the King and his three Royal Guards are in the throne room, we proceed with the plan. The problem is, what if they’re not there?”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at his boyfriend’s last sentence. So that, was what was weighing Killua’s mind all this time, or maybe it was a fraction of many questions plaguing his partner’s mind “Oh, I thought something may have been on your mind for a while, but at the same time I didn’t want to ask you just in case it caused you to worry even more…”

“Uh, but…” Killua blushed a fraction. He didn’t expect Daniel to notice him overthinking, but it seems he wasn’t the only one. Gon in fact made the situation worse “Oh, I noticed that too. I knew you were hung up on something.”

“Wha-” Killua freaked out, the situation causing the temperature in his cheeks to rise a few degrees higher. He’s being tag-teamed at the moment, and it would only get worse if Ikalgo joins in “Like- Like you were any better! Because of your worries about Palm, we had to adjust the plan to suit _your_ needs! B- Baka!”

“Sorry…” Gon dropped his head in shame; he was worried about Palm, which put himself in a similar position to Killua. But maybe Daniel was the same, worried about someone or something too? Now that he thought about, what did Killua and Daniel talked about alone? Was it something Daniel was worried about?

But now that he thought about it, there were other, more pressing questions; why didn’t Daniel include him as well? The boy scrunched his face up, trying to figure out what the two talked about earlier.

Ikalgo didn’t give Gon any time to think about his questions. The man instead opted to argue with Killua “What are the chances of that happening?”

“Well, it’s highly unlikely. But…” Killua flicked his wrist out, a frown etched across the boy’s features. It showed clearly across the boy’s face, that these situations Killua was speaking about, has happened more than once in his Ex-Assassin years.

If it’s happened more than once, who’s to argue it won’t happen again? “the unusual happens pretty often.”

Ikalgo puffed up from Killua’s statement. There was a glaring problem with Killua’s words, and it needed to be addressed “Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”

Killua was fuming, standing up as he aggressively jabbed Ikalgo on the head “Do you know how many times I’ve seen the unexpected occur in my lifetime?! We’ve researched the enemy’s behaviour extensively before deciding on the day for the attack…”

Killua sighed in frustration, standing up straight as he held a palm out “When you’re waiting for someone to be in a certain place, at a certain time, that’s typically when the unexpected happens. Like I said… In my old job, it happened all the time. On the day you’ve chosen, something for some reason… always goes wrong.”

“Like this one time I was about to complete a mission…” The boy casually walks away, standing in front of the door that leads to the outside world “The guy I was tasked to kill, got robbed. The chances of that happening was one in a million! During that time, I could either strike now… or wait for the next chance. While the guy’s guard was chasing the thief, I did end up choosing to strike at that very moment. The chances of that happening again, was very low… but I was also young and inexperienced at the time. I chose to strike them then and there, because I wanted to help the _little_ thief at the same time. I made the man scream for his guard, dispatched him and then leapt back into the shadows…”

Killua’s attention remained on the door, frowning from what happened afterwards. Illumi was there as well… and he didn’t get praised for completing the job. He got chastised, abused… tortured for hours, just because he let the man screamed. It was then he learned to be more ruthless, aggressive just because his family was overly selfish “Welp, you could probably guess what happened then. _Punishment_ … because I let the man scream for help. Anyways, the job was successful at a cost…”

Daniel clenched his fist, hating the outcome of the story. He didn’t care that the story was about a really old assassination job he had to complete. He hated the fact that Killua had gotten punished, just because he didn’t complete the task to his _family’s_ requirements. Granted, the Zoldyck are apparently good at what they do… but, for once in their life, couldn’t they just _not_ play by the rules set upon them?

Killua glanced behind him, staring deeply into each of his friends’ eyes “We don’t know what will be the cost this time if something goes wrong. We can’t wait… and we definitely can’t mess up for even a second. The moment we move, there’s no turning back. In that single moment of hesitation… it can mean death! So, we should take time now, to decide how we’ll act in different situations.”

Daniel swallowed thickly, hoping that when the time comes to making the first conscious kill, he won’t hesitate for a moment, because it could mean his death… even Killua’s or Gon’s own demise.  

Killua continued after turning to face his friends, given each and every one a stern look “Even if they aren’t in the throne room, if they’re still in the palace, it’s okay. Pitou’s _En_ is enough to cover the palace and its surrounding courtyards, and then some. So, if we sense that creepy aura when we enter, we’ll know that they’re there…”

“And if we don’t?” Daniel asked out of curiosity, unsure of the answer he was hoping to receive.

“Two possibilities… either Pitou, and the other guards including the King have left…”

“Or…?”

“We may have a repeat of what happened a few days ago. Which could be good news for us… or bad news, to an outcome we had no possibility of foreseeing.”

“The unexpected…” Gon murmured in a questioning tone, which Killua agreed with “Exactly! However, going back onto the topic at hand. From there, we just follow that sinister aura to where it feels densest, and they’ll be at its centre.”

Killua ran his fingers through his hair, wondering from where he goes on from this. Maybe he should switch back to the question Daniel asked him earlier, considering it was a possibility “Now, the question is what we do if we don’t sense Pitou’s aura. In other words, what we do if they aren’t in the palace… or on the off chance, they’re in the palace, but they aren’t using _En_ …”

“Would they be in the palace, but not using _En_ to guard the King?” Ikalgo argued with Killua, only to find himself being rebutted by Gon seconds later “Isn’t that what happened when Knov-San infiltrated the palace?!”

“What?”

Killua held out a finger toward Gon, using it as if it were the main point to Ikalgo’s smoking gun “Yes, that’s what I can’t make sense of. According to Colt, Knov saw Pouf’s aura. The Royal Guard never leaves the King’s side. So, if Pouf was there, the other two were also in the palace with the King…” Shifting his finger back to his chin, Killua hummed a questioning tune.

Why did this all occur…? Granted, it allowed them to make a dint in the Chimera Ant’s nest, planting gateways, including one right in the heart of their den. But the problem still, is why did it all occur? Why did Pitou remove their _En_ field? This was the question to this day, he still couldn’t make sense of “Then, why did Pitou stop using puppets and _En_ , leaving Pouf to handle security, which allowed Knov to infiltrate the palace…? This is the inconsistency… the unforeseen situation I can’t grasp a realistic reason for…”

Killua held out a finger, pointing it up as if it were to represent the one, main issue with the current predicament “I believe the reason has to do with how Pitou’s power works…”

Daniel held out a hand “Rather than over thinking the situation… why didn’t you pose the questioning scenario to Colt? Couldn’t he have put your mind to rest?”

“Gee… now why didn’t I think of that?” Killua retorted back sarcastically to his boyfriend “Because at the time, I didn’t think this would be an issue. But the more I thought about it, the more it became a glaring issue…”

Gon stood up, a huge smile being beamed towards his friends “Then let’s ask Colt!”

Killua reached into his pocket, now grinning at his phone “I guess we should…” Colt was the only person to talk to, seeing as Ikalgo and Meleoron have no idea why Pitou retracted their _En_ and control over the puppets. Colt at this moment of time, might be the only one who knows why this happened.

Killua impatiently tapped his foot on the floor, waiting for the supposedly winged bird-angel to pick-up. He hadn’t seen the man; however, considering the situation, Killua supposes protecting the man as well as the one Colt wants to protect, by tucking them away where nobody would find them was a good deal. It also helped that Colt was close to the Royal Guard Pitou, which could give them an upper hand on the Royal Guard.

After Colt had finally picked up, and a few apologies later, Killua launched right into his dilemma. It took Killua half an hour to lay all the information he knew about at the time.

Once Colt understood everything Killua told him, he thought about it before speaking “I’d guess-”

“Hold on!” Killua tapped loud speaker before holding it out so his friends could hear as well “ok, go on.”

“I’d guess that during that time, Pitou was healing someone.”

Daniel flicked up an eyebrow, awestricken by an unexpected response “Pitou can control people, while also actively searching within a one-kilometre field thanks to their _En_ … and now we find out Pitou has the ability to HEAL as well?” _Is she… or he OP or what?!_

“Correct. I told you that Pitou was the one who restored Kite, yes? Now thinking back on it… I don’t think Pitou used _En_ during that period. Thus, healing must require a great magnitude of concentration. So, while healing someone, Pitou cannot use _En_ or the puppets…”

“Thanks for the information.”

“No-” Killua heard a loud smack through the receiver “Is everything-?”

“Reina, please… please stop throwing toys all over the place…”

Killua chuckled before hanging up the phone, leaving poor Colt to deal with whatever bruise Reina just gave him. Given the situation, and all the information provided for them, the new pieces now paint a larger photo for him to scrutinize.

“Now things are starting to make sense…” Pitou could heal, but only if they concentrate, focusing all their aura on a single location. But with all the information, it doesn’t explain who Pitou was healing… nor does it explain the reason as to why.

If Pitou was healing the King… who managed to get close enough to hurt him? Given the scenario, only a few people would fall under the category of whom may have gotten hurt “ _That_ means that _someone_ , most likely the King or one of the Royal Guard, was injured and required healing, so the _En_ and puppets disappeared.”

Killua’s worries had been absolved, though the confusion of whom hurt one of them was still settling in the pit of his stomach. Unfortunately to him, Ikalgo had to go ruin it “But hold on… Who would have been able to injure one of those monsters?”

Daniel piped up, speaking his mind on the topic “Yeah, that’s the problem. Who, and how did someone manage to get close enough to attack either the royal guard or the King, without any of them noticing? When we first saw Pitou… she… or he was strong enough to take the arm off a veteran Hunter…” Daniel saw the aggrieved expression radiating off Gon’s features; it forced the boy to quickly finish his argument “That was two months ago give or take. How much stronger, has Pitou become since then? Have they remained static, or are they stronger now?”

Killua rubbed his chin “It’s also possible they had an internal dispute…?”

Gon held out a finger, agreeing with Killua’s possible argument “Maybe the King injured one of the Royal Guard?”

“NO, that’s impossible!” Ikalgo Interjected, hand being held out to stop the boys from continuing down that narrow pathway of thought “There is no chance that Pitou would endanger the King by removing that _En_ to heal someone else! I guarantee it!”

The sudden realisation hit Killua almost at the same time as Daniel. Although, when the two voiced their concerns, Daniel’s voice seemed more confused than Killua’s shocked reaction.

“-Which means that the one injured… was the King!”

“-That means somehow The King… got injured?”

Killua immediately ran his fingers through his contacts, calling the one person whom needed to hear this revelation. Morel needed to know this, considering this may change the plans in the long run. If someone was able to hurt the King, and he or she was still alive… they could help them or even Netero out with taking out the King. However, the chances of said-person still being alive was really small.

“~”

Morel listened to everything Killua had to say, humming and hawing over the possibility of the information helping them in the long run. On one hand, if a person has hurt the King and is still alive… they could help them out.

But on the other hand, this could all be a ruse… a way to lure them into a false sense of security. There was also another possibility on the table, but the chances of that happening was very slim…

It was possible, that the King hurt himself for an unknown reason. It had taken a long time, but finally, Killua came to an end.

“I see…” Morel checked his watch, noticing that half an hour had gone by. They wasted precious time, but considering the information being provided, the man would give leeway to the younger boys’ concerns by humouring their thoughts “What you’re saying makes sense. But then the bigger question _still_ is who injured the King?”

Morel knot his eyebrows together, wondering if it was the Royal Guard. Considering how the ants worked, the Royal Guard would never raise a hand to their leader “The Royal Guard wouldn’t harm him…” They’d sooner die than hurt their beloved _King_. But that still didn’t answer the who… if not the strongest on par with the King… then who? “It couldn’t be the other soldiers, as they could never put as much as a scratch on him…”

Gon piped up, coming up with an idea the boys had agreed which may have been a possibility “Yep, so our conclusion was… The King injured himself.”

“THE KING INJURED HIMSELF?!” Morel thought up the possibility as well, but he didn’t believe it to be possible. Hell, he would have glossed over the idea before. But considering Ikalgo was with them… it adds more substance to the issue. If none of the ants attacked him, nor did the Royal Guard…

And now that he thought about it, Knov noted that the only humans to enter the building were non- _Nen_ users, besides Palm which is now AWOL.

The only possible answer, was self-harm… but as to the reasons why, that was still unknown. There was only one question on the man’s mind, and he needed to know how the boys came to that conclusion “Under what circumstances would that have happened?”

“We don’t know why, but it’s the only explanation…” Gon answered, surprised to hear that not even Morel had a possible reason as to why the King would hurt himself “Alright, thanks for the information. Don’t hesitate to call if you come up with any further conclusions.”

Morel hanged up, leaving the boys to quietly ponder the situation. They had no further information, but with that idea implanted in their mind, the unknown has already occurred once. It will happen again!

As for the reasons as to why the King hurt himself, they will find out as soon as they enter the building. They just hope, that whatever they find… doesn’t break them.

“~”

Killua checked his phone, noticing that time has flown by. They should move now, meeting up with Knov and the others. Maybe they had a better chance of solving their conundrum.

Why would the King hurt himself? Given the situation, and the information they have on themselves, there was probably no right answer as of now. Killua lead the group to Knov’s nearest portal. Well, at least one of the few hidden in the nearest town, closest to the supreme leader’s _castle_.

They’d have to move quickly, just in case the others have found new intel. It would take at least fifteen minutes to cover the distance, so that would give them time to talk over the situation… maybe even talk privately amongst themselves. Well, as privately as they could while Ikalgo was with them.

“Gon,” Killua imitated a topic with his best-friend while they ran. He felt as though it’s been a long time since they talked alone, without arguing at least “once we go against Pitou…” The boy then looked behind him, searching for some sort of clue inside his best-friend’s eyes.

He felt a little uneasy, unsure of what awaits them in the end of this fight. Maybe he’d die… or maybe Gon would “Are you sure…?” Killua struggled to find the words. He didn’t even know what he even wanted to ask Gon in the first place. What was he so secretly afraid to ask his best-friend Gon? Or was he just afraid of the answer he’d get.

“Killua…?”

“Oh, never mind… I forgot what I wanted to ask.” The boy gave his best friend a cheeky smile before turning to face the front once more. That was a lie… all he wanted to know, is after this…? Would they be able to go back to being **_friends on an adventure_**? Secretly, he felt as though the answer was ‘no’… but for all intents and purposes, he’ll hide the fear, just in case he jinxes the battle ahead “Let’s just give Pitou hell!”

Gon turned to Daniel, hoping the boy would provide some sort of answer, but Daniel’s gaze wouldn’t even leave the boy’s back. He was worried too, but he couldn’t tell what Daniel was thinking either.

_Killua, what are you afraid to ask…?_

“~”

The boys landed in Knov’s hidden world, white-padded floors and walls, which resembled a mental asylum of sorts. It perfectly portrayed Knov’s current mindset, although, it was hard to argue whether or not it always looked like that. This was the first time the boys had even seen the places with their own eyes.

Although, considering it was surrounding their closest allies and what they were about to attempt to achieve, the surroundings perfectly portrayed everyone’s’ mindset. Everyone, was now here, except for Netero… but for obvious reasons. Morel held out his hands, arms open wide; a huge smile being shown to the latest members of the group “Everyone’s here!”

It seemed like Gon was interested in only one thing, everything as of now being unimportant to him “Have you heard from Palm?”

Killua cringed at the words. Why was his best-friend so hung up on her?! She was just a pedo, a scary freak whom always looked like a monster… until she put on makeup. Then she was just a monster in disguise! If Gon was going to be like this for the rest of his life, he seriously hopes Palm was dead. At least Gon would get some solace from that outcome.

If she wasn’t dead… hopefully she was hidden deep underground. He highly doubted that Gon would remain sane for long if he never got an answer to Palm’s condition.

“No…”

“Oh…”

Morel looked deeply into the boy’s eyes, unsure of what he wanted to find “We’ll keep waiting until half an hour before go time. If we knew what’s inside before going in, it’d be very different…”

“Yeah…” Gon cracked a smile at the reassurance.

Killua smiled at how the words managed to reassure Gon. It even got his best friend smiling at the situation. Regardless of whether or not Palm calls them, Ikalgo would still be sent in to find out where she is… or was…

Daniel pressed both fists into his sides, smiling just like his friends. But deep down, he felt as though something was a little off with the situation. Especially now that he’s paying closer attention to Killua.

If he were to guess, it looked as though Killua was about to break. Although, he wouldn’t be the only one in the situation. Everyone, including himself were on edge…

But, his main priority was Killua’s mentality “Killua, a word?”

Killua look confused at his boyfriend “Sure…”

Daniel led Killua to a more private section of the room, launching right into the topic at hand “Anything on your mind?”

Killua sighed at the question. Of course, Daniel was worried more about him than himself. I was a nice gesture, embarrassing… but none-of-the-less nice. Killua quietly coughed into his hands, cheeks tainted a slight red “I’m fine. You should be more worried about yourself…”

“Oh…” Daniel hummed, eyes diverting then over to Gon “Is it about Gon?”

The sputtering noise told Daniel he guessed right, but, from there it could be any guess. Was it about not-so-secret feelings? The boy’s mental state? The festering rage for Pitou’s life?

Daniel was about to make a guess, but Killua just spoke about his feelings quietly “He’s fired up…”

“Gon?”

“Yeah…” the boy quietly muttered, a thin smile cracking along his lips “We’ll focus on providing support. We have to make sure no one interferes with Gon’s battle…”

“Wha-, why?”

Killua drew his eyes to his boy-friend, face contorting at his partner’s stupidity “Look at him!”

Daniel focused his eyes on Gon, not seeing anything out of the unordinary “What am I looking for?”

“Oh, so you can notice minor details with me… but nobody else?” The boy blushed as soon as he finished his statement, Daniel’s head snapping towards his direction. He opted to continue along, not giving Daniel time to agree with the sentiment “He- He’s ready to knock Pitou out cold… it’s best to not get in his way. Besides…” an evil glint shone through the boy’s eye, hand being held out as his smile widened “I developed a new technique… **Kanmuru** …”

Daniel hummed at his boyfriend’s words, excited to see the technique first before anyone else. But he was unsure on whether or not he should ask to see it right now. For all he knows, the ability might require a large amount of focus… or worst of them all… aura. And now wasn’t the time to be wasting aura, especially right before the most dangerous mission of them all.

“I’ll take a look outside…” Knov muttered out loud before shuffling towards the door. He left without another word, Daniel’s gaze never once left Killua.

As Daniel spoke, he completely ignored what Knov had just muttered out loud. He was too busy focusing on Killua to realise Knov was returning back to observing the Royal guards “I can’t wait to see what you have planned.” The boy then drew his hand up to boyfriend’s, grasping Killua’s within his own “Let’s give them hell!”

Killua chuckled at the statement “Sure!”

Eventually the room returned to its gloomy state, everyone mentally preparing themselves for what awaits them on the battlefield.

Daniel watched Killua talking to Gon from afar as he wallowed in his own fears. A single mistake could cost him, or his loved ones’ lives. He’d need to move to Killua and Gon’s rhythm while maintaining his ability’s form.

He knew he was stronger now, strong enough to survive, but not strong enough to kill. If it comes to that worst-case scenario, where he’ll be unable to kill in order to save someone, he’d unfortunately extend his life for as long as he could… just so he could save the one he loves most.

Daniel tighten his fist, hoping the situation wouldn’t call for it. Pitou will be defeated, and the King will die tomorrow. But whether or not he lives to see it, will be all up to his luck.

A wicked grin grew across the boy’s face, his shadow crawling over his body as if forming a protective shell. It rippled against the light, tendrils acting as though they were actively seeking something to hold.

**_If I have to use my life to save another, I’ll gladly drag them into the darkness, just so they’ll never be able to hurt the ones I love…_ **

“Time’s up… LET’S GO!”

Getting up, Daniel checked his phone probably for the last time for a while. Ten minutes remained. Ten minutes, is now all they have, before their lives depended on every action they make.

_Survive! Gon… Killua… Even if it means… I have to leave you behind!_


	108. Chase X To X The King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I decided to kick off the year with a new chapter. The next chapter is already written, and will be released next week, and I have already started on the  third chapter.

They agreed to enter right in the heart of enemy territory, the portal which led to the central staircase. But this wasn’t what Daniel was expecting to face, the blinding light, shaped into lances decimating the battlefield upon entry.

Not even five minutes ago, they were discussing the possibility of running into Palm ‘getting it on’ with the King. Gon of course, didn’t understand what everyone were insinuating then… but the panic attack between Knuckle, Shoot and Morel was a very clear indicator.

Their mind was right in the gutters… thinking about the King using Palm as an incubator for his kids. Hell, Daniel didn’t think after Killua warned Gon to focus on their object, that the boy understood why everyone was so terrified.

But everything that happen in Knov’s hidden world, paled… in comparison to what was happening within seconds of entering the King’s palace. The multitude of lances made of light, and the single lone enemy no one was expecting to meet this early.

Menthuthuyoupi had been sitting on the steps leading to the second floor, as if he were expecting trouble. Yet, when his gaze met the groups’ he was just, if not, more shocked to find enemies so close to the King without anyone noticing them.

Time had stood still almost for everyone, the adrenalin rapidly pumping through their bodies. Daniel was terrified of not only Youpi being their first encounter, but the boy behind him with a cold, dead, aura.

It couldn’t have been Killua’s, because he could still sense his, calm, calculative, emotions as if he almost expected Youpi to be here. He could sense a little bit of shock, but more than anything, Killua had remained the calmest out of everyone in the room.

Yet, as Youpi had transformed into a monstrous figure, six arms ready to pounce upon the first person to launch the first attack… Gon’s looming darkness made Youpi seem like a puppy in comparison… a really deformed puppy.

As the lances fell, Gon was the only one to make the first move, prepared to take on the looming pink beast on. It was as if he understood what was going on before everyone else.

He was hollow, chasing after the first enemy he could lay his eyes on. Killua was following right after Gon, leaving Daniel alone, confused at the situation being provided him. Ideally, he cursed himself for not figuring out the situation sooner.

He was arguing with Killua and Ikalgo before, providing situations other than a naked Palm blocking their next move. Gon was attacking first, because of a ‘what if’…

Considering Killua was the only one to remain calm during the fall of lances, he knew what was going on. But Gon, completely ignored the danger because of who else was with them…

Knuckle and Meleoron. If they had gotten hit by any of the lances, instantly killed upon impact, would Meleoron’s ability have cancelled… or have the bodies remained invisible, rotting away without anyone noticing?

It was a question only Meleoron have been able to answer. Daniel flicked out his hands, cursing himself at the prospect of having been forced to fight someone else other than Pitou. Their original goal was Pitou, but if the possibility of Knuckle being dead, they couldn’t just run past Youpi ;it wasn’t like he was going to let them get away with it.

Dark Shadows curled around the boy, hands extending from his body. They paled in comparison to Youpi’s much larger menacing hands, but this was the best he could do at the time.

He prepared his hands, getting ready to make the first gesture for a counter attack. But the situation was forced to change in mere seconds.

Meters away, Gon was preparing to make the first attack, only to have Youpi slid right out of their path. He had been attacked by an unsuspecting person, the one and only person they all knew about, except for the enemy… Knuckle!

Knuckle was alive and well, making the first contact. His ability should have been activated on first strike, which meant the plans for the moment have gone back to its original goal.

Gon had ran past Youpi, the monster still shocked as Killua had followed right after.

Daniel had lagged behind his friends, only just passing Youpi as me transformed for the second time that minute. He was like H.P. Lovecraft monster, red eyes, rapidly looking around the room as if they were attempting to find the person whom had struck him.

But just when they thought the situation couldn’t get worse, something deadlier passed right through them. A chilling aura, the same vile, disgusting aura they detected on their fist _Nen_ Chimera Ant encounter.

It was Pitou’s, their aura was clashing with everyone’s tasting it like a hungry beast devouring the first piece of food laid before them. It froze everyone in place for a split second, everyone except for the hulking beast beside them.

Daniel immediately screamed ‘run’ at the top of his lungs, hoping that his friends knew what he meant right as he flicked out his fingers. Although, as the first syllable passed his lips, Youpi lashed out, fist colliding with the staircase.

A second later, Daniel would have been the first death. If he hadn’t flicked out his wrist at the moment he had screamed to run, he would’ve have been dead. He didn’t even know what he did, but his mind had unconsciously chosen the direction before he even knew where he was headed to.

Daniel’s shadows curled out, reaching for the one person he could trust. It followed the trail of aura Daniel was unconsciously reaching out for all the time. He was on complete autopilot, shaking like a leaf left out in the frozen tundra.

He didn’t choose it… his body, his soul chose to follow after Gon and Killua, running towards their end goal… Pitou.

His throat felt dry, heart frozen in fear from almost dying mere seconds ago. Yet here was, chasing after their next danger. He was a grenade with pin pulled out, prone to explode any second later.

If it weren’t for a voice calling his name, he would have dropped to the floor and screamed, until he was killed “DANIEL! FOCUS!”

Daniel felt himself slowly anchoring himself back reality, the sight of lush green grasslands, giant craters created from the golden lances, smoke, rubble and voices relighting his senses.

He forced himself to focus on one of the two voices, the one that could only belong to Killua. Even as his body continuously shook in terror, at least he had the comfort of his friends nearby. He was extremely lucky nobody was nearby to hinder their plans.

“I’m… I’m, ok… at least for now.”

“No!” Killua interrupted, his strict tone forcing Daniel to think otherwise “Go back, or find a place and hide! You got lucky this time… the next you might not-”

“I’m fine! We… I just got bombarded with so many things in a row.”

“That’s my point! We-”

“Please… Killua…”

Killua saw the tears threatening to spill, the puppy-dog eyes, the pleading in his voices… He wanted to object so badly, to force the boy to reconsider the situation… but maybe forcing him to run away would do more harm than good. If he thought about it for longer, leaving Daniel alone, while in this state to go back could get him killed.

Killua grit his teeth at the words about to come out of his mouth, but it needed to be said “Fine, but stay close…”

Gon immediately forced himself into the conversation. Daniel was not only a threat to the main goal, but to himself as well. The boy needed to escape while everyone was still in shock from being bombarded with one thing after another “But, you warned us any second could cause our own demise.”

“Yes… I know. But Youpi could have blocked, or worse destroyed the escape route back. Leaving Daniel behind to search for the other gates on his own could…” Killua bit his lip “He could get himself killed in the process. We move forward… We find Pitou… and we force them to heal Kite…” _I just hope this is the right choice…_

Gon conceded with Killua’s admittance; after all, Killua could think quicker about these situations. He only hoped it was the right choice, for both Daniel and Killua…

“~”

Killua’s eyes widened the moment he saw Ikalgo, still heading towards the elevator. He thought the octopus would have gotten further than this, already half-way down the elevator shaft, at the mid-way point of his goal. But considering all they’ve experienced within seconds of entering the palace, he wouldn’t be surprised if only a minute had gone by.

He was genuinely happy to see one of his friends alive and kicking, unharmed by his grandpa’s Dragon Dive. Hell, after thinking about it his Grandpa’s ability should have alerted him to knowing about _Nen_ long before his brother, Illumi used it on him.

The boy internally cursed himself, unsure if he really wanted to deal with a member of his family so soon. He questioned the situation further, wondering if there was anyone else besides his grandpa in the area.

As the boy passed Ikalgo, it made him shudder at the thought of running into other members of his family; his dad, mother or even Illumi on this mission. Daniel was here, and his boyfriend’s affectionally caressing aura would certainly be registered by his grandpa. Illumi maybe dense, acting as though it more of threat, but his mother or father may register it as a hinderance.

Just when Killua thought the situation couldn’t get worse, the boy stopped as he turned the corner. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. He forced himself to focus on what was behind him, even after Daniel ran into him.

Far at the other end of the corridor, there were two ants, right where Ikalgo was headed. He had two decisions to make right now, to continue following after Gon, or address the situational disaster.

Even when his mind was screaming to do the first, his body was reacting on its own, choosing to do the later. He could hear Daniel calling for him from behind, asking him what’s wrong… but all he could focus on, was questioning his own actions.

 _What am I doing…?_ Killua argued with himself as he passed the entrance he, and his friends came from. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Ikalgo once more. _What is wrong with me…?_

Everything became a blur after that, his body reacting on its own, even as his mind could only focus on questioning his motives.

This was the second time he made a decision to go against everything he argued about prior to the battle. First was keeping Daniel here, and now his second mistake had been to help Ikalgo. When Killua’s body came back under his own control, he ran back to join Gon, making sure to leave the two dismembered bodies behind on the floor; The heads missing, and their hearts removed.

Even when he wasn’t in control of his actions, his moves were fluid and precise. It was as much as a surprise to him as it was to Ikalgo, whom was just as confused as he was for helping the octopus on their mission. _  
_

_Damn…_ Killua swore in his mind as he ran back towards Gon. _What have I done?_ The boy bit his tongue, perplexed from his own actions. He was both actively angry and sadden by his own movements. He didn’t even dare look at his friend Ikalgo as he passed the octopus for the second time.

“Killua, I owe you one…”

Time had completely stopped for Killua. He was filled with a whirlwind of emotions, especially after Ikalgo’s words made him reconsider the act. The octopus didn’t thank him, just like he had said to do so earlier… and it made him relieved to hear how the octopus reacted to the help he had just received. But with all the mistakes he made within the last few minutes maybe he wasn’t so wrong in enacting them.

It made him crack a smile as he caught up to Daniel whom was still confused on what had transpired “What…?”

“I…” Daniel smiled slightly, a blush forming across his cheeks. He really wanted to point out home much he loved the smile, but between the hammering in his chest and the threat of death, he could only point at the staircase up ahead “Gon already has gone up… he’s probably waiting for us.”

Killua nod at the statement, his face returning to a normal, unreadable expression. For the moment, the boy had hoped that Daniel’s blush wasn’t because of something he did just now, if so, he wouldn’t be able to handle the praise right now.

Killua followed after Daniel, forced to shorten the distance between themselves and Gon. Hopefully the other hadn’t made any drastic moves without them.

“~”

Gon stood still, frozen in time from what he had just witness. Netero was walking behind the King with another older man. Given the situation, he could only guess that the man was an acquaintance of Netero.

He’d completely ignored Killua and Daniel beside him, only focusing on the three individuals, and where Netero had pointed earlier. Pitou, was in that building behind him, for reasons unknown to even himself.

Killua’s gaze left the dark aura roaming around Gon, focusing on what he was looking at. He saw a Chimera Ant and Netero, but the person beside Netero caused him to panic. There he was, the one Killua would never mistake for another… Zeno Zoldyck. _Grandpa?! Which means…_ Killua focused on the monster in front, which now meant that could be only one other person… _That’s the King!_

The three could only watch as the three men stood still, possibly speaking with each other.

Daniel waited, expecting Netero and the old man to suddenly clash with the King, but he was only incorrect about his prediction. The old man’s aura flared around him, robes flapping from the strength being projected. Yellow and purple aura surrounded the man as screamed up in the sky.

A large beam of aura rippled, shaping and morphing into a dragon’s head. It silently roared as it picked up with its shape-morphing, wiggling around the air until it picked a direction to move in.

Latching onto the golden and purple dragon, it left with Netero and the King, neither one noticing the boys as they left. Netero’s acquaintance stayed behind, watching the two leave without a word being spoken. Or at least that’s what he assumed being so far away.

It was quiet for a moment, Daniel wondering why Killua was staring so intently at the old man still there. Gon had woken the both of them with his cold, dark brooding tone “Killua… Daniel… Pitou is over there.”

Both boys looked at the building being guarded by the older man. It was now or nothing, whether they fight Pitou or drag them to Kite. Considering they were left behind with the threat of the King’s life looming over them… Daniel could only imagine what awaits them in that building.

Why exactly did Pitou stay behind, even when the King’s life was being threaten.

“Let’s go!” Gon jumped the distance, now heading towards Pitou.

Killua still felt unsure, considering his grandpa was on the other side, possibly waiting for him. He could only imagine what his family wants to say to him, especially with Daniel next to him. It wasn’t like the boy could turn off his obsessive aura, or maybe he would as soon as he realises whom was on the other side.

But all of that paled, in comparison to what was going through his mind. He felt destroyed on the inside, Gon’s tone and words corrupting him. He was afraid of this situation, of Gon becoming just a husk, a hammer just to crush Pitou.

He could feel the tears, fighting, begging to be let free. What did Gon mean by **‘let’s go’**? Was this a good bye, as if the boy thought he’d die… or was it something more, as if he would no longer mean anything to Gon. The moment they meet Pitou, will Gon’s revenge and Kite’s life be the only things that matter anything to him now?

Killua posture shifted from the thoughts, but his entire mind was pointing to the only conclusion he hated. **He means nothing to Gon…** _If I asked what you mean, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop the tears… I, no WE won’t be able to go back…_

Daniel had been staring at Killua the whole time, wondering why his gaze hadn’t left the older man still. Was he that important? No, there was something else wrong with the situation. The way Gon left, it looks like there was a deep scar hidden in the boy’s chest “Killua… what’s-?”

“Grandpa…”

As Killua leapt over to join Gon, Daniel froze, eyes focusing now on Killua’s grandfather. Does he greet him calmly, threaten his life… or abuse the older man for not treating his grandson like a normal human being.

Considering the old-man was a pro-assassin, only one of those situations wouldn’t end in his death. Daniel gulped, hoping that if he messed up, Killua’s grandfather wouldn’t leave him in a body bag before the long fight to come ahead.

No, that was the least important bit about the situation. He needed to focus on the more pressing matter… Killua’s wellbeing. Daniel followed after Killua and Gon, staring intently at the back of his boyfriend’s head. He wanted to climb in the boy’s mind, to read everything he was thinking about. To whisper sweet nothings combined with a long comforting hug, one that would hopefully alert the boy of his presence, as well as including to prove to him that everything will be alright.

Upon landing, the man slowly turned, looking weary from his new guests “Yo!” Then again, it didn’t however look like he weary from them, more so from speaking with the King, or at least looking at him just before he left.

Actually, now that Daniel focused more on Killua’s grandpa, he seemed a little bit relieved from the situation as well. The man’s eyes shifted from one boy to the next as if he were analysing each of them. Then Killua’s grandpa gazed back over to Killua, eyes narrowing slightly.

 _It seems you’ve changed… Killua…_ Zeno mentally noted, eyes falling next onto Daniel. It’s been a while since his dealt with Vastorie, but his son looks almost identical to him; although he carried none of his father’s childish expressions. In fact, the boy was more scared of him than he was showing.

It made him smile from the situation, but even so… using _Gyo_ told him something else about the situation. Daniel’s area swirled around Killua, acting like a weak barrier. It seemed as though he was fixated, infatuated or even emotionally attached to Killua.

Oh, the look in Silva’s eyes, no, not even! The expression on his son’s face after finding out how close the two boys is going to be golden. Maybe it might bring some liveliness, the family has needed for a while… or in best case scenario, Vastorie’s expression would be even more priceless if Daniel’s forced into a position where he becomes either a Zoldyck butler or slave…

But those are pipedreams, when he gazes into Killua’s eyes once more. Daniel means something a little more than a prized possession. If Killua returns, Daniel would be biting off more than he hoped to chewed. Zeno let out a long sigh, eyes turning to look away “My job here is done.” The man shifted his posture, arms behind his back as he walked away slowly “I know nothing beyond the mission I received.”

Zeno added some oomph to his step, this time pressing forward to stand atop the ledge. Looking at the sky, he wondered what would happen if the kids and his grandson walked into the room without any warning. Against his better judgement, he decided to give a tiny hint at what he just witnessed “I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about what’s happening inside.”

“Inside…?”

Gon turned away, leaving Zeno to disappear into the night. Killua looked at his best friend walk away before bringing his eyes back to the direction his grandpa left. He dreaded what he was about to meet, especially with how Gon is right now.

Hopefully the boy would be strong enough to overcome whatever is happening with Pitou right now. But the more he looked into the situation, the more he questioned something his grandpa didn’t point out. Why didn’t he say anything about Daniel’s clingy aura?

There was no way he was that dense, or maybe… he did notice, and he plans to bring it up in the worst possible scenario… in front of the other family members. Killua grit his teeth at the thought of having his hysterical mother and obsessive older brother deal with the situation in their own way.

Daniel was weak, too weak to deal with this scenario right now. If he plans to deal with his father, let alone his brother he has to learn how to live in the fear of death, and persevere within darkness. He may be able to control shadows, but the darkness surrounding his family outweighs Daniel’s capabilities for the moment…

He loves Daniel, not that he’d say it out loud, nor would there be no point denying those feeling… but his family wouldn’t so much for two reasons.   
One, because who Daniel’s father is…   
And two, because to his family… _love_ is only an emotion that is seen as being a weakness rather than process which could end up strengthening him in the long run.

He’ll rather be considered weak, than become Illumi.

Sceptical of the situation, Killua headed towards the tower, running after Gon so he could walk step-by-step alongside his best-friend and Daniel. This is where they find Pitou…

This is where they survive…

Or break from their findings…

“~”

Step by step, the boys made their way to Pitou’s last known location. Barely lit hallways marked by destruction of Killua’s grandfather. Daniel still doesn’t know the older man’s name, due to the fact it is considered the least of their concerns.

It was amazing Zeno didn’t kill him right then and there. He had to have seen it, the unnatural, protective glow being produced by him. Yet his features remained still, guarded by null emotions.

It was a Zoldyck thing… one which Killua hadn’t perfected. He showed emotion at times of fracture or surprise, when the unexpected happened. And right now, Killua was right on the brink of it all… a second away from utterly breaking apart.

Daniel just hoped that what Zeno said was warning enough, to help them survive whatever Pitou is doing.

“Killua… what do you think we’ll find?”

“I don’t know…”

There was awkward silence between the two, Daniel internally arguing with whether or not to ask his next question. He turned to focus on Killua, watching flecks of moonlight shine through the cracks, highlighting a few of his boyfriend’s features.

It made him look surreal, especially now that Daniel could see the cracks in Killua’s features. Not physical ones, emotions barely held together like a worn-out dam “Are you… ok?”

The light from the next room got brighter as they were ending their destination, Killua weighed his thoughts, wondering if it was ok to say it or not. He had drawn his last emotional straw. Between what Gon said, meeting his Grandpa Zeno, as well as what he said… The answer is a definite **‘NO!’** But he’ll survive… he has to! If not for himself, at least for Gon and Daniel “I…”

Killua’s eyes widened, a deep, dark, red glow radiating through the light of the next room. That definitely had to be Pitou’s ability, maybe in preparation to their presence “I don’t know…” But when they got too close, that’s when Killua’s emotions broke through. Pitou wasn’t even looking at them. They had their back turned to them.

Killua’s mortified, yet shocked expression made Daniel’s head turn towards his gaze.

Neferpitou was kneeling over a child, a huge monstrous puppet extending for their cat tail. Its mouth was sewn shut, and was wearing a nurse garment with a wide assortment of gadgets and tools extending from the chest and finger tips.

So, this is what Killua’s grandfather meant by: **I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about what’s happening inside.** Pitou was saving a child, probably forced by the king. But still… even if Pitou was forced by the King, they’re still fore filling the task.

This meant only one possibility to who this child was… It was the King’s child! The mother was nowhere to be seen, so either she was killed in action, or this child was adopted by the king.

Dark aura grew exponential around Gon, an indescribably rage being projected by the boy. His eyes were dark, pupils disappearing. You could stare into the boy’s eyes, and rather than seeing his soul, the abyss would have been staring back at you.

It made Daniel’s skin crawl, after seeing someone so sweet, kind, generous, give all that up just so he could hurt or kill the one whole hurt Kite.

It wasn’t like he was any better, but at least after a while, the boy would start to think clearly about the situation. Gon had completely forgotten, that Neferpitou is the only one who can save Kite right now…

Pitou caught onto Gon’s darkness, eyes opening wide once they realised who was behind them. The cat-like Chimera Ant was horrified to see not one, but three enemies had crept up on them.

The King asked them to look after Komugi, yet they messed up by not noticing the enemy had gotten so close. 

Daniel and Killua thought they had the situation under control, thought out… but they were so wrong. Gon was right at the edge of the cliff of emotions, and Pitou was terrified and their ability in full effect, healing the young girl.

“Do you remember me…?” Gon asked, aura flaring with flecks of darkness clouding his every word.

The boys were never in control since entering the battle build… they were broken the moment they stepped on it.


	109. Broken X Beyond X Repair

Daniel and Killua could only watch, as their best-friend broke from the occasion; a whirlwind of emotions, and dense tunnel vision, clouding the boy’s movements and speech “I’m Gon Freecss! I came here to get Kite back from you!”

On the plus side, at least Gon wasn’t overly obsessive with killing Pitou… at least for the moment. He was still thinking somewhat on what his final goal was. But no matter how much Gon continuously yelled, Daniel couldn’t stop thinking about what his witnessing.

Pitou was protecting the King’s daughter like a mother or father, does for their child. Yet, they were still weary, maybe even terrified of the boys in front of them. If Gon lashes out they’ve failed the King, but it also means Pitou may turn into a revenge seeking monster… and the King will come back to finish the job if Pitou doesn’t.

Killua had to have noticed it, the way Pitou’s arm is positioned… the way they were using their body as a shield for the little girl. Daniel glanced in Killua’s direction, noticing the boy not only hasn’t moved, but is unreadable as well. He was still at the peak of breaking, but Daniel couldn’t tell if it was for the worst or best, not that his boyfriend breaking would benefit the situation.

Killua was scrutinising the situation in front of him, Gon’s yelling lost in the back of his mind. _Something’s not right…_ A quick glace in Daniel’s direction proved he wasn’t the only one whom noticed. Although, to what degree Daniel had unravelled the confrontation, that, he didn’t know…

For all the boy knew, Daniel could be thinking this was the King’s daughter due to his observation. But that wasn’t the only thing that had to be ticked off a long list of unusual things… there were others, more disturbing than that.

Pitou had no aura surrounding them, they were naked, without _Ryu_ … nor did they have a thin lining of _Ten_ surrounding their body.   _Why isn’t the enemy preparing for battle when we’re right here? I can’t even sense any aura at all… Pitou might as well be completely naked… utterly defenceless. Does Pitou think it can win without aura?_

 _No, that’s isn’t possible…_ Killua’s eyes narrowed from the thought, his assumptions had to have been wrong. It made no sense with an enemy so close by. _The aura coming from Gon now doesn’t even compare to his usual. Even Pitou can’t fight that without using Nen._

Killua’s eyes snapped from one area to the next, checking to see if there was anything other than the girl that was unusual about this place. There had to be something else in the area. _Is it because of where we are? Does Pitou believe that, at this distance, there’ll be time to activate Nen if we do attack? That could be possible…  
_

_No, it can’t be…_ _It has to have something to do with the girl behind Pitou! It almost looks like… that’s it!_ Killua bit his tongue, no wanting his brain to fall on that thought being the correct observation. There was no way, that within a few months, Pitou had changed this much. It was impossible. Kite said Chimera Ants were naturally evil… and when they first encountered Pitou, they were a monster through-and-through.

But then again, he himself had changed within a few years spending time alongside Gon and Daniel. And there were others who joined their cause like Colt, Ikalgo, Reina and Meleoron. _It looks like…_ If his assumption is correct, they aren’t dealing with a normal situation. _Pitou is protecting that girl like a mother using its own body to guard something weaker… that’s ridiculous!_

Killua’s face morphed into a mixture of disgust and shock, unable to calmly rationalise the situation any differently. _Pitou isn’t someone who’s capable of that!_ Who is that girl… what does she mean to the royal guards and the King? Is she the _incubator_ for the King’s children…? No, she didn’t look pregnant. She would have shown signs, like a baby belly… or something! _Wait, but then, why did grandpa… say something so cryptic?_

Killua’s thoughts spiralled out of control, trying to pin point where the girl fits into the whole argument.

Gon had stopped yelling a while ago, eyes focusing on the girl behind Pitou. Rather than thinking about where she fits into the unusual puzzle, his mind went more into the route of aggression. To him, he saw a broken version of Kite, pins and needles being rammed into a broken body, stitching it back up in a manner so that it wouldn’t even be considered a human any more “Get away from her!”

Pitou’s eyes widened, fearful now of the boy stepping closer to them. They had to stop the boy, somehow… but how? Yelling at him wouldn’t help the situation…

“I’m telling you to take that monster and get away from her.” Gon stopped, meters away from Pitou, fists shaking, on the verge of breaking apart. He was so close now, so close to obtaining the one _thing_ that could save Kite…

But all he wanted to do was punch them over and over again, to get all those sad, broken images of Kite out of his head; he wanted to yell at a bruised and battered version of Pitou to fix Kite “And then, fight me! Fight me, so I can get Kite back!”

Pitou snapped, their body moving on their own. It was like their own body knew exactly what to do in order to save Komugi. Both arms were placed on the floor, hands facing up with their head bowed. Pitou was pretty sure this gesture was natural, universal for every race and animal.

It had to have been, because as soon as they made that stance, the boy who had been yelling at them, had gone silent.

Killua and Daniel froze at the gesture. To Killua, the gesture was a sign of one’s lack of malice.

The room was deathly quiet, only the clanking and snipping of scissors from entity behind Pitou being heard every once in a while. Daniel assumed the gesture was a peace offering, but that couldn’t have been right…

Pitou was a monster… they had to still be a monster, because only a monster keeps Kite alive like a stitched-up doll… only a monster takes away someone’s humanity by stripping their body of all feelings and nerves, turning them into nothing more than a puppet to be manipulated.

Pitou shouldn’t be offering a gesture of momentary surrender… they couldn’t have known how to. But when the boy looked to Killua for conformation, for a single sign that says **‘Pitou is lying’** , all he was met with was Killua’s shocked, jaw dropping expression.

“Please…” Pitou finally spoke, breaking the deadly silence with a plea “wait!”

The words had broken Gon, shattering what was left of his humanity. He allowed his aura to break freely, displayed in all its glory. The room shook violently from the raw, negative emotions, voice raised several degrees louder, and mixed with a tone that comes off as whinier, than demanding “What the hell?! What am I supposed to wait for?”

Gon threw out one fist, demanding a much simpler request, one which Pitou should be able to fulfil “Get up! We’re going outside!”

“Gon I…” Daniel shut himself up, unable to figure out what to say to his friend. Does he tell him to cool it, relax, to ask why Pitou is acting like this…? Would the Chimera Ant even be able to give an answer to the question?

He didn’t know enough about the situation, and now that he thought about it… what the Killua’s grandfather said, now makes more sense.

Killua calmed his nerves, uttering to his mind to calmly rationalise the situation. The way Gon is acting, isn’t helping the situation. Gon’s snapped, and unless he or Daniel can figure out what’s going on, they won’t be able to stop Gon from making a mistake he’ll regret. _He was saying something unexpected happened!_

Killua brought a knuckle to his chin, trying to narrow down all the assumptions to a single plausible scenario. _Grandpa knew nothing when he brought the dragon down. Grandpa’s mission was probably to use Dragon Dive and Dragon Head to separate the King and Royal Guard. But like us, he didn’t know that she was here, too…_

 _Wait a second…_ Killua’s eyes widened at the plausible scenario. _This woman must be the third party that none of us knew about! And she’s most likely the reason the King hurt himself. Why would the King do something so out of character? Because she is someone who’s special to the King…_

There were two possibilities. _Either she’s the King’s daughter… or this is the King’s wife…_ Killua’s eyes widened from the thought. _That means Pitou isn’t taking her apart… Pitou is healing her at the King’s command! Pitou isn’t only prevented from using En when healing someone. All aura must be focused on the healing ability when using it._

 _What do I do?_ Killua’s eyes narrowed on Gon, now understanding the situational crisis. If Gon knew this, he would react more aggressively than he is acting now. He might even kill Pitou, fucking not only himself over, but Kite as well. _Gon can’t find out, no matter WHAT! I’ll tell Daniel, but only when he’s far away from Gon’s ears… If he knew about it, once he figured it out, he wouldn’t be as shocked, and accidently blubber it out…_

Killua drew his eyes to Daniel, wondering what he should say now to quell Gon’s rage. One mistake, could make the situation worse. It was already at the peak, a disaster waiting to happen… _What do I tell Gon?_

As Gon inched closer, Killua raised his voice just so his best-friend could hear him over his thoughts “Go-” But as he was about to tell Gon to wait, Pitou made the situation worse “Please, I’ll do anything!”

The words were enough to make Gon pause. Was there really any incentive to fulfilling Pitou’s request for him? If he listens to them, they’ll do anything he asks of them… and that means healing Kite too. But on the other hand, he won’t be able to get his frustrations out at the moment. He’ll have to sit, or stand… wallowing in his own messed up desires and frustrations.

But, what’s stopping him from getting everything he wants now? The girl behind Pitou means nothing to him, let alone them… Pitou would never show compassion for anyone, not even Kite…

“So, please wait…”

Gon heard their second plea, or was it Pitou’s fourth? Not that it mattered… he stopped caring after the first one.

“I… must save this person!”

Gon scrunched his face up in disgust, Pitou’s _genuine_ , venomous sounding pleas screwing with his mentality. Pitou never showed this level of care for Kite, so why should they get a chance to show it for someone Gon didn’t even care about?! “Save…”

His words were hallowed, facial expression morphing into an uncompassionate one. Even though it made him come off as shallower, Gon just simply didn’t care “Save what?”

“ **Anything**? When you say **anything** -”

“Killua…”

Killua was disturbed at how Gon spoke his name, venomous, cold, uncaring at what he wanted to say. But the boy didn’t just stop there “I’m asking the questions…” the longer he spoke, the less human he became “What is it that you must save?”

There was a long pause, Daniel’s fist shaking. Between Gon’s reaction to Killua and the way his speaking to Pitou, it was clear he lost his mind at some point in the conversation. If Gon continued any longer down this path, he’ll become nothing more than a broken husk of his former glory.

“This person is someone…” Pitou started to answer, voice shaking. To them it was best to answer the boy’s question head on, rather than lie. If the boy figured out it was a lie, they were more scared of the boy lashing out and smashing Komugi’s head in, which would only infuriate their King, than the loss of their own life “Someone who’s important to someone important to me…”

As Pitou swallowed thickly, they looked up into the boy’s cold, dead eyes “She is the reason the King is who he is. If she dies, the King will cease to be who he is. She’s that important. So… All I care about is saving her! Once she’s healed, I’ll do anything you want. So please wait!”

Their words sounded genuine, sincere, without malice or lies. Daniel was taken aback, surprised by the change in situations; Pitou was healing someone other than the King. He could see the cat shaking, especially under Gon’s gaze… this needed to stop!

The entire situation has changed, and everything they expected to go to plans… now has gone up in flames. Daniel can’t raise a hand to Pitou, not while the Chimera-Cat was saving another human life.

Daniel opened his mouth, ready to tell his long-time friend, Gon to stand down… But Gon was already addressing Pitou’s words “You want to save _her_? You _must_ save _her_? _Save her_?” It was already too late, the boy had gone past the point of no return, cracking in a way that no amount of glue could ever heal Gon’s shattered mind “How dare you say that…”

Gon’s aura lit up like fireworks, surrounding the entire room with a blood lust that could kill any normal human “HOW DARE YOU?!”

“Gon, you need to-”

Gon immediately cut off Daniel “NO!” The boy turned, pointing an accusing finger at his friend in question “YOU SHUT UP! DAMN IT!” Gon slammed his fists into the ground, cracking the already destroyed tiles further; he was frustrated at how the situation has turned out. Why did Pitou have to change now of all times, when he was so close to getting Kite back?

Kite wouldn’t have had to suffer, if Pitou was like this since the beginning “THE HELL IF… THE HELL IF I’LL LISTEN TO YOU!” The boy’s words came off whinier than intended, but that didn’t matter when he took a step closer to Pitou.

This had gone on far enough, Killua wouldn’t allow the situation to escalate any further than it needs to. Gon needed to stop, and listen to reason “Gon hold on!” Killua closed the distance between him and his best-friend as slowly as he could without freaking the boy out. If Gon went on a rampage now, everything they worked for, would be a complete waste “It’s likely that we were the ones that injured her. It was probably Grandpa’s Dragon Dive.”

“And…?”

Killua gulped, the cats already out of the bag, so that means there was no point hiding the fact that Pitou is healing someone “Pitou is probably telling the truth about healing her.”

“So…?”

Killua stopped a few meters away, just in case Gon lashed out. At least now, he knew if Gon made a mistake, Killua could stop it immediately while he was this close “Let’s wait until it’s down.”

“ **Likely** …?” Gon muttered out loud, Killua notice nothing had changed in Gon’s tone of voice, but he at least was able to calm him down, somewhat “ **Probably** …?” Gon muttered a second word, followed by a statement Killua never expected Gon to utter in his lifetime “You want me to wait because of **likely** and **probably**? And after we wait, it’s _likely_ this thing will do what I want? _Likely_? _Probably_?”

Gon threw his arms out, seeing Killua’s words as nothing more than an arrogant bluff “SERIOUSLY?! THAT’S CRAP! THAT’S JUST CRAP!” To hear his own best-friend, join sides with Pitou, to agree with a thing whose killed hundreds, if not thousands… and then have the gull to tell him to listen to Pitou’s plea… Killua was an idiot! No, he was worse than an idiot… He was a condescending, cynical, egotistical piece of shit “THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU?!”

Daniel’s hand was shaking violently. Why can’t Gon stop yelling? Why can’t he just relax for a moment and think what his saying. If the boy doesn’t stop soon, he too won’t be able to control his own actions… He’ll punch Gon as hard as he can, until he knocks some sense into the boy.

“YOU WANT…” Gon held out an accusing finger towards Pitou, back still turned to the freak of nature behind him “YOU WANT ME TO TRUST THIS THING?!” Tears fell from the boy’s eyes. He felt emotionally tapped out, unable, no… unwilling to control his own emotional train-of-thoughts and language “I CAN’T DO T-!”

Pitou snapped one of their arms in half, the chilling bone cracking noise echoing loud enough to make even Gon pause his outburst of rage. Although, it was clear by Gon’s reaction, the boy was still pissed. Daniel and Killua however were shocked by the action…

“If you want, you may also have my right arm…” The boys were the only ones to snap in this situation, Pitou too felt themselves snapping as well “If that isn’t enough, you can take both legs…”

It was quiet once more, hopefully now, Gon would rationalize the situation with a deal like that. A deal like that means no matter what, without killing Pitou he can continue to release all his anger out on the ant… and as much as he likes, of course without killing them.

“If you’re worried I’ll change my mind after the healing finishes, you can break any part of my body that isn’t required to heal her. Please let me save her!”

This was the last straw for Gon, he was broken from the deal offered to him. He can’t be angry, now that Pitou has given him free rein to hurt the Chimera Ant as much as he likes. And he still gets to save Kite in the end… as long as he doesn’t destroy any vital organs, or rip off Pitou’s tail.

Gon brought his arms up, only to bring them down onto the floor for the second time that morning.

Daniel and Killua were lost for words. Hopefully Gon would calm down now, and think about what Pitou had just offered not only him, but the others as well.

Gon hated everything about the situation, how Pitou was acting, what everyone suffered just to arrive at this point of time… it sucked, wasting all that time to reach a single goal, and then have that goal crushed because of a stupid girl whom got hurt “That isn’t fair…” Gon brought up one fist, slamming it back into the fist sized hole once more “That isn’t fair, damn it!”

The boy as he kneeled, raised his head up, tears flowing more freely now, a finger pointed at the enemy before his eyes “Why are you helping her, after everything you did to Kite?!”

This was getting out of hand once more, Killua needed to step in and calm his fest-friend down again once more “Gon!”

“WHY?! WHY?!” The boy bellowed out in rage, aura surrounding him like a tidal wave of raw emotions, crushing the floor around him. After the boy had screaming his frustrations out, he dropped to the floor, clutching his legs in his fingers.

He was still pissed with the deal, not liking any of it. He wanted Kite fixed now, and won’t wait another second longer than was needed “To hell with that…” Shifting his posture, the boy got up once more, preparing his stance to activate Jajanken “First comes-”

“This has gone on long enough, GON! If you Kill Pitou, we will never get Kite back!”

Gon stopped his attack, standing up straight, back turned to the boy he once considered his best-friend “ _We_ …? You sure have it easy, Killua. You’re perfectly calm. Considering it means nothing to you…”

Gon’s words almost destroyed him, Killua biting back the tears that would have fallen “I’m only saying this because you’re out of con-”

Daniel had enough, Gon’s words mixed with Killua almost breaking made Daniel, snap. Without warning he charged towards his best-friend, punching him clear across the boy’s face, which in-turn made the boy slid a few feet away.

Man did it hurt like hell, punching an emotional wreck of a friend. He didn’t expect Gon’s fluctuating aura to protect him like that. Daniel shook his hand, attempting to wave the broken knuckles, pain and reddening skin away “DON’T TALK TO KILLUA LIKE THAT! You have no idea what he’s going through-”

Gon suddenly swung around, forcing Daniel to throw up his aura in defence when the boy came swinging back. The fist collided with Daniel’s jaw, and man Gon threw a mean aggressive punch back in-turn “NO! You both don’t understand-”

“SHUT UP!” Daniel interrupted his friend as he was forced to spit out a wad of blood before continuing “If Kite-”

“DON’T TALK ABOUT KITE-”

Daniel just didn’t care for Gon’s excuses. No matter how he defended himself, his actions and reaction to the situational crisis doesn’t mean anything, especially when import lives were on the line “IF KITE SAW YOU LIKE THIS… he’ll be DISAPPOINTED in _YOU_! Telling Killua off like that, especially when Kite almost has a similar personality to Killua. They are BOTH calm, rational people… YOU REALLY ARE a piece of shit… the _one_ _person_ who can save Kite is meters away from you, and all you want to do is hurt- NO, kill them… You kill Pitou… you might as well get out a GOD DAMN shovel for Kite while you at…”

Gon bit himself, lips quivering from the words being thrown at him. He was right in a way, but at the same time, Gon just didn’t want to listen anymore.

Daniel raised a finger to the boy in questioning, eyes narrowing “And get ready to cry a river of tears as you apologise for fucking up! Then YOU would have been the one who killed Kite… not Pitou… Honestly,” the boy crossed his arms, frustrated at himself for speaking to Gon this way. He hated how much malice he was showing his friend.

He wasn’t like he was any better, he was just as biased, if not worse than Gon. If he was in the boy’s shoes, he’d be acting the same way “If Mito saw you now… or even Sakura… Hell, after witnessing this, I can’t imagine how Sakura would react. I wonder what he sees in you anyways! Damn it, I shouldn’t have kept that secret for you… Sakura deserves someone WAAAAY better than YOU, for him!”

Time stood still for Killua, his world crumbling down around him. Did Daniel just fuck up and blurt out a secret his been keeping for a while. Killua sniffed, hoping that he doesn’t break, or cry. He thought he knew everything about his best-friend, and it turns out his boyfriend was also keeping secrets from him as well…

Sure, he knew that Daniel knew, he liked Gon as well… but why keep Gon’s feelings for another, someone other than Palm… secret from him? It would have helped him overcome these feelings for Gon sooner, knowing that his best-friend had eyes on another.

Although, a disturbed part of his mind was a little relieved to hear that Gon had eyes on someone other than; a psychopathic, knife wielding, master make-up artist, freakish, podophile woman…

Killua turned around, walking away from the situation. As the boy covered his eyes with one hand, tears fell freely. He sobbed quietly into his hand, wondering if he’ll ever be able to go back to the old times… where the three of them laughed and enjoyed every second together.

Daniel had completely ignored what he just blurted, continuing to launch a barrage of verbal attacks on the boy in a melodramatic, theatrical manner “You’re acting all high and mighty, **oh my, I’m such pain… I hurt because I can’t WAIT A FUCKEN MINUTE LONGER!** Grow the fuck up, and take the deal! Because at the end of the day, this is the best offer you’re going to get right now…”

Gon’s hand was shaking, mind already dropped out of the argument. A part of him wanted to kill Daniel, for attacking Sakura, Mito and Kite in such a demeaning way. The boy didn’t get what he was feeling at all… all the pain, aguish built up right to this point.

He’d like to see Daniel do even better than him, his _non-_ biased mannerisms take this situation as if Killua were in Kite’s position.

Daniel slowly turned around to face his boyfriend “Isn’t that ri-” Daniel froze to the spot, Killua nowhere in sight. _Where did Killua go?_ Daniel raked his brain, wondering when his boyfriend left the room… and why without a word. It wasn’t until what he had just said, hit him across the face like sack of bricks. He had fucked up “FUCK! No, no, no!”

Without another word, he left Gon behind to deal with Pitou, alone “I’M FUCKEN SORRY, KILLUA!” _FUCK, I messed up so badly… I shouldn’t have blown up like that! No, I should have told Killua sooner rather than later… He deserved to know about this, long before I blurted it out because of how pissed I was…_

Gon watched Daniel leave, screaming after Killua who had disappeared a while into Daniel’s rant. Killua had walked away, leaving his two friends to argue on their own. But in the end, none of that mattered, all that mattered right now is how long…

Turning around, Gon’s soulless eyes looked down on Pitou, acting as though the creature before him was nothing more than an ant waiting to be stepped on “How long…? How long to I have to wait…?”


	110. Feeling X Hurt X Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Welp, everyone’s going to hate me for the next few chapters! Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions, because this shit it was hell for me to write!

Killua with his sleeves, wiped away the tears; he was unable to shake away the frustrations, sadness and guilt swirling deep inside. He was unable to believe the people he secretly admired, loved, and enjoyed being around were keeping secrets.

The boy spilled his guts out to Daniel, telling his boyfriend about the inconsistences since removing Illumi’s _Nen_ needle… yet, Daniel this whole time had kept a secret about Gon from him. When did he plan to tell him about Gon’s affections for Sakura… did he even plan to tell him, ever?

Probably…

If he rationalised the situation, Daniel was probably waiting for Gon to say it… and he only happened to stumble across it by luck. Or maybe Gon hadn’t said anything, and it was Sakura that told him.

Maybe Sakura assumed Daniel had told him, that’s why he hadn’t said anything to him…

Or maybe Sakura was too scared of him to say anything…

They were all valid arguments, but even then, the guilt killing him inside hurt more than a few arguments in favour of why it was kept a secret from him. The boy allowed his gaze to fall on the courtyard, the sounds of a battle being fought could be heard far off into the distance. It could be involving either Shaiapouf or Menthuthuyoupi, considering those are the other two were also being fought right now.

Although, the comfort of other battles still clashing in the background didn’t help his feelings right now. He’ll first need to get his frustrations out, or at least calm his thoughts down before asking Daniel _why_?

When Killua felt an arm on his shoulder, he was forced to look behind him. It was a little surprising to see Meleoron, smiling. Seeing as he was here, this could mean Knuckle was in danger. Killua put his feelings aside, eyes narrowed slightly “What’s going on?”

“~”

Zeno smirked as the wind rushed by his ears, the dragon beneath his feet gliding through the air as flapped its main wings. After having to deal with the annoying Cheetah-Chimera Ant, this was a more welcomed sound to his ears.

Although, having his son’s intense gaze aimed at his back was kind of annoying. But… on the plus side, the thought of his son asking him about Killua kind of excited him. Oh, how much he wished to turn around, jokingly arguing about the son of Vastorie and Killua entering a union of unnatural ones… one base on the concept of ‘love’.

Actually, Kikyo would take it the worst… she’ll be damned if anyone makes her son show any form of emotion, let alone compassion.

“So… How’s Killua doing?” Silva asked, emotions tame like a predator waiting to be unleashed onto a field full of unsuspecting prey. With the right words, Zeno could send him into a flying rage, one which would make him actively seek out a single throat to slit.

Zeno hummed out loud, his words coming off as snarky, a little too much for his own taste “Hmm, his I guess more… _mature_.”

“Oh?” Silva crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised at his old man’s tone; it was unusual, especially with how he said the word ‘mature’. It came off as more… suggestive in nature “Is that so…”

Zeno allowed a smile to creep along his lips, a smirk showing “Also, I believe he may have removed Illumi’s needle.” He said the words so calmly, turning ever so quickly, just so he could catch a glimpse of his son’s very reaction. But he made sure to also do it without making his son suspect his intent.

His son seemed tense, voided without reaction like usual. But if it weren’t for his scrutinising eyes, he probably would have missed those few out of character movements; like the way his son’s eyes zoned out, as if they checked out of reality. Or Silva’s hand clenching against his bicep for a split second.

“I see…” The moment Zeno mentioned Illumi’s needles, he’d checked out of life. For him, the ultimate goal at the end of life, is to have a successor that is stronger than him. A successor, which can kill without emotion… and within seconds.

Whether or not Illumi’s in-control of his little brother Killua, doesn’t matter. As long as Killua is still making sound judgements without thought, and is still the successor at the end of the day, Illumi can do whatever he believes is right.

“Oh, that’s right…” Zeno piped up, a huge smile across his lips “I had TWO rare experiences today. My time was compressed!”

“I must remember to ignore half of everything you say.”

“That’s not fair, considering the second half involves a child of a certain man you don’t like. Imagine to my surprise, I see my grandson’s aura being surrounded by another’s… it was so… _infatuated_. Reminds me of my son, when a certain woman entered his life.”

“And this is why I ignore half of everything.” _Wait, what…?_ Silva processed a certain sentence in his head, double-no, triple checking he heard the words correctly. **Imagine to my surprise, I see my grandson’s aura being surrounded by another’s… it was so… _infatuated_.** Who’s attempting to take control over his son, Killua?

If he finds out the person is trying to slip through Illumi’s control to take over his son, he’d regret the day he was born. Killua will inherit the Zoldyck estate… he will be the next one to rule with an iron fist, until his children are strong enough to take over. The cycle will continue, no matter what…

Something later snapped into his mind, the first half of that sentence. **The other half involves a child of a certain man you don’t like.** All his enemies are dead, except for one man… Vastorie. If his son, Daniel attempts to weasel Killua out of his position, he’ll make that boy regret the decision.

After all, he had a gut feeling Killua will return home… to see a certain monster, a freak of nature in their closet. If Killua has removed the needle, he might have remembered about that thing, _Alluka_.

“~”

Daniel ran out the room in a hurry, completely forgetting about his argument with Gon. He stopped caring once he realised the fatal mistake of blurting out Gon’s feelings for Sakura. He shouldn’t have said that out of anger, especially when:   
One, Sakura has done nothing wrong.   
Two, Daniel knows about Killua’s feelings for Gon.

He knew they might still be there, hidden deep inside. They might be on the verge of dissipating, but that was no way to tell his boyfriend… possibly Ex-boyfriend now; his feelings were wasted on an emotionally charged individual that is angry from the situation.

Daniel just hoped Killua will forgive him, for keeping this secret… for arguing that his feelings were wasted on someone, which Daniel considered ‘a piece of shit’ within the moment he snapped.

Those were his true feelings. He still loved Gon like a friend. He only snapped, because he was being extra defensive.

Daniel reached a T-intersection, the very last place he could feel the boy’s presence. Killua was nowhere to be seen in sight, aura unable to be traced any further. The boy dropped in shame, tears falling freely “I’m sooo sorry Killua…”

The boy continued to sob uncontrollably, constantly apologising for every mistake he made; apologises which he had hoped Killua was still be around to hear.

“~”

Killua had led Meleoron by the hand to a corner, far away from prying eyes. He hadn’t felt the presence of another nearby, which means they should be ok for the moment. And that meant the Chimera Ant wouldn’t need to worry about taking another sudden long breath.

He only ran, because he knew Daniel was headed their way. He didn’t want to face the boy… at least not yet. He still had mixed feelings… emotionally charged, ready to burst into tears.

The last thing he needed right now, was to break in front of Daniel. Daniel was probably already crying his mistakes out. Shaiapouf is being held by Morel, Neferpitou is with Gon, and unless Knuckle and Shoot is failing to hold down Menthuthuyoupi, he shouldn’t be in any serious danger…

Maybe from another Chimera Ant, but given the situation… who knows where the other Ants were right now. They’d either be dead, in hiding, deep underground or out on a mission. If not one of those options, the last bet will be placed on them still being around, but nowhere near Daniel right now.

He’d just have to hope Daniel will be fine without him for the moment, until he gathers his thoughts. Killua peeked around the corner, checking one final time before turning to face Meleoron “Okay, we should be safe here. Explain what’s going on.”

The man let out his breathe, taking in a lungful of air before explaining “Shoot’s out of the battle, and Knuckle is fighting Youpi alone. I need your help…”

“Huh?” Killua’s eyes widened at the situation. It’s gotten more dire, different dramas going on at different corners. It seems like he isn’t the only one suffering right now. Knuckle is suffering in his own way too.

“Knuckle’s going to keep running to try and buy time. He’s crazy.”

Killua gathered that much from the first sentence, but he still needs a little more information before he comes out with a reasonable plan in such a short time “Okay, what’s the minimum length of time you can maintain God’s Accomplice?” With this information, he should be able to come up a way to step in, helping out Knuckle so the man could catch his breath while he keeps Youpi busy.

“The first time, I was so nervous, I failed and had to tap out after ten seconds. But I’ve regained my cool. If I don’t move, I can hold my breath for at least a minute!”

A minute isn’t long, but for him to launch a counter attack, it would be more than enough “That’s plenty of time. I just need one chance…”

“~”

**Thunderbolt**

Daniel heard it, long before he saw it. A bolt of lightning, followed by a loud crack of thunder in the sky. It was like a crack of a whip being snapped. A while ago, he though he felt Killua’s aura on two separated occasions, the first time disappearing long before he could pin-point its location.

It was harder to do so, with the tears, and thoughts running on overdrive through his mind. The moment it disappeared the first time, his mind went straight to the argument that Killua didn’t want to see him at all.

It was understandable, considering everything he said to Gon earlier…

But the moment he saw the blue light, falling like a giant lance, charged with enough electricity to knock out an area network, he hoped it meant Killua wanted to be found. But where it landed, that hope fell dead short.

It went deep into the pit, the last location he thought he swore he heard Youpi screaming from. But given his feelings, it was hard to judge whether or not those assumptions were correct. But if he knew one thing, he knew not to disturb Killua right now…

If Killua was attacking Youpi, the last thing he needed, was an emotional wreck attempting to ask him questions, nor their help… Daniel fell back on his knees, looking out through the cracks of the wall, a spectator, to the war going on around him.

“~”

Killua heard Knuckle running away, cheering from his luck. If it weren’t for him stepping in, the man would’ve been dead. Even still, he knew two things were going on right now were more concerning than a ‘cheering Knuckle’:

What he was feeling…

What Daniel was feeling…

He knew, the moment Meleoron deactivated his ability, he was able to be sensed by Daniel, the boy was searched for him… but it was like his mind wasn’t able to focus right… to see where he was right now.

And the second time Meleoron let go, he had already attacked Menthuthuyoupi. Daniel gave up, and didn’t bother searching for him. Probably because he knew where he was right now… or in the worst-case scenario, the boy already gave up before trying. But then again, there was the possibility, Daniel knew he didn’t want to be talked to right now…

Yet, another part of his mind, did want to talk to Daniel. His voided eyes were actively ignoring the creature before him. Even when he saw the monster, staring back at him. Was this because he didn’t want to be here right now…?

Or was it because of something more sinister; his feelings wanted him to rip into Youpi, to release all his frustrations out on the Chimera Ant before him. Maybe… it might help a little, or maybe a lot, considering he could try figure out his feelings while also testing out the limitations of his new abilities.

Killua inched closer to the creature, eyes never once taken off his prey. He wanted to figure out his motives, his feelings right now… but at the same time, he could feel his blood being supercharged, bolts of electricity flowing through every nerve.

“Sorry, but what’s about to happen is just me blowing off some steam.” In a few seconds, his body will act on its own… and in that time his body acts on its own, maybe he’ll figure everything out. With a clench of his fists, the electricity running through his body alighted, a tingly sensation running through his body.

It hurt like hell, making him scream internally for a moment. The action had caught him off guard, even when it was _technically_ fake electricity running through his body, it still hurt. But with this, it meant every nerve in his body was pushed past their limits, even beyond that of the response of a master or a Pro-Hunter whose able to react within a second.

Killua felt his body drift, an internal smile widening when his body acted on its own, attacking Menthuthuyoupi the moment he let out his intent to cause harm. Killua felt the nerves in his arms move, more electricity flowing through his fingertips as they inched closer to the enemy.

The moment Youpi’s body flexed, one of Killua’s arms reached out, the electricity flowing through his fingertips being released the second it touched Youpi.

The man screamed at the touch, eliciting an internal cheer from Killua. _Yes, perfect!_ _It’s a success!_ Reaching out again, Killua’s nerves were relighted. The boy screamed internally from his body being supercharged, even after his body struck the Chimera Ant with a swift kick to the face.

But the act also confirmed Killua’s suspicions. Every strike, reignites his nerves to the max capacity, while simultaneously releasing _Nen_ fuelled bolts of electricity through every strike.

He was an autopiloted, quick-reaction, timed, striker, that deals electricity damage on every attack. And to go by Youpi’s slowed movements, his attacks also stunned, slowed, and or caused paralysis as well. 

It worked out wonderfully for Killua, his mind left to focus only on what he was feeling and thinking. _I hate these feelings… these overburdened feelings holding me back. It sucks finding out Daniel and Gon kept secrets from me… but at the same time… I feel it’s wrong of me to be angry at them._

_Mad… sure! But angry… maybe a little at Daniel. He had to have known about Gon’s feelings for a while. Maybe since Greed Island… or even longer. I guess I have to ask him… in person to get the answer to that question._

_However, I don’t feel like this will stop me from feeling anything for Daniel. I just…_ Killua bit his lip internally, trying to find the right words for his feelings. Daniel stood up for him with Gon, and from the way he worded it, now that he thinks about it… Daniel was more upset with how he was being treated, than how Daniel, himself was being treated.

He probably thought he deserved Gon’s frustrations being hurled at himself… but not at Killua. It was kind of sweet… _Daniel…_ Killua thought about the boy, wondering what he was going through. Maybe he should give Daniel a second chance… a chance to explain his actions.

If his explanation is sufficient enough, then, and only then will he forgive Daniel. A part of Killua still needed Daniel, maybe not so much as a lover… considering the guy is an absolute virgin… but he’d definitely needed him, to help him break his sister out… And he needed Gon' as well, to help out.

He still holds those two close to his heart, and if that means he has to forgive them… no matter how much they hurt him, so be it. He’s suffered a lot to get to this position in life, and if that means he needs to suffer for a little bit longer…

“So be it!” Killua slammed his fist into the creature’s skull… his body jumping back to distance himself once more. Killua really thought he had more time, but his electricity seemed to wane out, sizzling one last time before running out.

Killua quickly turned on his heels, running up the hill before Youpi had time to attack. _Shit, shit, SHIT!_ He thought he had more time, that his ability would last even longer than a few measly minutes.

But alas, even as Youpi chased after Killua, the boy got out of the crater like a bat out of hell.

“Hold it! You’re not getting away! You’re seeing this through with me…”

 _Over my dead body!_ _Baka!_

“~”

Daniel looked up at the sky, a small object fluttering about. It looked small and plump in shape, and unidentifiable. He didn’t know who it was, but even through his tear stricken face, at least he knew it wasn’t a friend.

He knew all his friend’s abilities and aura signatures. And texture before him, matched none of them. Daniel wiped away the tears, forced to be serious for the moment. He held out arms open wide, egging the creature before him to attack.

He couldn’t afford to leave it up there, especially when it could be surveillance for an even bigger creature stronger than himself.

Aura enveloped the boy, hands forming, reaching out to prepare for the first assault. As he was about to flick out his fingers, the creature left quickly. Daniel’s eyes narrowed from the reaction.

 _I have to leave… he might come back for me considering I’m alone._ And with that thought, Daniel leapt into the shadows, heading towards the one person he wished to not only see once more, but also tell him about the flying critters if he hadn’t notice them already.

“~”

Killua watched the miniature Shaiapoufs leave through a hole in the wall, wondering as to how and why the Chimera Ant had made smaller versions of himself. He could be using them as scouts, or maybe that was the original one scouting in a group of smaller sized ones so that he could remain undetected.

It was a puzzling issue; it could mean that he was searching the area for the King. However, considering the King had already left, he won’t be finding him anytime soon. But at the same time, if he had split into multiple objects the same size, he could be checking to see what’s going on with the others.

Everyone was in danger…

But he can’t do anything about that right now, especially now that his electricity has depleted. Killua understood how his aura worked after using the ability, it worked like a power-bank much to his dismay.

As time goes on, eventually he’ll learn how to maintain his output, as well as how to store more power in his reserves. It was a condition he needed to bypass, sometime in the future.

Killua lead Meleoron through the halls, with the end goal being to find a socket to regain the lost electricity used by his ability. It took a few turns, but eventually he found one that wasn’t covered in rubble. The last thing he needed to be doing was causing a racket, alerting nearby enemies of his location.

The boy then told Meleoron to end his ability, so that he can charge up without worrying about electrocuting the Chimera Ant.

Killua reached into the wall, removing the socket before severing the cables from the plug. He needed a live wire, before charging his _power-bank_. The moment the boy wrapped the wires around his wrist, the surge of electricity ran through his body.

On the plus side, the hours of electrical torture made this feel more like a tingly sensation “Alright, now this is working… Once I’m charged up, I’m going back to Gon and Daniel.” It felt like a lie to mention Daniel being with Gon, but it was a necessary white lie.

Daniel hadn’t come to him yet, so the lie would still work “That means you go find Knuckle. Pouf is outside the barrier, so it’s very likely the big guy was taken out. Review the situation, then you Kn-”

Killua stopped once he felt a pang of aura wash over him. It seems Daniel was nearby, watching him talk to Meleoron. And the boy was unable to control his own guilt weaving through his aura.

“Killua…?”

Killua snapped awake, Meleoron was concern from him, and it showing in his features. Judging by the man’s reaction, it looks as though he hadn’t picked up on Daniel’s presence nearby, which is a good thing “Oh, sorry… I had a mind blank for a second. As I was saying; review the situation, then you and Knuckle decide what to do, and whether to retreat.”

“Huh?” Meleoron was caught off guard. If they retreated, what about Daniel, Gon and Killua? What are they going to do…? Take on the three royal guards on their own “Wh- What about you guys? You can’t intend-”

“Don’t worry… we won’t take on the Royal Guards on our own. It’s just… Once Gon is in this state, he won’t budge. In the worst-case scenario…” Killua looked away, eyes trained to the fist wrapped in cables. He couldn’t believe he was thinking it, nor that he was going to say it…

It made him feel guilty, knowing that in the worst-case scenario, he could see Gon committing suicide “He’ll trade his life for Pitou…” Killua grinned the moment he said the words, faking a smile for the man to see. He didn’t need to burden Meleoron with any worries, he just hoped Daniel could hear what he had to say about Gon “I’m kidding! It’ll be fine because I have one thing that will snap him back to reality… the magic word, **Kite**! Just leave it to me…”

Meleoron knew that was a lie, but at the same time, he didn’t know why the boy lied. When he saw the three boys, Gon and Daniel were arguing, while Killua had stood still… almost looking broken from the situation.

If Killua stayed longer, maybe he would have been able to learn why he was broken, but before he could do so… Killua had left without a word. He even found him crying by himself.

A part of him trusted Killua, and he felt as though if the boy wanted to do so… he would tell him. Killua might not want to open about it now, but eventually, he will open up.

The man left with a thumbs-up, going through the door Killua directed him to go through. He’d trust the boy’s judgment, because right now… Knuckle and Morel need all the help they can get.

“~”

Killua waited until Melodeon left, so he could address the boy still in hiding “I know your there, Daniel…”

Daniel didn’t answer the boy, which only made the boy sigh “Alright… don’t answer then. Just listen…” The boy took a deep breath before continuing. He needed to remain clam, rational throughout the situation if he wanted Daniel to come out and face him “I’m not angry with you… alright, maybe a little bit.”

Killua waited, expecting a response from the boy, instead he felt the aura swirling around him shift and morph, the feelings of guilt intensifying “But, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to understand what you’re going through, and why you did it…”

“Gon wanted me to keep it a secret…”

Killua felt relieved to hear the boy’s voice, even though it was shaky, almost hollow. What he was feeling, hurt so much, it destroyed his outer layer. _Good, don’t stop just…_ “Keep going…”

“I never wanted to keep it a secret, and I only found out about it because of Sakura. It was up to them to tell you… but I wanted to tell you, to let you know… But the guilt of telling you someone you’re in-love with hurts… It would hurt you… and not only you, but me as well…”

Killua heard the distant sniff, the beginnings of a sobbing remark. Even though it hurt, he still wanted to hear it.

“I know I have no right to admit it… but I still love you. I probably don’t deserve the returned feelings, but I’ve come to accept it… It hurts to admit it, but given the situation, I don’t deserve it… not now! All those words I directed at Gon, I deserve them being directed at me. Heh, it’s funny admitting that even though I still have feelings for you, you should dump my hypocritical ass. Like, what could you possibly see in me…”

“Well…” Killua scratched his chin, thinking about what he would say. He would lie without a second thought, but seeing as Daniel is spilling his heart out, he should too “you-”

“It’s rhetorical… I’m gonna answer it for you, because I know the answer. A stalking, over-obsessive, piece of shit whom keep a secret just so he wouldn’t hurt his own snow-flake affections… Did I hit the nail on the mark?”

“No…” Killua barely muttered under his breath, although he can’t argue against the first two. Daniel is most definitely a stalker and over-obsessive. How else is he going to find out about his chocolate addiction? It’s not like he was stuffing his face full of chocolates 24/7… then again, back during the Heaven’s Arena, he did admit he spent 200 million Jenny on sweets in just under a year.

Then again, he didn’t say what kind of sweets he ate most of the time…

Although he was thinking off topic, because Daniel ended up chuckling from a lack of a response “Hehe, so I am right…”

“No…”

“No…?”

“No! Can’t argue the first two… but you’re… you are…”

“What?”

Killua bit his lip, jeez, who knew talking about feelings would be hard. The frustrations he was feeling at the moment, is probably the same as when Daniel attempts to kill “It’s weird and hard talking about this!” The boy sighed “And embarrassing…”

Killua heard the boy chuckle from his spot “St- Stop laughing, idiot! It’s true…”

“Then take your time…”

“I will!” Killua’s blush intensified, because he could hear the concern in Daniel’s voice, but also the interest, the need and desire to find out more, even after admitting he didn’t deserve to hear it “Look, your also kind… and… you’re…”

Killua felt his blush increasing in strength, so he’ll probably look like a tomato the size of a pumpkin the way his going “A reasonable kisser…?”

Daniel tilted his head side-ways, not expecting that to be one of Killua’s pros against the many cons he sees in himself “A reasonable kisser?”

“Yes! NO! SHUT UP! No, it’s just nice to have someone, who isn’t payed to show concern for you… For my whole life, it was always kill this, suffer that… do this! Excreta, but with you and Gon, I kind of saw- _felt_ what being a child could’ve been like… I was kind of envious of you two…”

“Killua, I…”

“No, don’t ruin the moment! Just, continue listening… When Gon snapped at me, it hurt… but when you snapped at him, it didn’t make me feel any better. It just made me feel… shitter? I _care_ about both of you, so seeing the two of you arguing back and forth made me run away so I no longer had to hear the rest of it… I ran away…”

Killua’s eyes were directed at the wires wrapped around his hand, and the aura cloaking him. He wanted to know what the boy was feeling, and the aura was doing just that… giving away Daniel’s inner turmoils.

He was sad, conflicted with what he was hearing. It was a good sign, considering Daniel was staying to listen, rather than running away “I should’ve told you both to cool it, but Gon wouldn’t listen because he’s stubborn like that… and you were already in a spitting match with him, _attempting_ _to defend my honour_ … trying to _validate my feelings_ …”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just out right say **_Killua has feelings for you too, dickhead!_** ” Killua mocked the situation, but he was genuine about those words. He was surprised Daniel didn’t outright tell Gon the truth about Killua’s feelings. Maybe the boy really feared the outcome of Gon finding out… What was Gon going to do? Immediately dump Sakura and confess his undying love for him…? That shit only happens in fairy tales!

… Or by madly, secretly in-love, stalker kind-of-guys, apparently…

Daniel took in the silence as a moment to speak or react from Killua’s words. What does he even say to Killua spilling his guts? **I don’t deserve this**? **Can I think about this**? A mixture of the two, or something else entirely…?

“Killua… you’re kinder than you give yourself credit for.”

“Wh- What?” The next second Killua heard steps running away, a sound which made Killua drop the wires to run after Daniel. When he reached the corner he last felt Daniel, there was no trace or him, as if he wasn’t even there seconds ago. Hell, not even a trace of the string of aura wrapping around him or the string leading back to Daniel could be seen or felt.

What was going on?! Daniel was never this good with _Zetsu_ , so why was he able to hide it so well now? Did what he say make the boy want to disappear, because that outcome made no sense…

 **You’re kinder than you give yourself credit for.** Those were Daniel’s last exact words, and nothing in that sentence sounded like; **_I want to run away from all of this_!** Maybe what he said broke the boy, or made him want to revaluate his feelings on the matter…

A part of himself wanted to run after Daniel, but at the end of the day, it won’t achieve anything. What exactly does he say when finds the boy again? It’s not like he can slap a band-aid on the situation.

Killua grit his teeth, heading back to the open socket. He’ll have to stick with his original goal. Charge up, then head back to Gon. The thought made his head snap back to the spot he last felt Daniel. His mind returning to the questionable situation.

Was that what made him run away… because he wasn’t ready to face Gon yet? Daniel knew he was headed there next. It had to be it… Given what Daniel was going through, the last thing Daniel would have said is; **_I need time to think about this…_** Hell, if he didn’t say it, he was certainly thinking it.

Killua gripped the live wires once more. By the end of this battle, Daniel, would make a choice. Hopefully, that choice would be to stay… no matter what!


	111. In X Desperate X Needs

Killua weaved through the maze of rubble, not a single step being heard; it was a skill he had learned to master since a young age. But even so, the eerie silence felt unnatural to him. There should have at least be the sounds of a roof crumbling in, off to the side, or yelling from afar…

Yet, there was none of that. The boy quietly slid across the wall, making sure not to weaken it into a crumbling state. Peeking through the side, Killua checked to see if the coast was clear, eyes scanning for any anomalies in the hallway.

Apart from the crumbled walkway to his left, the way to right seemed open enough to charge through. Killua bit his tongue, weighing his options. He’d need to make sure that was the right path to take.

Killua took another quick glance, the coast still otherwise clear. Rather than taking his chances, he continued on his original way, deciding not to risk it. Killua ran past the hallway, continuing on to find another way.

“~”

Daniel hid himself behind a wall, heart hammering in his chest. What was going on with him, why did he run away? He should have sucked it up and went back. But at the same time, he was surprised Killua didn’t see him.

He could’ve sworn he saw the boy look in his direction, or was that all a trick in his mind? Rather than worrying about it further, Daniel headed further into the palace, hoping to find either Ikalgo, or even Palm. At least if he can find her, he could actually offer her as penance for yelling at Gon, rather than going empty handed.

Or in the worst-case scenario after finding her dead body, he could say to Gon: **I’m sorry… but Palm is dead, but at least now she can have a proper burial, rather being lost forever in our thoughts**.

No, that probably end up making the situation worse… he needed to find her alive, or Gon would never forgive him!

Turning a corner, Daniel ran forward, hoping to find Palm alive and well…

“~”

Killua stopped in the middle of a hallway, jumping towards the nearest intersection to find cover. He slammed his back against the wall behind him with as little noise as possible, peeking around the corner to see what was behind him.

_Someone’s watching me…_

He swore he felt he wasn’t alone, or maybe that was just a trick, and someone was actually staring at him. He saw a dark radiating aura near the corpses he left behind when he unconsciously acted to save Ikalgo’s life.

It looked familiar, like he has witnessed this kind of aura before. It couldn’t be Gon’s, considering the boy would never leave Pitou’s side. And it wouldn’t be Daniel’s, because then he would have experienced the _Nen_ trail leading back to the boy.

But then again, if it was Daniel… and the boy didn’t want to be found, why would he be following him? _It’s definitely has to be someone I know…_ Killua brought his head back from behind the wall, a hand being pressed into his chin.

 _Probably…_ When Killua turned to look over the corner, the aura was still there. He needed to check it out, to assess whether or not it intended to hurt him. If he ignored it, and it managed to perform a sneak attack on him, that could end up being disastrous in the long run.

Killua ran to where the aura was coming from, cowering behind the wall. He edged right to the corner, slightly peeking around the corner. It didn’t look like anyone was there, but the fact he peeked over could have spooked the person, making them retreat further down the hallway.

Judging by his angle, he wouldn’t be able to look over without poking his whole head out. He needed to increase his view of perspective, and that mean using a smaller object, with a reflective surface… like a mirror. Seeing as there were no shards of glass from a mirror nearby, he needed to use his yo-yo.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out one of his yo-yo before placing it on the ground. Rolling it out, Killua waited, using the reflection to see if the person comes out of the shadows for him.

For a while, no one came out to greet him. _No one’s there…?_

Killua quirked an eyebrow, wondering why he felt like someone was there. Hell, where did that aura disappear off to? When he ran to seek cover behind the corner where he originally saw the aura was coming from, the trace he could see and sense seem to disappear.

Nobody was in his sight… or so he thought. Moments later, there were subtle, barely quiet footsteps echoing through the vast, empty hallways. He continued to wait, weighing his options on whether to distance himself or not.

If he didn’t like what he saw, he could make a break for it. As long as they don’t see where he goes, he could lose them along the maze-like hallways. It felt like an eternity had come by before the person reached a spot where light shone on upon it’s surface.

The moonlight reflected off their skin, showing off all the features Killua needed in order to figure out who they were.

When Killua could make out their face, the boy’s eyes widened in surprise. There was no doubt in his mind… who he was looking at was none other than Palm. But many of her features had been changed. She had a large purple gemstone etched into her forehead, and blue fish scales along her arms and legs.

Palm was no longer human… she was a Chimera Ant. It made the boy grit his teeth, and thankful for Gon not being here to witness this.

 _She was captured by the Royal Guard…_ Killua swallowed thickly, disturbed by what he was looking at. _She’s been transformed!_ What does he do now? Make a break for it, or access the situation further?

If Palm has become a Chimera Ant, how much of her memory does she have left? Is she the same person… or someone entirely different? _If Gon see what’s happened to Palm, he won’t be able to take it…_ _There’s no room left in his heart._

Even though the boy had eyes for another, that doesn’t mean witnessing this wouldn’t further damage his best-friend. _If the transformation has reached as far as Palm’s heart… I can see Gon completely breaking down!_

He needed to address her… to figure out whether she was friend or foe. Standing up, Killua calmed down his nerves before stepping out from the shadows. She stopped once she saw Killua, none of her features changing at all. _I must learn the answer. We still have a chance… Palm after all approached me herself!_

Killua glared at her, acting the same as he was when he was originally around her. A part of him still hated her, but now he can’t judge her, because in the end… she might be the only one that can save his best-friend.

Even when she’s physically changed so much, Gon seeing that she is the same person on the inside, might be enough to make Gon see clearly enough that Kite can still be saved. Palm didn’t address him, so that means he’ll be doing the talking for now “Palm?”

There was an eerie silence, Killua left to quietly access the situation before him. _Palm must have sensed me before I noticed her watching me… Using that power, she told us about before._

**_Once I used my power, it was quite simple…_ **

_I thought she could use some kind of divination to locate people. But it’s probably closer to clairvoyance. From her position, Palm shouldn’t have been able to see me… The only conclusion is that she was watching me by some other means._

Now that he thought about it, if he ran away that doesn’t mean she won’t be able to find him again. _If Palm were an enemy, she would have backed off… Clairvoyance is most effective from a distance. And if she’s an enemy, she shouldn’t remember me anymore._

 _Since she approached me…_ Killua’s eyes widened from the possibility. S _he must remember me! Remember us!_

Palm’s eyes slowly widened after a while “Killua, yes?”

Killua’s eyes widened right after his name being mentioned. A hurtle has been cleared, which means, she might just have all her memories intact. _I knew it…_ Killua brought himself forward, fist clenched at the idea that Gon can be saved now. _She has her memories!_

“Where’s Gon?” The woman held a hand close to her chest, face morphing into disgust “Once he’s seen what I’ve become, will Gon hate me?”

Killua rolled his eyes as he stopped, meters away from her just in case. He couldn’t change how he acted around her now, because that might mean something has changed since last meeting her.

“Gon doesn’t judge people by appearance, baka~” The boy pressed one hand on either side of his hips, a tongue being poked out at her. When the woman shows annoyance, Killua continued on with an indifferent expression “And you’re assuming that he doesn’t already hate you.”

“You’re always so spiteful…”

Killua fumed at the words while he smiled on the inside. She was the same old, annoying, pain-in-his-ass…

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I have nothing to gain from your pity. Where’s Gon?”

Killua rolled his eyes once more. _Yep, still the same annoying woman…_ “Gon’s with Pitou. He’s-” Killua stopped mid-sentence. A possibility snapped to his mind. What if she’s acting like this, just to get to Gon?

He didn’t think to involve that prospect, her using his social cues to gauge how she acts around him. If she had clairvoyance, she would have found him by now. _Why could she see me, but she can’t see Gon?_

Maybe she did see him when he ran past her, and choose to hide… To formulate a plan before coming out to see if she could get on his good side? Why didn’t he think about that possibility too?

“What’s wrong?”

Killua was shocked by the question, but not for long. He needed to pretend for a moment that he still trusts her, to figure out whether or not he could still trust her “Was it by chance that you happened to find me?”

Palm was taken aback, surprised by his words. Why did she react like that? He only asked out of curiosity… not out of spite, or any other emotion to give away the fact he still didn’t trust her completely…

“Huh? What are you talking about? You’re the one who turned the corner…”

“Wrong!” Killua taunted back, arms crossed with a smirk “You were watching me like a peeping tom earlier… I could sense you. That’s why I came this way! You noticed me first… Why are you lying?”

Palm’s eyes narrowed. It looks like he may have struck a nerve, which may, or may not benefit him in the long run. If this is really Palm, he felt as though that lie was unwarranted.

“Where’s Gon?”

“Answer my question first.” Yup, there’s no doubt in his mind now once he saw Palm clench her fist… this isn’t Palm, it’s just her face and body, with a completely different mind. _Did I notice Palm watching me only when she physically saw me? Does that mean Palm actually saw me once, then immediately left? Then she used clairvoyance to watch me follow her, and turned around so it’d look like she was approaching me?_

Palm’s face started to twitch, her feature’s distorting with each, and every second “For the last time… Where’s Gon?”

Killua withdrew his yo-yos, swinging them out into the air. As they wound back into his hands, the boy got ready for a fight “I won’t tell you. You’re the enemy, aren’t you?”

Palm’s hair extended, wrapping around her body as if she were into weird bondage fetish. It made the boy step back, unsure to what effects, her hair offers. Or maybe it’s a requirement needed for her to activate an unknown ability.

“I made a mistake… I used my power incorrectly. When I was brimming with rage, I should have let my emotions take over!” The hair made a final adjustment, giving Palm a pair of stilettos, a wide brim hat and Lolita style dress, made entirely out of hair, while the rest of her body except for her face was covered by a thick layer of hair.

When Palm’s eyes narrowed into slits, Killua quickly distance himself back further, still on guard just in case she decided to pounce. _She-she’s dangerous!_ Who knew what that thick, stringy aura threaded hair did to her body.

“Better to let everything out than hold it in…” Palm kicked off the ground, aiming straight for Killua “That includes my desire to kill you!”

Killua swung out his yo-yo, aiming for the one thing that wasn’t protected… her face. What he hadn’t anticipated, was how strong her hair made her. She merely slammed her fist into the yo-yo, smashing it into tiny pieces.

The boy quickly brought his arms up once he noticed her attention was focusing back on him, not his yo-yo crushed to pieces. He brought all his aura to focus on his arms, building up a thick layer of protection, yet it still wasn’t enough.

It punctured his aura, bruising his arms as he hadn’t added any protection to his own body. _What the hell is wrong with her hair?!_

The act had pleased Palm, her laughing like a maniac who had completely lost her mind “Well? What now?”

Bringing back his arms up, Killua was forced to block further attacks.

“~”

Daniel stopped, sliding forward as he instead turned to focus on the area behind him. He could feel his arms being bruised, yet he hadn’t been attacked by anything, not even by the unordinary.

Even now, he could still feel the pain spreading throughout his arms. The last time he felt like this was…

Daniel ran back, heading towards Killua. He had to make it, no matter how much he pushed his body to the limit. The last time he felt like that, Killua was being attacked. And if he could feel this amount of pain, he might be in serious danger.

“Killua, I’m coming back!”

“~”

Palm was relentless with her strikes, never once giving him more than a second to block her next attack. The bruised and battered muscles felt raw, sore. He winced at every strike along his arms, but otherwise remained quiet.

He wouldn’t give the woman any satisfaction, even when she whined, egging him to make any nose whatsoever “Will you die without a word? Will you die after speaking?”

 _Over my cold dead body, bitch!_ Killua argued back in his head. Even when she didn’t have her memories, she was still the same controlling, manipulative bitch he remembered her being.

He’d rather die, than hand over Gon to her while she was in this state. Hell, if she is working with the Royal Guards, they’d probably tell her where he is… or lead her there… one of those two.

Which means, either he has to kill her right here and now, or she kills him.

Raising her leg, Palm slammed her leg into the boy’s arms, sending him flying into a nearby wall.

Killua grit his teeth, holding the pain deep within himself. If she continued like this… she’s going to win. The boy forced himself up slowly, holding up his guard just in case she decided to pounce at any given moment.

For now, she was more interested in toying with the boy “Or will you die?”

When Palm propelled herself forward, Killua quickly dived to the side, avoiding the attack while working towards creating distance from her. Unfortunately for him, she kept onto his tail, forcing him to keep jumping further away, her fist landing inches away from where he last was.

Each attack destroyed the tile he was just standing on; it made the boy frown as she got even closer. When she fuelled more aura into her fist, preparing for her next attacks, Killua was forced to throw up his guard just in case he couldn’t dodge. The attack reverberated through his arms, creating a shockwave that ricocheted off his skull.

This was getting ridiculous, her hairs added a defensive bonus, while all her aura was just being used to fuel her attacks. When he remembered about Palm’s human life, she was an Enhancer, and judging by her raw strength, she still was. _Palm is still an Enhancer… When everything clicks, is it possible to become this much stronger? I completely blocked the attack, but I still took damage…_

Killua stilled his arms, making sure to not show that his arms hurt like hell; he could even feel the bumps along his arms vibrating at their own levels of pain. _If this fight drags on, I’ll be at a total disadvantage. But I can’t run away either…_

_If Daniel runs into her, trusting her without question… No, he wouldn’t! But against her, he wouldn’t fare any better than me. She’ll kill him without any push back whatsoever. It’s not like I’m doing any better, but Gon’s mind is already at its limit! He’s barely holding himself together, while he waits for Pitou._

Killua wiped the blood away from his nose, gritting his teeth in anger. _I won’t let them meet! Even if Palm’s heart is still there…_ The boy clenched his fist, getting ready once more to attack. _It’ll have a negative effect now!_

Palm cartwheeled towards him, Killua throwing his guard up once more at the last second. It felt like a sledge hammer, almost breaking the bones in his arm. He was sent flying up into the air, only to roll on the ground, groaning as he was getting up. Just as he looked up, Palm was coming down from the air, Feet aimed at his back. _Shit!_

Just as he was about to avoid the attack, something else came from the shadows behind her, someone he wasn’t expecting at all. _What the fuck are you doing here?!_

Palm turned to counter her attacker, but by the time she realised he was there, she had to throw up her arms to defend herself. But next, all she heard was a dangling chain being wrapped around her, holding her arms tight against her chest. Thinking she could break out of the chains, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her back, arms making a cross around her chest, fingers extending out.

Daniel had extended his aura, using Wolfbane, his body, and now his shadowy hands made entirely out of his aura to hold Palm tightly to the spot “Sorry, I’m late…” the boy offered Killua a weak smile as Palm threw her body around.

She was like a wild horse, bucking all over the place, screaming for the boy to let go.

Killua was shocked, but otherwise more worried about how Daniel plans to defeat Palm from that position. It’s not like he could crush her to death “What-”

“Get out of here Killua! I’ll try to hold her for as long as I can while you formulate a plan to subdue her… It’s the least I can do…”

Daniel felt Palm’s arms moving inch-by-inch, second-by-second. It won’t be long before she breaks out of his hold. After all, an Enhancer easily trumps a Manipulator in terms of physical strength “Go! NOW!”

“I’m not leaving you!”

“Please…” Daniel begged, hoping that Killua would at least get away from here.

“N-”

Palm broke out of Daniel’s hold, the sounds of chains shattering to pieces. While Daniel was surprised at how quickly she managed to break out, he was taken aback more by the fact she had managed to shatter the links holding Wolfbane to the shaft.

And the fact he got surprised gave Palm more than enough to time to smash her fist into his face.

“No!”

Palm drew her attention to Killua once more, smiling in glee. She thought she dealt with the boy, but mere moments later, he came back with a vengeance, blood pooling around his mouth as he wrapped his limbs around her “Please, run!”

“Again?!” Palm broke out of the hold with ease, grabbing the boy by the throat as she drew her fist back “Enough, this is where you DIE-”

“NO! PALM DON’T DO IT! I’M SORRY!” Killua was shaken by the attack, not expecting for Palm to stop, eyes glaring at him.

Daniel lightly punched Palm’s arm, expecting to draw her attention once more. But the attack hadn’t even registered with her. It was weak, a non-threat to the woman still grasping the boy’s neck “Please, run…” the boy plead with Killua, begging under his wheezing, eyes watering breath as loudly as he could. He had hoped Killua could hear him.

He didn’t want to die, but at the same time… he didn’t want Killua to suffer, to see him like this… why won’t he run?! What did Palm even want with him.

“I’m sorry for what I said… but please, let Daniel go… you know how much he means to me! It’s you…? Isn’t it, Palm?! DANIEL, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME… I can’t let you go through with this. Not while Gon is suffering too! While I am…”

Tears fell from Killua’s eyes, Palm let go of Daniel. As the boy fell to the floor with a thud, Palm remained motionless, eyes wide in confusion. Daniel held out his hand, hoping to coddle the boy, to wipe away all the tears… to make him somehow smile, even from his distance.

But after a few seconds, he stopped himself. He couldn’t, even if he tried. He didn’t deserve Killua… No matter what Killua had just stated… No matter how much his internal mind begged, pleading him to just listen to Killua, to close the distance… to offer some sort of comfort.

Killua tried to stop the waterworks, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t “Someone he deeply respects, was completely transformed. That person had his soul taken away…” _Why can’t I stop crying, why…? Palm has stopped hurting Daniel… Daniel has stopped throwing himself at Palm in order to protect me… Yet, I can’t stop!_

Killua wiped away a few tears, more coming back to fill their place. He was a wreck, and considering all that’s happened so far, he was lucky that he could still argue “Right now, Gon is facing off against the one responsible! If you appear before Gon looking as you do now…”

Killua stopped. What would he do? Rampage? Suicide? Emotional trauma? All of them were possible while he was in that state “Gon will…” _What do I say…?_ _How do I explain it?_ “Totally… snap…”

Killua wiped away more tears, pleading to Palm to just listen to him “So you have to call him by his name first. You must say, **Gon.** That’s the condition… Tell him you’re okay.”

Daniel could no longer take it, he crawled towards Killua. Maybe he can still make it. Maybe he can still hold Killua, to apologise for everything he has done. Maybe… just maybe… he can still be forgiven for his stupidity.

“Before we entered the palace, Gon was really worried about you.” Killua managed to stop sobbing uncontrollably, but that didn’t help stop the tears from running along his face, wetting the floor beneath his feet “Please, give him some peace of mind… Help… make him feel a little better, if you can… Only you-”

Killua stopped once he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, half expecting Palm’s hands around him. But that was nothing more than a pipe dream at this point. She was a Chimera Ant, and she probably won’t be getting her memories back any time soon. This was all a ploy, a way to buy themselves time.

If Killua could keep her attention on him, maybe Daniel could get away, to call for help to deal with Palm. But the arms wrapping around him made him stop mid-sentence, so he knew that analogy would be wrong.

Those arms… he has felt them multiple times before, during those times of need, when he opened up about Alluka… when they fell asleep together “Why…?”

Killua sobbed on the boy’s shoulder’s. What did he want to know? Why did Daniel come back? Why did he risk his life for him? Why didn’t he run to get help? Why did he run away after their last conversation? Which one did he want answered the most…? Which one of those would Daniel answer…?

He expected an answer, but it turns out he wouldn’t get an answer for any of them… the boy was just silent, and as much as he didn’t want to do this in front of Palm, he wrap his arms around Daniel, allowing his tears to flow more freely. Why now… why now of all times did he have to break?

Palm watched the scene before her, Killua dragging both Daniel and himself down to the ground in tears. It had made a part of her snap, triggering an old memory, which in turn revived an emotion she was fighting not to give into.

Maybe it was because of the situation has ended up, or the sinister butterfly, hiding in her hat made from hair; he whispered nothing but death on the kids before her, crying their hearts out over a messed-up situation.

But this scene, reminds her of someone, someone she deeply cared about… someone she loves. If she saw this man broken like this, she would be exactly like these boys right now. Palm clenched her fist, directing her anger at the man atop her hat “Shut up, freak!”

The boys stopped Daniel instinctually holding his arm in front of Killua. Even after sharing a moment like that, they had briefly forgotten about Palm just behind them. If she attempts to attack them once more, Daniel will shove Killua away, using his body as a shield.

“I am Palm Siberia…”

Both boy’s eyes widened, something hovering away from behind the woman’s hat. Palm turned her head, directing her glare at the creature before her “I’m not #1!” Winding back her fist, she clobbered the tiny Chimera butterfly, Pouf to pieces, a single strike needed to shatter him into tinier fractions “I will never become a pawn to you Ants… Even if it cost me my life!”

Palm held out her hand, the hairs surrounding her body weaving away, returning back to behind her back, where it belonged. He eyes warmed slightly, a weak smile being offered at the boys.

Even as they got up, Daniel still used his body to protect Killua from Palm, just in case this was all a ruse.

“You don’t have to worry, I have no intentions of hurting your boyfriend, Daniel…”

Daniel didn’t trouble her by correcting the situation, considering everything he’s done… he wouldn’t be surprised if Killua considers him an ex now. In-fact, the moment Palm leaves, he wouldn’t be surprised if Killua told him to go away… Hell, he’ll save Killua the trouble of telling him to go away by leaving out of his own volition.

Palm’s eyes turned to Killua, eyes becoming emotionless, unreadable “Killua... both of you… Thank you.”

The boys questioned her reasoning, what exactly did they do to earn her thanks? They didn’t defeat the tiny Pouf… they didn’t stop Palm, she did all of that on her own, without help.

Yet, when she spoke next, their eyes widened significantly, unable to grasp the reality of her words “There was a wall inside my head. My emotions were separated from my body. I couldn’t do anything about it. I’ve been like this since I woke up…”

Palm looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she didn’t give into them. She instead remained strong, speaking the words on the top of her mind “ _You_ two removed the barrier. Don’t think that there’s nothing you can do.”

Killua was at a loss for words, and when he looked at Daniel, the boy in front of him was in the same boat. Daniel had actually dropped his guard, and if she decided to attack them now, she could easily dispatch them both while they were still confused as to what was going on.

As he was coming to terms with the thanks he had received, Killua still was yet to understand how she knew he thought himself as being unable to do anything… unable to save Gon. Sure, he was thinking it, but he didn’t think he was showing it on the outside. Actually, he was about to say it, but Daniel stopped him from doing so, the moment his arms wrapped around his own.

Killua continued to blink at Palm, she hadn’t stopped talking at all, even while Killua was confused “If I can do anything to help Gon, I’ll be happy to. But you must not forget… You are the ones Gon needs most.”

As Killua teared up at the words, Daniel looked disgusted at her. Now that had to be a lie, Gon doesn’t need him, not even Killua needed him. He was a disaster, and there was no one on this planet that could convince him otherwise. He couldn’t kill anyone to save a life, nor could he convince himself to stay with Killua that time. Actually, every time he distanced himself from Killua, the boy always got hurt.

He even _almost_ died at one point…

If he had stayed with Killua, Killua wouldn’t have had to gotten hurt at all… any of those times. If only he had remained sane enough to think about Killua first, rather than revenge… or feelings…

He was a failure, and he knew it. Yet, a part of him still didn’t agree to the sentiment, it had hope that he wasn’t an utter failure. There was the tiniest sliver of hope within him, still reaching out, to grasp anything that would save him from his inner turmoils.

“Palm…” Killua clenched his teeth, he had come to terms with everything she said. But there was someone else in this room that he needed to talk to most of all. And he was still using himself as a shield, even when in no danger at all “Can I speak to Daniel, alone…”

Palm was surprised by the request, but judging by Daniel’s reaction, he hadn’t seen it coming at all either. Or maybe he did, he was just surprised Killua wanted to speak about something.

As Palm left the room, she caught Killua’s very words, and why he wanted to be alone with Daniel “We need to talk-”

It seems the two of them had issues of their own. Yet, when the two of them were holding each other tightly, they didn’t show signs of trouble. In-fact, she swore she saw a faint glimmer of hope, one that made her think otherwise.

They clung to each other, in desperation… they needed each other right now, just as Gon needs them. Whatever their inner turmoils were, she felt as though they could overcome it together.

As the door shut closed behind Palm, Killua finished his statement “We need to talk about us…”


	112. Apology X Final X Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Daniel and Killua has almost suffered  _enough_ , just two more chapters remain… maybe three for the Chimera Arc.

Daniel was conflicted; he remained motionless from the request, unsure as to what he should expect. Half of him was expecting rejection, while the other was hoping for redemption of some kind. He so badly wanted to reach out to the boy, to apologise for every act under the sun…

Yet, at the same time, he just couldn’t. No matter how many times he opened his mouth, how many times his mind reworded the apology, he just couldn’t say it.

Killua had a feeling he knew what was going through Daniel’s mind, how complex he was trying to make his apology. He wanted to hear the end result, but the more he delayed what was on his mind, the more trouble he was going to cause later down the track.

“Look, Daniel I-”

“I’m sorry!” Daniel unexpectedly yelled out, burying his head in the boy’s chest as he cried out reason, after reason; a sobbing mumbling mess of incoherent reasons that were too jumbled to understand.

Daniel had hoped Killua could understand a single word, a single apology, but even to him, he couldn’t understand his own words.

Killua laid one of his hands against the back of the boy’s head, saddened by the turn of events. He ran his hand through strands of the boy’s hair, the action causing Daniel to freeze. To Killua, he knew the action was intimate, something Daniel enjoyed to receive.

It was like an Achilles’ heel, one which could break the boy out of any form of stupor. And judging by how Daniel’s sobbing had become more bearable, understandable to the point all Killua could here was a mantra of ‘ **I’m sorry’** , mixed in with a couple of **‘so’** to add bonus effects, he knew the gesture was working.

Killua leaned forward, closer so he could breathe his next few words into the boy’s ear “It’s ok…” The words made the boy tense, and also shut him up. Daniel had clutched onto Killua’s shirt, frozen in the boy’s arms.

Now that Daniel was distracted, he could finally say what needed to be said.

After what had transpired with Palm, what he felt, the intimacy they shared during their thought ‘final’ moments… he understood why Daniel has being acting weird, possessive, and why he also wanted to disappear.

To Daniel, Killua was his world… his everything, much to his dismay. Daniel felt like _he_ **betrayed** _him_ , fucked up so bad, that he no longer **deserves** _him_ … He tried to run away so many times, yet as many times as he ran, he found himself being called back to him.

It was kind of… sweet, the gesture. It warmed the boy’s cheeks from the thoughts flooding through his mind. Yet, he hadn’t uttered a single word, a **thank you** of some kind. He made a promise he would never use them with his friends… but to Killua, Daniel wasn’t just a _friend_.

But at the same time, the way Killua viewed Daniel, he didn’t hold him on a pedestal like Daniel did. Maybe he didn’t want to… or maybe he was too scared to do so…

In his defence, Alluka, was like how Daniel viewed Killua to himself… maybe he shouldn’t limit his world to just Alluka, and open it up to start accepting pieces of Daniel. Maybe, eventually, he’d find the space in his heart to house the both of them there…

Or maybe, he was just confused, and let Daniel go entirely… to free the burden upon himself. He shook his head at the idea, instead opening up to the possibility, that he could love two people… and one day… find the space for everyone else “Daniel, I don’t want you to leave…”

Daniel’s head shot up, eyes widening at the request, yet when he tried to speak, all he could focus on, was the boy’s watery eyes. Why was Killua crying, what exactly should he do to stop them… to say “But, Killua, I-”

Killua captured Daniel’s lips between his own, the action causing even himself to question the action. He hadn’t found a reason as to why he did it, but when he let the boy’s lips go, he found himself craving it once more.

Was he so broken from the situation, that a small kiss, an act so tiny would make him crave even more? He was unsure of why he did it, but he found himself melting into the act one more, the heated kiss alighting something which shouldn’t even be invigorated at all.

His mess of emotions found a way to alight his lust, desires in a way that his broken self was so desperately trying to solve the awkward conundrum of raw emotions spilling over into other aspects, emotions that made no sense to have active.

Killua found himself pulling away, tinted cheeks giving away what his feeling “I’m sorry, but I still need you… I don’t exactly want to let you go…”

“I don’t… I don’t understand, why? After everything I’ve done…?” _Why the fuck did I just ignore that kiss?_

“I don’t understand it either… M- Maybe we can figure it out… together…?”

Daniel felt a warmth spreading through his chest, wants and desires conflicting with each other. A part of him still wanted to run away, yet now his emotions had been flipped significantly, the part that wanted to run away, was now so miniscule… tiny in comparison to how much he wanted to stay with Killua.

His mind actually wanted to instead focus on understanding why Killua had kissed him, twice… in such a short time span. Actually, he probably should respond to Killua’s request “Ok… Sure… But…” Daniel found his hand cupping Killua’s cheek, feeling the warmth raiding off those pale cheeks. Killua’s hand was soon covering Daniel’s, the both of them awkwardly smiling at each other.

He was lost for word right now… what did he want to say, he had forgotten the moment Daniel’s azure eyes had gotten lost in Killua’s deep ocean blue. He should say something, but not something too stupid to ruin the moment “But…” the moment he mentioned his but, he found himself frowning at the idea, his face unable to stay focused on Killua’s features anymore “I’m not ready…”

Killua removed Daniel’s hand from his cheek, heartbroken from the words. Yet, he also found the words misleading, as if something else was plaguing the boy’s mind… something else that wasn’t connected to this situation.

Daniel hadn’t seen the shift in Killua’s emotions, yet he could feel it in the boy’s words. There he goes, ruining the moment once again “I’m not ready to meet Gon yet… I failed him… failed to keep with the plan…”

Killua found himself smiling once more. Daniel wasn’t the only one. He too had failed to stick with the plan… as well as Gon, Knuckle, Morel, Shoot, Ikalgo, Knov, his grandpa, Palm, and probably Netero as well…

They all have messed up at some point, but now that all has to change. Palm is alive, and hopefully, everything else will go according to plan. And if not, the remaining will have to pick up the pieces, and solve the issues left behind.

“Alright…” Killua let out a huff of childish annoyance, signifying hopefully to Daniel that he’ll let this issue slide… at least for now “But then promise me this: once we get through this shitstorm, and everyone is thinking properly, you have to apologise… not only to Gon, and myself, but yourself as well…”

“Huh?! What you mean _myself_?” Daniel asked the question, yet Killua had completely ignored it, already walking towards his next goal… Gon.

“What you mean I need to apologise to myself?!”

“If you can’t figure out that much… you probably shouldn’t apologise to either Gon or myself…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, lost in his own thoughts. _What did I do wrong to myself Killua…?_

Killua smiled widely, beaming at the idea how much he had confused, confuzzled his boyfriend’s mind. He knew why Daniel should be apologising, but he wouldn’t dare give Daniel a clue. _You doubt yourself… you put yourself in danger over your dangerous thoughts… We both did it today, but until you realise how much you remind me of me, when I doubted myself when I first fought Shoot…_

_You’ll never understand why you should apologise to yourself first… You are strong… maybe not physically, but mentally… you just haven’t discovered it yet…_

_You let your physical issues get in the way of what I would consider you strong at…_

_If only you focused on what your good at… and stop questioning your own strength, focusing instead on your mental fortitude to move forward, to endure, and survive… no matter the wounds you’ve suffered…_

_You just don’t see it yet…_

“~”

The palace continued to crumble around them, walls cracking under the pressure of its fragility. The damage Menthuthuyoupi has wreaked continued to disturb what was left behind, the very tip of the throne room had crumbled, nothing, but the rubble serving as a painful reminder to their failure to defeat the man.

However, what was surprising was the scream from its roof tops, followed by the complaints of a young Chimera Ant who travelled alongside them “That was close…”

They could only imagine the look on his face, once he realises whom they’re travelling with. Killua brought up his hands to circle around his mouth, calling out to Ikalgo. The boy’s voice echoed along the battlefield’s empty fields, a single head poking out from the roof tops.

“Killua! Daniel!”

Killua offered a smile, a single finger being pointed to the woman behind them. The man’s features softened into a crooked smile as he glanced over to the woman. Much had change since they last described her, but his goal had finally been fulfilled.

Now he can retreat with her, saving the one life he originally was supposed to be save. But when his eyes roamed back over to the boys, he started to see inconsistences. Daniel was clutching his chest, dried blood on his chest, and missing a weapon that usually hung over his side. Killua wasn’t fairing any better, he sporting some new reddened bruises along his arms “Wh- What happened?!”

“Come down, I’ll explain everything that’s happened…”

“~”

The discussion went on for a while, the octopus nodding his head every once in a while, as he absorbed the information. Killua mentioned about their fight with Palm, and how they managed to convince her to come back to their side, the miniature poufs fluttering about, and Youpi’s destructive force.

“I see… But I’m glad to see you. You returned to us…” The Octopus Ant beamed in delight, taking Palm’s hands within his own tentacles. His smile widened from his job finally coming to a close “Then, as planned, I’ll take you to Peijing by car.”

“No…” Killua sighed in frustration. Oh, how badly he wished she didn’t want to stay behind, but between her raw power and abilities, they’ll be discarding a very powerful ally in the battles to come ahead “she wants to stay.” But that didn’t stop him from glaring at a girl he knew without a doubt, was still oblivious to Gon’s affections for another.

It’ll be funny to hear her getting turned down by the boy yet again, because he didn’t have feelings for her. At least he hoped… that would be weird if Gon had feelings for someone twice his age. And he could only imagine how Sakura would feel with Gon announcing he has feelings for two people at the same time… 

He’d probably feel the same as Sakura, if he were in his shoes… or hers… considering he could pass off as a girl at times too, and could rock a skirt like it was nobody’s business. So that androgynous, best-friend stealing, herbalist will have his pity… at least for only that. But his mind was getting off-topic now “Well, she certainly be useful in a fight. In terms of raw offensive power, she has me beat… Probably.”

Daniel would’ve snickered at the backhanded compliment by Killua, if it weren’t for the fact he almost died by her hands… and that she had done a good job of bruising Killua’s arms before he had stepped in.

Also, Killua’s glare mixed with the pout was pretty adorable.

Ikalgo blinked at the boy, wondering what was going on with him. Did he not like her that much…? He thought Gon’s friend would also be Killua’s friend as well. Then again, he was insulting her a lot during their discussion on how they planned to divide the Royal Guards.

“To be honest…” Palm fumed at Killua’s tone, while he annoyed her, Gon’s feelings mattered more. What he was going through, including what Gon told her back on their date. About his feelings… for another, well multiple people. Actually, now that she thinks about it… Gon might be in love with both Daniel and Killua…

If that was the case, she could only imagine his expression when the two show their feelings for each other “I want to go to Gon at once. However, I’ll wait. I’ll respect his wishes…”

“His wishes…?” Ikalgo broached the topic in confusion. Did he miss something during their explanation?

Killua sighed at the question, eyes being diverted away. What was so hard about Gon asking for help? “He’s decided to fight Pitou by himself… and once he’s made up his mind, that’s it. He won’t budge… In return, he performs his best when circumstances are as expected.”

As he looked down, he contemplated on his decision, wondering if this was the right thing to do. He wanted to help Gon, so much… it hurt. But Gon would refuse to accept any of their help now. Right now, all Gon views them as nuisances. He’ll have to accept the plan, and hope that Gon does wish to receive some kind of help from them later down the track “This means all we can do is stay out of his way.”

“B- But what if…”

“Been there… thought that…” Daniel argued back with a frown “If worst-comes-to-worse, Killua has the best ability to help Gon with… and his the strongest, in my view to get the job done.”

“Ahh…” Killua blushed at the quick compliment “Th… thank you.” The boy muttered under his breath, a warm smile showing as he hid his expression “Under a worst-case scenario, I’ll be able to help Gon. But that doesn’t mean _I’ll_ be the only one… If he gets into serious trouble, we’ll _all_ immediately rush in to help him.”

As much as it pained Daniel to think about it, today might be their last day together on this earth. He’d have to suck it up, and learn to apologise to Gon before the end of the night, or he may regret it for the rest of his life… however long that may be.

He barely has any strength to fight one Royal guard, maybe last ten minutes at best. He’d just do the best he can do… and hope that it amounts to a single payoff.

Killua shifted from his spot, standing up before dusting his pants off “By the way, we’re also looking for Knuckle and the others. Want to come?” the boy asked as Palm stood up.

Daniel’s eyes wandered over to Killua, wondering if the boy still intended to forced him to apologize to Gon as soon as met him again. In a worst-case scenario, he’ll probably fail to tell Gon sorry, only to have his friend or himself, die without Daniel ever getting to apologise to Gon…

But on the off chance they all managed to survive, and he failed the first time, he won’t fail the second time… if they end up departing for some reason, he’ll apologise to both Killua and Gon. A proper apology… one that will hopefully, lift the guilt weighing him down.

If not, it’ll be his burden to bear for the rest of his life.

Ikalgo smiled at his friends, offering to join them on what he assumed was their group suicide attempt. If they were going to go down, they’ll go down together “Absolutely.”

“Okay…” within a blink of an eye, Killua had smiled. It seems Ikalgo has caught on to what was happening, and he was glad to have another friend join him on what they all assumed would be their last mission “let’s go.”

“~”

After running into Knuckle, he had come to the same conclusion as the rest of them. In this god forsaken battle, all of them agreed to end the battle once and for all… to defeat the remaining Royal Guards, whether or not it will end in their demise.

Although, the man’s reasons were a little different than the rest of the group’s. He wanted a satisfactory conclusion, and he wasn’t going to get it if he left now.

All that was remaining, was to join up with Gon, Pitou, and the little girl Pitou was trying to save. The group split off into three separate groups:  
Group A; Knuckle and Killua.  
Group B; Meleoron and Daniel.  
Group C; Palm.

Each group had their own job to do; Palm’s goal was to keep an eye out for Gon, to be his eternal watcher from afar. Knuckle and Killua will deal with Gon directly, helping him out in whichever way gets the job done… which left Meleoron and Daniel as the last remaining group.

Meleoron would initial provide support, hiding Knuckle and Killua until they were needed most, and Daniel was only a part of the group with Meleoron, because he had yet to still gather the strength to apologize.

From Daniel’s spot, he peeks over the wall, hidden from the world thanks to **God’s Accomplice**. He could see the girl was alive and well, confused at what was going on. Yet, all she had to do was open her eyes, to see the world around them.

Either that meant thanks to her wounds she received, Pitou was unable to heal her sight, or she was still in recovering… waiting for the moment she was able to open them.

Other than that, Killua and Knuckle blocked off a surprised Pitou, and Gon’s path. As Knuckle spoke to Gon and the Chimera-Cat Ant, his goal was to use **Chapter 7 Bankruptcy** , to deter Pitou from escaping whenever they could.

Daniel’s eyes drew to Gon, looking at him, when he turned to look at his friends, Daniel knew then and there, that there was no way Gon would listen to him. He was still in that mindset, wanting to kill Pitou if they didn’t give into his endless demands.

All he cared about was Kite, nobody else… He couldn’t give a damn about everyone, and that included the girl with the closed eyes “Thank you, Knuckle. But it’s okay. I trust Pitou… So, until Pitou and I have met Kite, keep an eye on her…”

Gon held out an accusing finger to the little girl, his hallow words sounding unnatural out of the boy’s mouth.

The boy whose eyes once shined with a brilliant unending curiosity, whom looked passed ‘good’ and ‘evil’, was shatter beyond his former glory.

He was able to yell at The Phantom Troupe members, saying their morality was messed up when they cried over Uvogin’s demise… even though they couldn’t give a fuck about another’s life…

He argued that the Bomber’s lives should be saved, after taking so many lives, and hurting not only himself, but his friends as well…

He looked pass the mass murder Binolt, because he had helped them train in Greed Island…

Yet, in this very moment, his morality was fucked up… Not willing to spare a single victim caught in their mistakes, all because of a single man… a man which wasn’t even his real father. It was a man whom he met possibly a couple of times, who acted like a father figure, and told him his real father was still alive…

Gon was acting like just like the Phantom Troupe members, who cared for nothing, but themselves and their members. Except Gon only saw Kite as a member of his group… nobody else…

“Once Pitou turns Kite back, we’ll let her go. I’m sure you’re also willing to trust me, right? Pitou?” Daniel could see the fear in their eyes, and a single click which told them to run… run as fast as they could.

“~”

“Pitou and I will go by ourselves.” Within seconds Gon and Pitou were already jumping off the side of the roof, running as fast as their legs could take them to Kite’s whereabouts.

Daniel finally came out from the shadows. He didn’t have time to process the words he wanted to say to Gon, all he could do was join the rest of the gang as they watched the two of them leave. Daniel crossed his arms, pissed from what was happening.

Gon, would give up his original sense of morality… just to save a single life he only saw himself caring about. He had still yet to place the pieces of the puzzle together, to see what Kite has that his two friends he has been travelling alongside for almost two years hasn’t got.

There was nothing… nothing that his mind could point to. Sure, Killua and Daniel didn’t tell Gon that his real father was alive, but they had observed multiple experiences, each on different levels.

Although, without Kite’s help, telling Gon about Ging being a Pro-Hunter, none of them would’ve met… Kite was the tidal wave that had pushed Gon into finding his father, but even still… that was considered a stretch.

Ikalgo frown as he turned to Killua “Are you sure about this, Killua and Daniel?”

“Hmm…?” Killua acknowledged the words without addressing the question. All he could focus on now was Gon leaving with Pitou.

“Aren’t you two going with Gon?” Ikalgo approached the last question again, forcing Killua to slightly turn to the octopus “It’s okay… that was always the plan. And I feel better after hearing what he’s doing.”

It was all lies to Daniel’s ears. Even if Killua didn’t show it on the outside, he was definitely hurt on the inside. He wouldn’t be surprised if Killua felt as though his heart was crushed by his oldest best-friend.

Knuckle however wasn’t having any of the situation “Don’t you mean the hostage?”

“Yeah…” Killua’s eyes glanced in Knuckle’s direction, barely turned to the man behind him clutching onto the girl’s side “The real danger would be if Daniel and myself went along, and Pitou managed to capture us. Then Pitou would have the option to exchange hostages.”

As the group freaked out, Daniel nodded, but he had to add to the situation “I agree with Killua, but I’ve made a huge mistake… and now I don’t feel like I belong at Gon’s side until I apologise. Hell, he was already out of the room with Pitou before I could even open my mouth. Of course, that means I would also have to leave Meleoron’s side…”

The boy frowned for a moment, twirling his finger along the night sky as he added a final rebuttal “but then again, he didn’t even say good bye to any of us… he just told us to… look after, her…” Daniel gestured to the girl by their side.

Now that the boy looks more closely, the girl might actually be a woman. Daniel quirked an eyebrow before looking back at Gon whom now looked like an ant leaving a trail of dust behind him. From here on out, it’s now up to them to protect the woman from any other members of the opposing Chimera Ant faction.

It will be a game of Capture the Flag, but instead of a flag, it is a woman, and there are no respawns. The only problem with the situation, is who the hell is waiting in the dark on the Palace Grounds… and are they searching for this woman?

Palm addresses the group’s concerns on the matter, covering the issue of worrying about the boy being alone with Pitou “It’s all right. Now that I’ve seen Gon with these eyes, I’ll know immediately if something happens.”

“Besides…” Killua interjected, a finger held out towards their ace in the hole “Pitou won’t abandon her. Which means…” Killua allowed his gaze to meet Palm’s eyes “that Gon is safe.”

“Not only that,” Daniel added to the conversation “from who remains in this area, there are only a few strangling Chimera Ants… all the Royal Guards are now off the grounds. If we hide, or leave the area, we’ll all be safe… and that means Gon will also have an extra lining of defence.”

Killua nodded, but at only one part “Agreed, but we can’t leave the area. We’ll need to stay on the grounds… for Gon’s sake. If we travel too far, we won’t be close enough to save him.”

“Then we stay…” Daniel’s eyes returned to the path Gon and Pitou left via, their trail long gone cold. It’s up to Gon to defeat Pitou and save Kite. Until then, it’s up to the remaining members, to beat the remainder of the enemy faction. _Leave it to us Gon… we’ll keep to our end of the bargain, so that rule applies to you as well… survive, that way I can apologise, the next time we meet…_


	113. King X Meruem’s X Return

Eyes glued toward the night sky, the cold night air tickled Daniel’s nose. His body being pressed up against the woman as Killua held her against him.

The woman couldn’t escape in these circumstances, considering she was squished between the two boys. And yelling out will only get herself killed. She didn’t know if any of her allies were nearby, nor did she know if these enemies wanted to really harm her. The boy from earlier had insinuated it…

But these boys, men and one woman didn’t seem like they really wanted to harm her. They were just using her as a safeguard in order to save one of their friends.

Killua’s eyes narrowed when he saw the Butterfly-Chimera Ant heading towards the Palace room. He drew his head back, craning his neck so he could not only tilt it towards the sky, he could also signify to the boy behind him to stay quiet with a finger across his lips.

When Daniel’s eyes moved in Killua’s direction, he too saw the Chimera Ant. He didn’t say anything like Killua requested of him, instead focusing on the creature. It looks like Pouf was back, and he was headed straight for where Gon, Pitou and the girl in their possession used to be.

By now the man must have walked into Knuckle, Meleoron and Palm’s trap, his real location being unfolded as well as the beginnings of **Chapter 7 Bankruptcy**. With these two traps in play, Pouf could no longer run away, nor could he get close.

Killua brought his finger up once more, letting Daniel know to follow him further in, so they could meet up with Meleoron, just like they planned.

“~”

After learning some gruesome details, everything has changed once more… this time to a life or death situation. The King was back, alive and well. And not only that, Menthuthuyoupi and Shaiapouf had also reduced in strength. Pouf still had his clone’s strength in play, but at least now they no longer needed to worry about Youpi.

The only other problem now, was what is Pouf doing? He had ignored Knuckle’s pleas to a rematch, instead splitting himself further, reducing his size to mere specks, unable to be seen with a naked eye.

And judging by how he had split, it seems he was looking for someone else… someone invisible…

It had been the second part of the issue Knuckle had taken lead of “He must be after Meleoron. Since, from their perspective, he’s a traitor.”

It had been a valid point, but there also a few other variables, other than Meleoron, there was also Ikalgo. That meant if they knew he was another traitor, he was a suspect as well. But that wasn’t the only nagging thought Daniel had.

There was still their trump card, the girl they had taken hostage as well. Given the circumstances, she too could also be a target. If the King was alive and well, he could also desire her…

“No, that can’t be right… Ikalgo is also a traitor, but there’s another…” Daniel offered his hand out to the woman in their possession “Her… The King may also want her, and has sent Shaiapouf to obtain her…”

Killua nodded, already thinking about that situation as well “Agreed. Let’s split Meleoron and our hostage. We give him a choice between the two… and find out who his really after. But first… we need to plan around the situation!”

“~”

Daniel hid in the shadows of a building, the Butterfly forced into a stale mate. Palm was egging him on, offering him the choice between following her deep underground along with Meleoron, or to act now and head towards Killua and the girl above him, standing out in the open.

Daniel recalled the plan in his head several times over, waiting to see how the man acted.

**_Daniel, I want you remain in the building underneath me. You are to keep him away from me until I get away. Do not attempt to take him on by yourself, just keep him busy until Palm joins you._ **

**_When she joins you, then, and only then are you allowed to take him on, together, until he either runs away or chases after me once more. Hopefully the two of you combined will keep him busy enough for Meleoron and myself to join up again._ **

**_However, if he goes after Meleoron, come back up to join me so we can hide once more._ **

**_But… if he decides to split up in order to hunt us both down, Palm is to protect Meleoron, and Knuckle, you will instead help out Daniel. Do you understand…?_ **

Killua had made it clear to him that he was to distract the man, and do no more. If Pouf is after the girl, he’d need to make the first move. Pouf’s clones merged into one, forcing Daniel to prepare himself for the outcome at the choice.

Drifting upwards, Pouf headed towards Killua. Daniel flicked his hand out, Shadows launching upwards towards Killua, just like the original plan. When Shaiapouf is on top of Killua’s last location, he’ll drag the man down into the building, a one-on-one battle until Palm helps him out.

Killua grit his teeth once Pouf was high above him, face morphed into disgust. _So, she’s his target?_ The man drew close, Killua’s aura fairing up around him, surrounding him in a field of electricity. He purposely kept the output close to his body, making sure he didn’t electrocute their hostage in the process.

When Killua moved, that’s when the trap was activated. He moved out of the way, Daniel’s aura pushing through the ground, making Pouf drop into the depths below, just as the boy taunted him one last time “So she _was_ your target. Sorry, but I’m tagging out, good luck finding me!”

Killua jumped off the ledge, running away to re connect with Meleoron. Hopefully Daniel won’t be too reckless, and will only keep the man entertained for a few minutes. Every second counts, so this battle needed to be stretched thin.

“~”

Pouf felt the ground give out underneath him during Killua’s taunts, eyes widening at the boy’s words: **_Sorry, but I’m tagging out, good luck finding me!_**

He needed to catch up, as quickly as possible, considering the boy was pretty fast. He’d practically dodged him within seconds of an attack. The butterfly had intended to fly back out, but a pair of hands had grabbed onto his leg, dragging him instead into the darkness below.

A chuckle had alerted him of his prisoner “Tag, you’re it!”

The next second he felt himself being pinned up against the wall, several more hands trapping his arms and legs against the wall “I’m sorry, but I won’t allow you to go after him.”

Pouf struggled against the boy’s multiple hands, a realisation hitting him hard. He remembered running into the kid a while back. However, at that time the boy was crying his eyes out.

He could escape easily if he reduced his size to weasel his way out of the hands grips. Even against so many obstacles, he could easily weave his way through every hand. Dispersing his clones, the man aimed to escape back through the hole in the roof.

Daniel saw the man’s clones aim for the hole in the roof, forcing him to relocate his hands. He extended his other hand, fingers stretching out to add more blockades. Although, the action proved to be useless when the Chimera Ant further divided his body, stretching it thin enough to slip through the cracks between his hands.

Daniel frowned at the action. That didn’t go like he hoped, lasting… maybe two minutes at best. He can’t wait for Palm now, he’d have to go after Pouf, and hope he can delay him long enough so that Killua can fulfil his intended mission.

Jumping through the hole, the boy gave chase after pouf.

“~”

Killua was irritated from how quickly the insane butterfly took to the sky, he would’ve thought the mixture of shock from being unable to catch him and sinkhole Daniel drew him into, would be more than enough to deter the Chimera Ant from giving chase.

Yet here the Ant was, coming straight for him “Come on Pouf, I can go all~ night!”

Pouf grew tired of the situation, the prior mishaps wasting too much of his precious time. The King was here, getting a grand speech from the original. He needed to move quickly, now, before everything was lost thanks to Komugi.

A wicked evil thought crossed his mind as he flew closer towards the young boy, enticing the burden on his back into a frenzy, a revolution which ends in her demise “My young boy, please listen to me. If you surrender now, your punishment will be reduced, pardoned by the King. Your twisted justice will help nobody but yourself…”

Killua grit his teeth, just what kind of game was he playing at? What did Pouf and his little clones intend to do? Why were they pushing him to run further way from the Palace?

“Please, the King and I seek open dialogue. Release her, at once!”

“Fuck you! That’s bullshit!” Killua drew his attention back to what’s in-front of him. _What the hell are you up to?_

“Let me go…” Killua’s attention snapped to the girl behind him, concerned about her words. _Oh no, don’t tell me…_

“Please put me down!” The woman slaps him across the back, frustrating the boy from his lack of ability to hold her down from his position. The girl desperately struggled against the boy beneath her, pulling and tugging his hair in hopes of earning her release “Something’s wrong with you! You’re all tingly!”

“WRONG WITH ME?!” Killua growled back in annoyance, especially now that she was grabbing and pulling on his hair as if he were a bucking bull “Stop that, you fool! Can’t you see his talking through his ass? I’m bloody trying to save you!”

“You’re lying!”

“What are you talking about?! You’re putting your trust in an insect more than me!”

“Insect?” The girl proceeded to hammer his head, banging on it as if it were a drum. While it didn’t hurt him, it certainly annoyed him. She slammed her head constantly against his head, even as she yelled “What are you talking about?! Let go! Let me go!”

 _Shit, she’s blind… even if I said Pouf was a butterfly, she wouldn’t believe me because I have no proof other than my wor-_ Killua saw it like a flash of a camera, Pouf suddenly swiping inches away from him. He drew his body upward, slamming his head against the screaming girl behind him.

Pouf’s claws were too close to his neck, but before the man could get further away, he was being dragged through the dirt. Hands curled around his feet, discarding him like a used paper “Sorry I’m late!”

“You were supposed to stick with the plan, now I have to protect two of you…”

Veins popped out of the man’s forehead, glaring at the two subjects in front of him. This kid was annoying, what was even more annoying was he always denied him, always a second too late.

“I’m sorry… I’m just trying to help. Well, then stand behind me and cacoon yourself along with her.” Daniel did as Killua requested, holding the girl close to him as he hid behind his boyfriend.

“Komugi-san! The enemies consider you a valuable hostage.”

Daniel’s eyes snapped to the butterfly, now he has a name to her face. But why the honorific? Especially with that distorted face of his… he might even give Hisoka a run for his money.

There’s only one issue with Pouf’s plan, Komugi was out cold… so he was kind of giving a lecture to a knocked out Komugi-San. But what he didn’t know wouldn’t kill him… it would only make him look more stupid from the reveal.

“They will not kill you… Keep struggling! Keep fighting back! I’ll save-”

Killua shifted his feet, extending his aura out as he lifted one of his leg “Just try to get close to me, and I’ll show you what I can do. Besides, you misjudged your momentum… I accidently knocked her out, by head butting her…”

Flicking out his wrist, the boy kicked the air in a circular motion, laying down an electrical trap. It was more for the aesthetics than its usefulness, a border to show his minimum range of attack “You weren’t aiming for me now, so that tells me something else is going on here. I don’t know what Komugi means to you, but something tells me I shouldn’t wait for your answer… It pisses me off, more so, thanks to a friend’s request…”

 _Why is the royal guard split on capturing Komugi alive… what the hell did she do to the King? Pitou is trying to save her… and Pouf is trying to kill her… what does Youpi plan to do with her? Help Pouf or Pitou… or is he planning to do something else with her?_ “Bring it Pouf! I’ll kill you the moment you enter this ring!”

Shaiapouf was disgusted by the boy’s words, wearing all his emotions on his sleeve, the man aimed for Killua this time, hoping to end the fight once and for all.

Daniel aimed to flick out his wrist, to summon some of his _Nen_ hands to help aid Killua, but the Chimera Ant butterfly stopped after a few feet, terrified. He had his head turned back to the palace, and it seems like something has caused the main Pouf to panic.

Killua kept his guard up, just in case it was all a ploy, a way to get Killua to drop his guard. It’s bad enough Pouf was able to confuse Komugi enough to get her to fight back against him, so this could be another one of his tricks.

When Pouf divided his clone, the boy could on look on in confusion, wondering why the man decided to leave now… and so quickly? _He gave up?_ Had something happen to the King recently, or was this another part of his ploy?

When Pouf failed to return, the boy sigh in relief. The showed absolutely no signs of returning, but that didn’t calm him at all. What was going on? Why did Pouf decide to run? It was a unique conundrum, one which made it impossible for the boy to understand.

He was fed up with all the weirdness, the emotions tapping him bone-dry. But at the same time, he knew he was strong, at least physically. While they could relax, they’ll get out of here as soon as they could. Killua offered a hand to Daniel “We should get going, just in case Pouf decides to come back. I’ll hold onto Komugi…”

“Nah it’s fine…” Daniel hoisted the woman up onto his shoulders, smiling slightly at the offer “I’ll hold onto her, I’m almost tapped out of strength, so I could probably use my ability for maybe… five minutes at maximum right now.”

“Fine…” Killua crossed his arms.

“Killua… Daniel…”

The boys shifted their attention to the woman calling their name, wondering what on earth was going on. Meleoron was supposed to be meeting him now, not Palm. She was covering her right eye, addressing their concerns on their mind “The King has arrived at the palace’s entrance!”

“Oh…” Killua frowned at the information being provided. He got here quickly, which means the reason why Pouf’s clones left in a hurry was thanks to the King’s arrival.

Palm held out a finger, pointing to the palace’s outer walls “We should circle around, following the wall, and hide in the crowd.”

“Okay…”

Daniel adjusted the woman on his back, while keeping pace with the others. This was the end of their mission, the moment where they all could die… The King was back, and Pouf has now joined up with the original, as well as the King and Youpi.

“What about Gon and Pitou?” Killua asked casually, while trying to maintain his emotions. He was still shaken up about the boy’s decision, but he didn’t want anyone to see it, the fear… the sadness bubbling deep inside his chest.

“They just entered the Peijing hiding place. They’re walking down a hallway.”

Killua quirked an eyebrow, now looking up at the woman “How does that crystal work now? You can also see Pouf and myself in it?” He was curious about the changes in Palm’s abilities, wondering how on earth could she see both Gon and Pouf at the same time. Did her vision split, or is it something that appears within her mind? Or was the eye she’s covering was where she could see the others?

“Yes, looking from a bit above. **Wink Blue** uses my crystal ball to remember people seen through my right eye. Looking through only my left eye, I can watch those people’s current positions in the crystal ball. At the moment, the crystal ball is simultaneously showing Gon and Pitou, Killua, Daniel and I, as well as Pouf, the King, and Youpi.”

Palm removed her hand as she looked down towards the others “It’s like watching a TV screen that’s been split up. However, my right eye has only seen Pouf, Gon and you, Killua… So, I can only see the others when they’re around one of you. And I can only use my power to watch three people at once. If I see someone else with my right eye, I won’t be able to see the oldest of the three targets, Pouf…”

Daniel rubbed his chin “So if you to accidently look at myself or Komugi with your right eye, we won’t be able to keep watch on the King or Menthuthuyoupi anymore?”

“Yeah…” Killua hummed at the words “Should you even need to keep watch on Pouf? Can you not switch to the King right now?”

When Palm raised a hand to Palm’s right eye, he raised a more serious question “I mean, if you can only see his main body, and his clones are scattered… isn’t it better to switch to the King? It’s more of a minus than a plus…”

“Is that so…?” Palm stopped, peeking over the side of the corner, checking to see if there were any unseen dangers “For me to watch the King, I have to physically look at him with my right eye. On the other hand, I can see Pouf’s main body, that also means I won’t be fooled by clones. And if his main body is only the size of a fly, I can literally crush him. Our chance to defeat Pouf is while he’s divided. What greater plus is there?”

The boy went quiet at the information, for once in her life… she was right. By keeping a look out on Pouf, she could destroy his real body within seconds. The boy shifted his gaze back to Daniel, then back over to Palm.

As much as he still hated her, a part of him still wanted to thank her for all she’s done. She stopped hurting Daniel at his request… she’s keeping an eye on their targets and Gon’s safety. Although, the thought of thanking her was embarrassing “Palm…”

“Hmm?”

“I, ah…” Killua diverted his attention away, thanking the older woman in sincerity “Thank you…” Killua blushed from his own compliment, and he really hoped the woman couldn’t see it from her angle.

“What? What’s this?! What are you thanking me for?”

 “it’s a new baby bird, busting out of his own shell…” Daniel chuckled from behind them.

“Sh- Shut up, baka! I’m thanking you for… you know… stuff…”

“Stuff? Such as?”

“Drop it!” Killua turned his head slightly towards Palm, glaring daggers at her. He didn’t like being interrogated. Couldn’t see just accept the ‘thank you’ and move on with life? “Stuff means stuff!”

“What was th-”

“Quiet…” Daniel butted in “ **savour the moment** … like fine wine or something. Whatever that saying was… This is like winning the lottery!”

“You shut you pie-hole! You idiot…”

“No, I demand to know why you’re thanking me! You’re making me mad by telling me to accept something for no real reason.”

“Don’t worry…” Killua let out a long, frustrated sigh “I’ll never say thanks again. Because now we’re friends.”

“Plot-twist!” Daniel chimed in with a smile.

“If you weren’t holding Komugi, I would have killed you right now.”

“Gasp, my own boyfriend threatening with my own demise over a sincere joke… I thought I’d never hear the day you’ll thank Palm Siberia.”

“Jeez…” Killua blushed from the words being uttered “Stop referring to me as being _that_.”

“Why…? I thought you-”

“It’s weird hearing you say that so calmly, without a single worry, or thought otherwise.”

“Huh?” The comment confused Daniel, it was like receiving a backhanded compliment. Killua envied Daniel being able to utter the words ‘my boyfriend’ “What do you mean? Would you rather I say something else… like… my darling?” An evil smirk spread across the boy’s face, a sinister aura radiating off the boy.

Killua’s blush intensified. Daniel, calling him _his darling_ …? “HELL NO!” _I’d rather hear you calling me your **angel** all day… and even that is a stretch _ “It’s just… look, I just don’t want to repeat myself. Palm, I don’t like saying _thank you_ to my friends. It’s weird… that’s all…”

Palm giggled at the argument between the two, a small smile forming from the boy’s gesture. His words had come off as kinder, sincere. It was sweet to know Killua considered her a friend now… although, she wouldn’t mind if Killua would stop taunting her while around others.

Killua coughed once, changing the topic before anyone could embarrass him anymore “Anyways, weird shit aside. how’s Gon?”

“Oh…” Palm got flustered upon hearing the request, completely forgetting about the others during their discussion. She should have been keeping an eye on Gon and Pouf’s group “Yeah, that’s right… how could I forget.” Quickly bringing her hand up to her eyes, the woman freaked out from the changes to the situation. What on earth had happened between now and her last viewing?

“What’s wrong?!” Killua paused; the woman’s features were making him more worried.

“It can’t be…”

“WHAT happened?!” Daniel blurted out, now even more worried about the situation. Has something happened with Gon… or has Pouf and the King done something disastrous? Granted, Killua did ask about Gon… but the King’s return could also mean his playing his cards, accessing and altering their current predicaments.

With one slight hand, a single command from the King is all it would take in order to kill them right now “WHAT IS GOING ON PALM?!TELL US!”

“I don’t know…”

“THEN TELL US WHAT YOU SEE, Palm…” Killua was freaking out, and Palm’s lack of communication wasn’t helping his anxiety.

“Something is wrong with Gon!”

Daniel’s eyes widened, what was happening? What was Palm seeing right now, what was making her so terrified?! Why couldn’t she just put it into words? What was so hard to explain…?

Killua was getting irritated from the radio silence. He wanted to know what was happening right now, with Gon, before it was too late “Just tell us already!”

“Pitou is healing itself, not Kite.”

“W… what?” Killua’s anxiety flew through the roof. What was going on? They still had the hostage, by Pitou acting on their own, going out of their way to heal themselves, rather than Kite… they’re putting Komugi at risk.

Palm didn’t make the situation any more bearable by continuing on “Gon is slumped on the floor next to Pitou. He’s… broken… crying in agony…”

“Th- that can’t be right! It’s impossible! As long as she’s in our hands, Pitou… Pitou has to obey us!”

“~”

Pouf’s clone chuckled from within the bushes, his sinister smile growing with each passing second. _My, my… how the tables have turned for you. Your-_

“CALM DOWN!” Daniel yelled at the top of his lungs, snapping everyone out of their trance “The situation has changed, which means Gon’s in danger… we act now, or we risk losing Gon. Killua, out of all of us… you should be able to make it. You can… can’t you?”

Killua watched Daniel’s lip quiver for a moment, the boy in-front of him had a conflicting thought as if for a moment he imagined himself being wrong for a split second. He wasn’t, out of all of them… with **God’s Speed** , he’ll make it to Gon in time… he has to… before it’s too late.

Pouf was irritated, he expected all of them to remain like dumbfounded scarecrows, emotionally broken… yet one single boy managed to throw a wrench into the situation. He’ll have to distract the three of them, before any of them decided to make a move “The tables have been turned…”

The three snapped their heads in the voice’s direction unsurprised to see Pouf was fluttering a measly few meters away from them. What Pitou was doing to Gon, must have been because of a few string’s Pouf had pulled.

“Pitou believes we have recovered Komugi. The way things are looking, that Gon boy will be killed. I am the only one who can st-”

Killua stopped listening the moment Pouf mentioned Pitou killing Gon. He flooded his body with electricity, closing the distance between him and the clone. Killua grasped the clone between his fingertips, making sure only the head could be seen.

Dark eyes glared at the creature grasped within his fingertips, electricity forming at the tips of his fingers. He slowly edged the electricity along Pouf’s body, roasting him as slowly as possible. He wanted Pouf to feel every inch of his clone’s cells being burned…

He wanted Pouf to get the message… don’t fuck with them. Once he was done burning the clone alive, he let his hand go, flecks of burnt ash and dust disappearing into the night sky “Daniel… we’re leaving… now!”

“I can’t…”

“WHY NOT?!”

“I WILL SLOW YOU DOWN! And with my current strength, as exerted as it is, I’m a walking target… I’ll be a burden to you… I be a burden to Gon! With me on your back, you might not even make it in time. I’ll stay behind. I’ll help Palm, and the rest as much as I can from the shadows, and…” the boy swallowed his real feelings “I’ll stay alive until you and Gon get back safely. I won’t risk my life… because I want to still be by your side…”

Daniel waited for Killua’s eyes to show something, anything other than the anger or distrust. While the anger dissipated, the distrust remained on his features. Killua was reading through his bullshit, and he didn’t know whether to be scared or happy.

“Fine…” The boy held out a finger to Palm, making sure she listened to every command he was about to declare “Make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless. If I lose Gon, that’ll be one thing… but to lose two of my most…” Killua tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, hoping to hide the faint blush “important _friends_ … well I’ll come join you two, just so I can kick both of your asses! Got it!”

“Leave them to me. I swear upon these eyes that I will not let them have her.”

“Alright, Killua…”

As Daniel agreed, electricity surrounded Killua, his eyes never leaving the horizon “I’m counting on the both of you…” Killua jumped up onto the wall, crossing the roof tops as he headed straight towards their hideout near Peijing. Eyes narrowed to slits, worried for two of the most important people apart of his life. _Gon… you better wait for me to get there! And for God’s sake, don’t get yourself killed… Daniel!_

“~”

Daniel brought his gaze back to Palm, smiling softly. A part of himself knew he was going to die if he stayed behind, but he’d rather do that… than get Killua and Gon killed “Palm, what’s our next move?”

Palm looked over Daniel, worried for the boy. As Killua left, she saw Daniel looked worried, saddened from his boyfriend leaving them to save Gon. What was going on in the boy’s head, causing him to wear his emotions on his sleeves? “Well, right now we need to head into the lower grounds. If the King finds Komugi, we may have no way of beating him…”

“So, we hide Komugi, and pry him for more information… a weakness which could help us beat him.”

Palm nodded once, before extending her hand out towards the boy “Give me Komugi, I can hide her within my hair. If she wakes up, she can’t escape, nor would the King find her.”

“Sounds good…” Daniel’s eyes drifted back to the night sky, a sincere smile spreading across his face. _Killua, I’ll always love you… No matter what…_


	114. King X Meruem’s X Deal

Killua pushed his nerves to the limits. What should have been an hour run, was forced into a quarter of the time. He needed to reach Gon before it was too late, before Pitou could sink their fangs into the boy…

Or better yet, before Gon does something reckless. Killua hasn’t seen Gon broken like this, so the boy may have devalued his life, instead, putting Pitou’s life in the grasp of his hands to crush it, even if it was at the cost of his own.

He doesn’t know how Pitou managed to cause Gon to break down, but if Kite is involved… the man may be in a position that is beyond saving… Pitou may have declared Kite to be dead, and that was the only way they could get Gon to drop his guard.

But, if Kite was _really_ dead, unable to be saved… Gon might just snap, in a way that makes it impossible for Killua to save Gon. The boy grits his teeth, still pushing his body in hopes of arriving in time. _Gon, PLEASE don’t do anything reckless…_

 “~”

Daniel’s own thoughts shift, wondering to himself why or how he came to his conclusion. Nothing had spurred it on, or triggered the argument as of yet. What would he do if he failed Killua… if he failed Gon…? He’d offer himself as a martyr, but not in a way to take his own life, but rather give his own a final meaning, a redemption for all his failures.

He didn’t know how, or why he wanted to achieve it in the worst-case scenario…

But if death was on the horizon, he’d rather die trying… than fail his friends…

“~”

Killua heard it like a firecracker going off in the distance, a loud whistle, followed by the sounds of a crash. The boy’s eyes widened, wondering what could have created such a sound. If that was where Gon and Pitou was at, one of them may have been in danger.

Racing towards a cliff, he heard the same noise, followed by a bright orange glow. _Which one of them is doing that?_ It looked like Gon’s aura, but the distance and strength were at _way_ a different level, a level his never seen Gon able to be produce, let alone achieve.

It managed to light up a large chunk of the forest, like a beacon of light guiding ships to the port. But that wasn’t all, not a single animal had been spotted for miles. The aura being produce must have something to do about it, terrifying them all into running away from their homes.

When he arrived to the scene, he stopped, unable to process what was going on. He arrived just in time, a large, muscular man with long flowing hair hunched over, fist covered in blood raised over his head.

Pitou was there as well underneath the man’s massive form, a mangled mess of their former glory. Their blue blood painted the grass and trees, well, what was left standing of the trees. Some of them had been knocked down during the fight, splinters of wood littering the place amongst the blood.

The man muttered something under his breath, however, to Killua, it was as if he was screaming it at the top of his lungs. “Rock… Paper… Rock…” Then the man’s fist came back down, a loud crash, followed by the sounds of what was left of bones, blood and flesh squishing, crushed beneath his strength.

There was no way it could be true, but what he was muttering… there could be no other explanation, Killua couldn’t deny the possibility, to pretend it wasn’t true. That man… was Gon. He was an aged version, somewhere between his 20s and 30s.

It would have been Gon’s supposed pinnacle of strength, but in order to reach that level in such a short time, the cost must have been grave.

Tears fell freely from Killua’s eyes, he failed to reach Gon in time…

The older Gon stood up, standing over his finished job.

If this was truly Gon, he had aged well, but his clothes didn’t join him. They had remained the same size as he was a child. It would have been funny in any other situation, considering it looked like he was wearing booty shorts and a crop top, but this wasn’t a laughing matter.

There was no way Pitou would stand up. The lifeless body will remain here, fading from existence, away from prying eyes “Kite… I finished the job, the way you taught me to. So…”

Gon’s muscular form hunched over “Please, sleep in peace now…”

“Gon…” Killua gasped out loud, the man before him tensing “is that you?”

Gon turned around, facing his oldest friend.

Killua’s eyes welled up from the expression Gon had. Tears flowed down along the sides of his face, exactly like his own. Flecks of Pitou’s blood painted the sides of Gon’s cheeks, and his were eyes voided, broken beyond saving and.

“Killua…”

Killua took a step forward at his name being muttered, on the verge of breaking completely. He reached out, unsure if he could even save Gon while he was like this, and that was provided Gon even wanted to be saved at all. From Gon’s tone of voice, he was dead, as if he’d given up on life…

It was as if Kite was the only reason the boy wanted to live…

Did finding Ging not matter anymore…?

Did their adventure together have no impact at all on Gon’s life?

But those weren’t the only thoughts roaming around Killua’s mind. He was still trying to process Gon’s change. _Bisky’s appearance changed, but there wasn’t a massive increase in the aura contained within her. And in Bisky’s case, she was merely reverting to her original form. But Gon… Gon’s done the complete opposite! How many years? More than Ten? Decades? This would have been the result of years of endless training… What price did he have to pay to obtain so much aura?_

Time slowed down for Killua, Pitou’s dead lifeless body standing thanks to their ability. Gon was standing still, looking down at his hands, crying and too entranced to even noticed Pitou’s movements. All that was on Gon’s mind, was what he had done.

He had killed Pitou, but he didn’t feel happy at all, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders… His task amounted to nothing, but the fulfilment of his own revenge…

Nothing more…

Nothing less…

Killua forced himself to run, to make it on time.

Pitou’s hands clasped together, poised at Gon’s heart. When Killua reached Gon, Pitou had done so too. The boy had managed to push Gon out of the way, but not without a cost. Gon lost his arm from the attack, his eyes widening from his failure.

As Gon’s blood splattered across his face, forming thin streaks of blood, he heard the thud of Pitou’s lifeless body hitting the floor once more. He had lost his reason to live from his lack of ability to make it to Gon in time.

Yet, even as he felt Pitou behind him leaping towards Gon once more, all he wanted to do was to grasp Gon one final time, to take the attack in Gon’s place.

Gon’s words broke him out of that mode, thanking him in a weird way “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt… I’m not trying to be tough. I’m just… kind of happy… I finally get to be the same as Kite was then.”

“Gon…”

Gon avoided Killua’s gaze, instead turning to face Pitou’s corpse. He punched where the head should have been, knocking Pitou out of their momentum. With a single fluid motion, he leapt for his arm, grabbing it to use it like a nail on a coffin. He plunged the severed arm into Pitou’s lifeless corpse, effectively pinning them to the ground as he used the rest of his body to hold one of Pitou’s hands and feet against the floor.

Killua turned around to Gon just in time to see his best friend withdraw what was the last of his remaining strength in a final attack. Killua ran to his friend, in hopes of stopping him…

“It’s time for you to sleep, too…”

 _You can’t… if you use this power, what will happen to you?_ “Please… STOP!” What was supposed to be seconds, was over in an instant. Before Killua could raise even one of his feet, the action, no matter how simple, felt like it had taken hours to complete.

Killua saw Gon turn right before the last second of his attack, the blast from the explosion of aura blowing him away from his oldest, best-friend “NOOOOOOOO!”

“~”

Daniel’s head flicked in what was assumed to be Killua’s direction, a flood of emotions hitting like a barrage of bullets. Sadness, fear, torment, anger, desperation, hopes flowed around him. It made him instantly feel guilty, worried that he had made a huge mistake by staying behind.

What was Killua seeing… or saw? What made the string of aura that once served as a guide to Killua, snap under pressure. He no longer felt the boy’s presence, but not in a way he feared the boy’s demise… the mixture of raw emotions had caused the boy to worry in concern “Palm… What’s?”

Aura had soon surrounded the two, an immense source of strength acting to prove a valid point. The King must be displaying his strength, showing off to those who disobey him, will suffer his wrath… or maybe this was supposed to be a warning to them, the calm before the storm.

This was the King telling them he was about to make the first move.

“Unbelievable… Such tremendous aura…”

A blinding flash radiated the area, disappearing as quickly as it came. Daniel was stressing out, eyes glancing over the area. Nothing had happened to them, but that doesn’t mean others weren’t affected in their place.

“Palm, we need an update! What’s going on?”

Palm had already run her fingers over right eye, checking for an update on the battlefield long before he had even asked “Knuckle and Meleoron are dead…”

“WHAT?!”

“No, they’re still alive… They were only knocked unconscious…”

“What about Killua and Gon? Were they affected in the King’s acts?”

“No… Killua’s fine, but…” Palm bit her lip. What happened since her last check in? She really needed to view the battlefield more often! Gon hung loosely over Killua, the boy having longer hair than last time. As well as looking more ‘frail?’ than usual. Pitou was nowhere near them… did that mean Killua made it, that the two of them managed to beat Pitou together? No, from the way Gon looked, the answer may be more sinister than she could possibly imagine…

“Palm, I can’t read minds like my sister! What happened with Gon?!”

“Killua’s carrying him. His hair is longer, but he looks… frail?”

Daniel ignored the description, instead focusing on the surround area around the boys. Gon looking frail was the least of his concerns. Were they still in danger? “What about Pitou?”

“Nowhere in sight.” When Daniel breathed a sigh of relief, Palm diverted her attention back to Pouf, the third in her crystal ball “Pouf has moved away from the King. His back to spreading scales on the citizens… Are they poisonous?”

“No, he was doing that before our descent on the palace. It causes hypnosis, retendering the citizens brain dead. It works in our favour, because it means the citizens won’t go amok, and neither will Pouf come back for us… so we won’t have to worry about him… for now…”

“Ok, but, it would’ve helped us more if he had stayed near the King. It’s good he’s on the palace’s opposite side; but we still must get as far away from our previous location as we can…” The crunching of dirt and grass didn’t help ease Palm’s mind, as she progressively got more worried about their situation “Next, he will pursue Ikalgo or us. The King could be standing behind us at any moment…”

“Which his not…” Daniel countered “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The King hasn’t killed Meleoron or Knuckle, that means he wants something from us… So, there’s a chance that with the right warning or threat, we can stop him from pursuing us… of course if we can act the moment the King activates his _En_ once more…”

Palm agreed to the boy’s words. Stressing out wasn’t going to help their cause, they’ll have to keep running… as fast and far away as possible…

“~”

Killua found Gon, reverted back to his old childish form, he was smiling, tears still streaked across his face. Gon had finally gotten his revenge, however, at a severe cost…

The boy held Gon against him, sobbing uncontrollably into the boy’s chest as his first act, both pissed at Gon, and angry with himself. He shouldn’t have let Gon go by himself… he should’ve stayed by his side.

Gon was now missing an arm, body frail like a twig ready to be snapped with barely any force. And thanks to his aging _Hatsu_ , his hair was as long as Illumi’s, although, the boy’s hair looked more on par with Daniel’s.

Killua ran his fingers through strands of his best-friend’s hair, hoping to stir the boy awake. But no matter the act, he couldn’t stir him awake. He was breathing… and his heart still beating within his chest, although it was barely active.

There were no other options for him; he’d just have to suck it up, and move forward. Picking Gon up, he slung the boy over his shoulder, walking carefully towards the nearest portal back to Knov’s hidden realm as he held Gon as close to him as possible “Hang in there…” Killua sniffed once, calming his nerves as he continued to pace himself “I’ll get you to help, so you better stay alive, long enough for you to wake up and me to kick your ass…”

Killua began to sob once more, eyes pointed towards the ground “You better! I don’t want to lose you… I love you… As much as Daniel… As much as my sister… SO STAY ALIVE! Please…”

With those words he felt as though he had betrayed Daniel, but on the other hand, it seems saying the words to a living corpse was far easier than a breathing, living person. Then again, oh the other hand admitting those words were a lie in itself.

A pang in his heart told him that admitting those words wasn’t true… Saying Gon’s name only made him feel remorse, with a fraction of hope, that those words would be enough to raise Gon from the dead. But it never happened…

Yet, when he mentioned Daniel’s name he felt an affection bubble within his chest, the beating of his heart quickened, ever so slightly. His heart knew what it wanted, because saying Daniel’s name and Alluka’s had triggered the exact same effect, with his sister’s name adding a fraction of guilt to the mix.

He loved them both, each to their own degree…

The boy looked up at the night sky, the twinkling stars making him smile for the slightest of moments. _Heh, I remembered you saying something to me back on Whale Island. **Killua will be looking for what you want to do.** I found that something… I want to go on more adventures, with you… with Daniel… and with my sister, and most of all… I want to show them what you showed me… to see what I’ve seen!_

_I want my sister to gaze at the stars, wonderous eyes gleaming endlessly into the night sky, surrounded by friends, friends that love her as much as I do…_

Killua grit his teeth, eyes once more diverting back to the ground “Daniel, stay alive… If I have to save your ass to, I don’t know if I could take this kind of pain anymore… please don’t do anything reckless…”

“~”

Daniel felt a wave of affections hit him like a tsunami, eyes drawn to the night sky. Feeling Killua’s swirling aura entangling with his own once more, had caused the boy to come to a complete stop. He pressed a hand into his chest, holding it against his own heart, bubbly feelings springing forth from within.

It was like he could feel all of Killua’s words being spoken from within his heart; the love, affection, and even the threats. It made him chuckle slightly, broken from the thought that he may die today without ever being able to confront them with Killua.

Palm broke him out of his stupor, yelling for him to keep running, not to stop for even a second “Daniel, hurry up! The King might come any second. We have to go in there!”

Daniel turned around, facing Palm, eyes tuned to her finger; it was the garage door which led to Peijing’s inner dark secrets, the last place he thought they’ll ever need to bury themselves within.

Swallowing thickly, the boy headed towards Palm once more, eyes trained on the garage door. _This is where we make our last stand…_

“~”

Killua stopped, aura swirling from around vibrating to its own tune. It was weird to him; unnatural with the way it moved, acted, felt. He could of swore he heard a voice speaking from within, but it sounded to unclear, unwarranted.

He had a gut-wrenching feeling that it was coming from Daniel, but he had enough on his plate already. He still needed to save Gon, to protect his oldest best friend. The part of him that worried about Daniel eventually came to an agreement with his own thoughts.

He’d trust Daniel not to make the wrong move…

Because a part of that swirling aura wanted to live on, to join with what it swirled around. It made the boy blush with excitement, but at the same time, he couldn’t be distracted for too long.

He needed to move now, before it was too late… before Gon drew his last breath “You’re doing great Gon, just hang in there…”

“~”

Daniel sat perched against a wall, legs loosely dangling over the side of the rooftop. He hummed to himself, wondering all of the possibilities of how this could go in their favour. The three of them knew the King was heading to them now, each step calculated perfectly to the drumroll of impending demise.

Palm and Ikalgo had no clue what Daniel intended to do, nor did the boy consider the conflicts within his own heart. He clutched onto a letter he wrote prior to this moment, Killua’s name etched onto the back of the envelope just in-case it all went wrong.

**_To Killua,_ **

**_Even as I write this, the pain from this knowledge hurts me. The King will die, by none other than his own hands. I plan to question him in the others stead, to divulge a truth, a reason for myself…_ **

**_I’m sorry for my failures, for hurting Gon… for hurting you… that the possibility of meeting the first person you’ve ever loved, may not be a possibility. I wanted… NO, WANT to meet Alluka, to confess my ‘undying’ love for you to her…_ **

**_I want to give her, and YOU a great adventure, a cover, a intro to the next part of your life… A series, if you will. The series where your past life is nothing but a stepping stone forgotten the moment it drops beneath the wave of stories._ **

**_But atlas, that may not be possible considering you have this letter within your grasps… Please tell my dad, both of them (pretend I’m eyerolling here, for an added effect) and my sister, that I’m sorry that they won’t get to see me ever again._ **

**_She’d probably kill you in the process, but I trust by the time you meet her again, you’ll have grown in strength, able to out run her far beyond the ends of the earth._ **

**_Tell Gon I’m sorry, that I never got to formally apologise. He and Sakura will be happy together, I know it, provided you don’t steal Gon’s heart (wink), figuratively… please don’t rip it out._ **

**_Wish Sakura luck on his endeavours, he caught a great guy. I know Gon can suck at times, but if he sets his heart to it, he’ll try his best to make you happy. You as in Sakura, not you… unless you do actually steal Gon’s heart. Then this section now becomes void, and you should apologise for stealing Gon from Sakura._ **

**_I wish Kurapika the best of luck with his Phantom, or Spider hunting travels. He’s going to need it. I know he’ll one day bury his family, their eyes receiving the proper burial they deserved…_ **

**_Tell Leorio he’ll make a great doctor one day! If not, he sucks! No, don’t say I said that… tell him to just try harder._ **

**_As for you, Killua, the ‘sparkle’ in my life… ‘My Angel’! I wish you the best of luck in your future travels, whether it be with your sister, Gon, or another… or a special someone to you, I want you to be happy… To find a light like Gon’s one, one you can grasp so tightly in your hands, one which will make you smile no matter what…_ **

**_If you reach this part and I’m actually alive, forget about those last nine paragraphs. I’m sorry for dragging you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Instead, I want you to be happy, no matter what!_ **

**_I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, whether that be as a slave, your butler or a lover. I’ll help you no matter what!_ **

**_Sincerely, Daniel Darkscryer_ **

**_P.S. I probably should have written poetry instead of being a Hunter. Shit! Then I would have never gotten to meet you… Damn, this is a double-edged sword. Well, on the plus side, at least your future cards will be great…_ **

**_P.S.S Seriously, do not kill me for writing this and I’m sorry for causing you to blush, if you did. Or making you cry… I’ll try harder next time to not do so!_ **

Daniel sighed, thinking about the possibility of failure, considering he wrote this letter twice, once in black ink while the other in _Nen_ , just in case it was drenched within his own blood. The King was no easy foe, he wasn’t a force to be reckoned with.

With their combined, limited strength, they’ll die within seconds of the first assault…

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel, a chance to survive, but even so, a single false move would be the end of his-NO, their lives. He needed to make every second count, even if it was to the bitter end…

The King was dying… the possibility discovered by none other than Palm.

But even with that knowledge, the threat of death was still there… So, the letter will be the last thing he’d ever leave behind, a painful reminder of his failure to keep his promise with Killua.

Daniel’s head perked up the moment he saw flecks of blue aura, a monstrous Chimera Ant looking directly at him. The boy gulped once, eyes trained to the man that may kill him.

Pink eyes met azure, the boy desperately trying to find the strength not to break, to not give in to weakness. He brought his head up, looking downward at the King with utmost respect. It was the least he could do, considering his life was on the line.

“If there are conditions I must meet for you to turn over Komugi, speak.”

“There is…” Daniel swallowed thickly, waiting to see if the man had anything else to say. To interrupt a King, one as powerful as the man standing before him would be a death sentence.

“It appears that three of you are here, but I shall address this message to all three. What I felt after coming into contact with your _Nen_ was not anger, but fear… fear from more than one source, duty and resolve.”

“Fear from more than one source?” Daniel quirked an eyebrow, interested to know about that. He knew he was resolved to die, a duty to protect their ace, even though Killua has already saved Gon. _Killua, am I doing the right thing…?_

“Killua…?”

Daniel swallowed thickly once more, eyes widening at the name being uttered. It seems the King has an ability of his own, one that allows him to peek within the hearts of others. It may be best to not think about Komugi’s location, just in case he figures it out. While he didn’t know her exact whereabouts, he knew of someone who did…

“If you are fighting for the survival of humanity, your battle is over…”

“So, you know?”

“Yes, that I’m going to die. You have won… the battle is over. The rest of what I have to say is for your ears only. The reason I am here is quite simple. I have one motive… I wish to see the human named Komugi. That is all I want. That is really all I want… I desire nothing else…”

Daniel broke out into laughter, this had to be some kind of joke. All the King wants is Komugi, he knows his going to die… yet he still wants to see her, even with the risk of getting her killed as well… this was a cruel joke. A Tragic-Romance in the making…

The King’s eyes darkened, the act making Daniel stop during his mental breakdown “What’s funny?”

“It’s not funny… it’s hilariously fucked up. Just when I, or should I say WE think we have the situation understood, something or someone throws us a curveball.” Daniel shifted atop his spot, legs stopping for a moment. There was no longer any point lying. Somehow, he had a gut feeling that there’s something else to be learned from the situation “The reason we’re meant to keep you busy, now no longer is a secret, so we have to change the plans once more.”

Daniel forced himself off the edge, landing on the floor as he came face-to-face with the King of Chimera Ants “King-”

“Meruem…”

“King Meru-”

“Just Meruem, there’s no need for the title.”

Daniel shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a hand being raise in slight confusion “Ok… Meruem, I offer a proposal. WE have something you need, while I need something from you.”

“Something from me…?”

“Yes,” Daniel enforced the idea, a seed he hopes will produce something wonderful, something that would help him in the long run “I offer a question for a question. I had three, but upon learning your name, it’s now two questions, maybe more if I think of another. Seeing as I know who you are, and my name has yet to be divulged, it’s only fair I put us on the same playing field. My name is Daniel Darkscryer, but you can just refer to me by my first name, Daniel.”

Meruem drew a hand to his chin, mulling the statement over. He would’ve thought the demands would be higher, but the way he proposes the deal may take too much time, time which he does have much of “Having learned my fate, I simply wish to spend my remaining time with Komugi. But even if this deal cuts into my remaining time… I do however, have questions for you, now that you’re offering.”

“Good!” Daniel smiled that the man was willing to play his game, he’ll launch into a difficult question first. He didn’t want to waste the man’s time, but it was a question plaguing his mind as well. He had a rough idea on what kind of relationship Meruem and Komugi had, but there was interweaving web he wanted to understand, to unravel for himself “The first question, I roughly understand the idea, but I don’t understand the ‘why’ aspect of it… why are your drawn to Komugi?”

“I… I don’t understand the question, because I can’t explain it.”

“Can’t explain it…?”

“It was going to be my first question for you, because you have something I need in order to help me understand this feeling.”

Daniel’s gaze was curious, what did he have that would help Meruem to understand his feelings. He knew it was about Killua, but he didn’t know if he really wanted to part with that kind of information “Alright, I’ll change the question, then after yours, you can answer my question. What do you mean by more than one fear?”

“You fear me, fear what I may do to you… I don’t wish to impede my chances of seeing Komugi, so you no longer need to fear that. But… there’s an unnatural-no, more like a separate wave of aura interweaving with your own. It has to do with this boy, Killua… and my question for you… I don’t understand this ‘feeling’ it’s projecting around you, why the two interweave with each other like that… It’s both strong and weak, questioning and understanding, unifying and contradicting at the same time… it’s confusing…”

Daniel’s eyebrow rose even higher, now more curious about the Chimera Ant’s question. He was both terrified, and excited to hear it. Having these feelings being read by an entity whom was not considered human, may help him understand what his intend goal was. Maybe once this was all over, he’ll be able to finally cement his feelings, to no longer question himself on whether or not he deserved them “Thank you, so what’s your question?”

“What does Killua mean to you?”

Daniel froze at the question, he didn’t expect it to be that blunt, but he did make a promise. A promise which he was now kind of regretting “Killua… Killua means the world to me. What you may be feeling for Komugi, is what I feel towards Killua. Although, our reasons may come to a different conclusion, the word your looking for is _love_ …”

“Love…?”

“As cheesy as it sounds, love is a very… questionable idea implanted into our head. It makes us bias, question our younger selves on why we did something different to what we would do now… I won’t get into Killua’s backstory or my own, but I cannot kill… even to protect the one I love, but even so I have killed…”

Daniel drew his eyes away from Meruem, unable to look him in the face without showing fear of the outcome “I’ve killed several Ants while I was confused, broken from the fact that the one I love was hurt by them… I don’t remember doing it, but after coming back to reality, I know I did it… there was no denying it. So, hearing: **It’s both strong and weak, questioning and understanding, unifying and contradicting at the same time…** It makes me understand these feelings a little better. It makes me stop questioning myself on why I do these things for Killua… I hope that helps answer your question.”

Meruem paused, using the information gathered to help formulate an answer for Daniel’s next question. While he may have more questions now; what he felt when he first heard Komugi’s name being uttered as a word to explain that ‘feeling’. _So, it was love…_ “Ask your question, I have new questions for you and Komugi now.”

 “I repeat: Why are your drawn to Komugi or better yet, what exactly does she make you feel?”

Meruem had to think it over first, but recalling that mental image, what he first imagined when he heard Komugi’s name. He had a question which he’ll ask, but not before mentioning what he has felt “I have a question for you, one that I need you to help me understand better. What is this form of Love mean to me? But first I need to give you the context. When I first heard Welfin mention Komugi’s name, I had a mental image…”

Meruem brought the image back to the forefront of his mind, easily recalling the fresh memories “A lush golden field, Komugi in front of me, a board game… Gungi, in between us. A tree off to our side scattered leaves, a summer floral smell filling my nostrils, her and I working in sync, piece being placed to combat each other’s moves… She couldn’t see, so I would utter my move, her facial reaction changing upon each piece… a smile, frown, endless mixture of moods that would intrigue me, making me wish to see more. Yet, no matter my move, I just couldn’t beat her. It excited me, the need to go again filling my desire. I wanted to beat her… yet at the same time, if I did beat her, I didn’t want it to end… I wanted another game. It was just us, alone… never to be bothered by anyone but ourselves…”

Daniel smiled at the answer, he felt a similar feeling, although from a different perspective. It’s been a long time since then, but he knew how to easily answer Meruem’s question “Puppy love…”

“Puppy Love…?”

“Well, it could have become something more, but I can’t perceive that _far_ into the future. Basically, it’s intense but relatively shallow romantic attachment. You feel giddy, full of excitement when you’re near her. You want more, but you’re unsure of the reasons as to why you need it… it may grow, eventually consuming you, making you into an entirely different person. It did for me… so maybe the same will happen to you.”

“What do you mean by consuming you?”

Daniel had forgotten that it was his turn, instead answering the man’s question “All my life, I never liked anybody touching my hair, or knowing more about me than I do… I guess that has changed now. Killua broke through those walls, whether it was through my own weakness, or blind luck… I can’t really say. I was scared to die today… scared I’ll never get to see Killua again. Even now, I still am… but being pushed to help me understand these feelings has it’s pros. After today, I know what I really want… Apart from apologizing to Killua for my actions, I’m absolutely sure, that I want to be by his side through the thick and thin… Thank you Meruem…”

Meruem’s eyes widened from the gesture, lost for words.

Daniel cheekily wiggled his finger back at the man, a sincere smile giving way to the conflicts lifting off his shoulders “But now I have two questions I _could_ ask. Instead, I’m going to finish off with a question I’ll answer for myself. Meruem, it was a pleasure speaking with you… When I stepped onto this battlefield, I thought I could die at several moments, and questioned my every motive. We were fighting a tyrant, a monster whom needed to be brought down for humanity’s sake. Yet, here we are… standing, talking. You are no longer a monster… you are no different from us. You’re a human like the rest of us… neither good… nor evil, a history full of bloodshed, which you may or may not remember… will you be forgiven for your actions… maybe? Will you get the answer you seek most? Hopefully… But the most important question of them all is… What will you tell Komugi? Technically, after what we talked about, it doesn’t fall under puppy love, at least in my own opinion. Tell her what we spoke about…”

Daniel drew his tear infested eyes to the window, wondering if Palm heard their discussion as well. If she did, hopefully it’s enough to convince her to give up Komugi’s location. He wanted her to tell Meruem, to give away their ace. Komugi needs to hear what the King has to say, and maybe… just maybe… Komugi will open her heart to him as well… “Palm, please… Please tell him where Komugi is being hidden…”

When Palm failed to show herself, Daniel walked past the King, eyes drawn to the building in front of him “Speak to Palm, she will tell you where Komugi is… I trust you know where she is?”

When the boy took another step forward, he heard words he never thought he’d here from a supposed tyrannical King “Thank you… You gave insight to these conflicting, unanswered questions.”

Daniel stopped from the words, slightly turning to look over his shoulder “Likewise…” The boy continued on his way, entering the empty house, making sure to close the door before collapsing against the wall. _  
_

_Killua, did I do the right thing…? Did I make that right choice? I think so… because now I understand… I think I now know what you meant by_ : **_once we get through this shitstorm, and everyone is thinking properly, you have to apologise… not only to Gon, and myself, but yourself as well…_ **

_Speaking with Meruem helped me understand my greatest flaw… my questionable self-doubt… I was strong, not physically, but mentally… I… I think I can improve now knowing this._

_Wait for me, Killua…_

_Wait for me, Gon…_

_I’m coming for you two next! I have a few words for the both of you…_


	115. Killua’s X Last X Mission

Amongst the news in the background and Netero’s will, Daniel heard about the disaster. His stomach dropped, tears blurring his vision. He just got through a hurtle, now he has to get passed another one. He could only imagine what Killua was suffering through… how his heart had shattered into factual pieces.

And to make matters worse, before learning about that news he had asked Palm to give his letter to Killua, to let him know that he was still alive and will soon meet up with him and Gon.

Not even half an hour into his decision, he heard about Gon’s condition. He made a mistake, a vital one that needed to be redeemed at a later point. With two hot chocolates in hand, Daniel made his way to Gon’s waiting room, hoping to bump into Killua there.

“~”

Killua clutched Daniel’s letter in his hand, eyes focused on Gon’s dying corpse “I’m so useless… one-by-one everyone I cared about is leaving me… Daniel… and now you…” The only things he could hear in return were Gon’s breathing apparatus, and the sounds of the cardiac monitor detecting his vital signs.

He felt so alone in the viewing rooming, wishing that someone, anyone, even Sakura was there by his side, to help him cope with the outcome. If only Gon accepted help, the boy could have held down Pitou while Killua worked on removing every vital organ until they remained motionless. And if that didn’t work, he’ll remove every limb, until Pitou was nothing more than a chest flopping about, like a fish out of water.

He could have done it… no, he should have done it! But Gon’s fucken ego wouldn’t get out of the way! He wanted to do everything all by himself… and now look at him, he was being kept alive by state of the art machines “I guess in the end…” _you did everything by yourself…_ “I do get it, though…” _Kite saved your life, and he has no connection to me or Daniel. But… still… I wanted you to ask for our, or… at least MY help in defeating Pitou! Did you say **‘let’s go’** to us as a teammate…? Or as a friend?_

A weak smile cracked along the boy’s lips, the situation being nothing more than a sinister joke. _I know… This is just a tantrum…_ The boy’s smile grew, Killua pushing his self-destructive feelings aside “It’s the same as always…”

“What’s the same as always…?”

Killua’s head snapped in the direction of the voice, smile faltering from who was standing in the doorway. Daniel decided to finally show himself, his voice not even hinting the slightest bit of caution.

As Killua’s hand tighten around the letter, Daniel noticed the crinkled letter. _Ah, my master fuck up…_ “So, this a bad time…?”

Killua looked over to Gon still lying in the bed “I dunno, you tell me…”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow “It is… hence why I brought chocolate, hot chocolate.”

Killua’s eye twitched. _He was planning to bribe his way back into my life_ “I see… I don’t want it.”

Daniel stopped in his tracks, it was more serious than a hot chocolate could fix. Daniel shifted his posture, checking to see if Killua would talk “I guess I’ll have both of these hot chocolates, all to my-”

“NO!”

“HAH!”

“Fuck you!”

Daniel broke into laughter from the reaction, only smiling once he saw Killua was laughing too “No, I know I made a mistake.” Daniel continued to walk towards his boyfriend. It seems Killua had put up an emotional shield, acting as though he didn’t care “I didn’t buy the drink so I could buy myself back into your life. I wanted to offer an apology to the both of you… but Gon isn’t-”

“He’s gotten worse…” Killua clarified “I don’t see how Sakura is going to take it… He’ll blame me… us…”

“Right, so Sakura is going to kill us later. Got it… back to the letter. I gave it to Palm to give it to you, because I wanted _you_ to read it.”

“And…?” Killua glared at Daniel, still annoyed that he had received the letter.

“And you’re not going to ask me how I feel now?”

Killua bit his lip. What Daniel was asking for was a double-edged sword, one which Killua was unsure he wanted to know the answer to. If he knew Daniel well, and judging by the affectionate wave of aura swirling around him, he did… the boy was going to make him blush “I’ll bite.”

“Long or short version…?”

“Hmm…” Killua mulled the situation over, the longer version may be more descriptive, but that also leaves himself open for more punishment. But then again, the shorter version may be just a summed-up answer “Long…”

Daniel stopped inches away from Killua “Ok, well… when I was… bargaining with the King-”

“You put yourself in risk?! You lied to me…”

“I didn’t lie, exactly… although I did put myself in risk… none-of-the-less, I spoke with the King, Meruem. And now I know what you meant by apologising to myself.”

“Oh…” Killua hummed, a little intrigued by where it was headed “Go on…”

“I’m mentally strong… as long as I stop questioning each, and every one of my actions. I want to remain by your side Killua, like I said in my letter:” The boy held out the hot chocolate to Killua “as a slave, your butler or a lover… I want to know which one you would like me to be. I’ll accept your choice, whether I like it or not…”

Killua took the drink from Daniel’s hand, smiling down at the beverage with a wicked grin “Slave it is!” Killua lifted the cup to his lips, drinking as he awaited Daniel’s response.

“I accept your decision… I will do everything, but have sex with you!”

The final statement made Killua spit his drink out, coughing from how calmly Daniel was able to say that “Did you have to say that?! Alright, alright, l- lo… lover… fuck, jeez! Why would you even say that…”

“The aura…” Daniel calmly mentioned, taking a sip from his own drink as he watched Killua blush, the boy struggling to wipe his own mess “Meruem didn’t just help me figure out that I wanted to stay. I do want to be by your side… I wanted to live, in hopes that I could finally apologize to YOU, as well as Gon… I need to! But now we can’t do anything, but hope someone might be able to save Gon…”

“No… they’ll all fail.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I saw… What Gon did… this is going to take more than a healer… It’s gonna take a miracle!”

“A miracle…?”

“Yes, and I know who will be able to perform it!”

Daniel stopped mid-drink, concerned about how Killua knows a miracle worker. It could be a part of his old life, a double-edged sword, which he could end up accidently cutting himself with “Killua, who is this _Miracle_ Worker? I want to know… because I want to help you find them too… Through the thick, and thin…”

Killua stood up. crossing his arms as he made sure not to spill anymore of his drink. A smile etched along his lips, Killua spoke to the barely alive Gon “Gon runs ahead, while I clean up after him…”

“Hmm…?”

“Daniel, it’s always the same…” Slamming one hand against the window, Killua glared at Gon “We clean up Gon’s mess! But this time… it’s the last time I’m gonna let it slide.” _I expect a proper apology for you… a sincere one…_ “I’m gonna be the one to heal you up! SO, YOU BETTER APOLOGISE!”

Daniel was shocked for a moment, the words taking him by surprise. He wasn’t expecting that at all from Killua. Yet as he was taking a sip of his drink, he saw a shadow blur by, the boy defensively activating his aura.

When he turned to Killua, it was too late, lukewarm chocolate drink spilled over the boy as his face morphed into horror. A pair of fists were being slammed into his chest, tears hitting his face and chest “HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED ME YOU’LL PROTECT HIM…”

Daniel returned to sip his drink, pretending none of that just happened. He didn’t even know how to respond properly, considering it was Sakura, a weakened sobbing boy crying his eyes out, expecting an answer from the one who had no response to give.

“Get off me!”

“KILLUA, why didn’t you protect him like he said you will?!”

Killua grit his teeth at the question, no response to give in return “I didn’t promise anything! Gon did… DON’T BLAME ME!”

“IT’S NOT FAIR!”

“We can still save him if you get off me!”

“Exactly!” A voice echoed behind the kids, Knov standing there, adjusting his glasses from the sight before him. He didn’t know who the girl was on top of Killua, but between the sobs and tears, he had a rough idea of who they were to Gon “Your brother will be fine, young girl-”

Daniel choked on his drink. He hadn’t expected Knov to make that mistake. Then again, from his point-of-view: Sakura had long hair, and was wearing a mini-skirt. For all he knew, that was a girl on top of Killua right now.

Sakura turned around, glaring at the man “I’m not a girl! Who are you anyways?!”

“Sorry…?”

“Sakura!”

“Sorry, Sakura-Kun… We’re assembling a team of medical specialists to save Gon. Unfortunately, I must also head back, so I can use…” Knov looked at Sakura, wondering if that boy also knew about _Nen_. If Gon is involved with Sakura somehow, he wouldn’t be surprised if the boy mentioned at some point. Knov let out a sigh as he readjusted his glasses “ **Hide and Seek** to transport equipment and people. Will you three come with me?”

Sakura beamed at the request, happy to help Gon in any way he could “Yes! Maybe I could help too! I know remedies, herbs, and a few medicines that may help in his recover-”

“That won’t help him…” Killua gently pushed Sakura off him, wiping away Sakura’s, as well as his own hidden tears “No, Daniel and I won’t help-”

“You won’t know until you try!” Sakura puffed up, proud of himself for standing up against Killua’s negative attitude.

Poor innocent, Sakura; unable to see the graveness of Gon’s wounds. Sakura didn’t know what he did… nobody did. What he saw, there was nothing but a miracle that could save Gon. The best western medicine, _Nen_ experts, _Nen_ Exorcists wouldn’t come near to saving Gon’s life… He sacrificed everything in order to kill Pitou.

“That is unfortunately true, Sakura…” Knov reluctantly agreed with the boy, diverting his attention away from the boy “It’s best if you stay by the boy’s side… talk to him. We need the best-”

“No!” Killua interrupted Knov “I’m going to save Gon! You can go get those doctors… Experts… Exorcists… They’ll still be needed, to keep him alive… While I’m gone.” Killua slowly looked up, eyes voided from emotion.

It terrified both Sakura and Knov, as well as made Daniel look away. Daniel knew about Killua’s feelings for Gon, but now they have changed. It wasn’t that Killua loves Gon, he saw it in the boy’s eyes. Gon, meant the world to him… Gon was, NO-IS a part of his life, the reason he was here in the first place, not at home getting tortured… or out there killing someone…

Without Gon, what he had now… would have never happened. Killua took a step forward, eyes softening for a moment before looking at Daniel “We’re going.”

As the boy took a step forward, Sakura stopped him “NO! I’m coming with you-”

“You’re staying here!” Killua turned around, a menacing glare being sent in Sakura’s direction. The fact that the boy stopped, unable to respond or continue what he was about to say, made it clear to him, that Sakura wouldn’t survive where they were headed.

Hell, a part of him was scared to bring Daniel along… fearful of what his parents will do to Daniel, once they learn he… was his boyfriend “The fact that you were silenced by that stare, means that you have no chance of surviving where we are going.” Killua picked up his pace once more, hoping that Daniel was following him right now.

Even as he exited the wing, he could hear the boy screaming for him to come back, to bring him along with them. It made the boy’s eyes well up as he directed his attention to the floor. What he did to Sakura was cruel, but if he didn’t Gon might not forgive him if Sakura died… before the two could meet again…

“~”

Vastorie stopped in front of the ballot, expecting a negative reaction from the three Zodiac’s before him.

A young man, tiger orange and black striped hair, teeth as sharp as fangs, growled at the man before him “Vastorie, what is the traitor doing here?”

Vastorie offered a smile at the tiger-styled man “Kanzai, my tiger cosplaying-”

“This isn’t cosplaying! And you didn’t answer my question!”

“-man?! Me, a traitor?” Vastorie feint ignorance “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m only here for a vote. A vote which- Pyon, hello m’lady, the ravishing bunny, aren’t you looking fine this-”

“Your sword-swallowing-ass words aren’t convincing anybody, Vastorie.”

“You wound me…” the man faked tears, a smile cracking along his lips. He loved the tongue-and-cheek comment Pyon just gave him. She was not playing his game this evening, especially with who had just passed away “Oh, and Ginta, how could I forget you.”

“I suggest you move on… there’s still votes to be processed.”

Three people shot him down, making Vastorie frowned as he slid his ballot into the box beneath his fingertips “Your three are no fun.”

“Go cry a river!” Kanzai yelled back, eyes narrowing on the man as he whispered the next part “You were called during the Chimera Ant attack. And you didn’t join the fight at all…”

“For your information-” Vastorie’s eyes narrowed slightly “Netero simply told me _‘good_ _bye’_.”

“He did what?!”

“Kanzai!” Ginta yelled just as loud, catching the young Zodiac off-guard for a moment before he directed his attention back to the line “Vastorie, we still have a long line…”

Vastorie’s eyes focused on the older man of the three “Fine, but one last question… why is that clown behind me checking me out?”

Hisoka’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the three Zodiac’s, and the Victorian-styled clothing man. _Ninety-five… No, 100… or is it 75?_ The fluctuating aura before him shifted, changing ever so slightly with each passing second. It intrigued, exciting him at the prospect of finding someone’s who’s hidden strength may rival his own.

He heard the name being mentioned, a name he hadn’t heard of at all. He’d expect great things from this… _Vastorie_ , fellow. The idea made him salivate, that waiting here had produced a result he never thought he’d ever dream of. A fight that may produce something worthwhile.

That was until someone stopped behind him, making the man freeze from the eyes boring holes into the back of his head. _Ninety-five…_

“~”

Killua gazed from his seat towards Daniel, smiling ever so softly. He was dreading his decision to ask Daniel to company him back to the Zoldyck estate… back where everything had turned to shit. But the returned smile on Daniel’s lips made the harboured fears worth it.

He hadn’t mentioned where he was headed, fearful of how Daniel would react to the situation. Maybe he’d try to convince him to turn around to give up, but at the same time… Daniel did promise to help him get his sister back. Only this time, Gon wasn’t here to help like he originally thought the situation would turn out…

Killua flicked his hand out, slicing through the cables connected to the one camera in the room. He couldn’t have any evidence left behind. That’s why he chose a private room, leaking a small amount of aura to scare away any unwanted listeners “Daniel… So, about the person who can save Gon…”

Daniel’s mouth closed slightly, listening intently to the words about to come out of Killua’s mouth. He didn’t know where they were headed, but none-of-the-less, Daniel would follow Killua into the pits of hell if he so desired “Yes…?”

“It’s my sister…”

Daniel froze. Ok, he wasn’t expecting to go to that hell, but he agreed to it a long time ago… only Gon was supposed to be joining them on this adventure, but at the moment he was unable to do so “Your sister is a miracle worker?”

“Yes, and no. What I’m about to tell you is top secret… You have to pretend like this is the first time you’re hearing it, once the topic comes up again. But what you’re going to hear later, is going to be completely go against what I’m about say right now… do you understand?”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, a secret this big could be his downfall if he reacts any differently to when the topic comes up later again “Ok.”

“PROMISE ME!”

“I promise Killua… I’ll take this secret to the _grave_.”

“Ok…” Killua sighed, eyes momentary looking away, he’d rather Daniel didn’t die, but a secret like this is a death sentence “Here’s the real rules: Alluka’s power, has rules the rest of the family doesn’t know about. When Alluka calls me **brother** , she’s the real Alluka. The Alluka that calls me **Killua** is something else… I call her **Nanika**. You must act shocked when I mention Nanika’s name in front of my family, ok?”

When Daniel nodded, Killua continued “I won’t tell you the rules my family knows about, so that your reaction will be… more genuine. But there are three rules, that apply only to me… and maybe in the future, you as well…”

Daniel gulped, waiting, intending to listen carefully to all of Killua’s forbidden, hidden rules.

“First of all, Nanika can grant only one wish at a time. BUT, she can be given several conditions to a single wish, therefore expanding the spectrum of what one can ask of her, before granting another 3 requests.”

Killua held up two fingers “Two, if a wish is made for healing, Nanika must make physical contact with the target.” Killua lifted a third finger “Third, and this is the most important rule… due to my relationship with my sister and Nanika, I’m given special privileges. I can **command** Alluka, ultimately bypassing all three of her requests, which includes any existing backlash and repercussions.”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, leaning back as he tried to take in all the information “So, from what I gathered… Nanika, is a split personality from Alluka, and she’s the reason for the _wish granting_ ability?”

“Correct, sort of…”

“Ok, then… these requests from what I gathered, can be anything from as simple as a hand shake to…?”

“Remove a vital organ, like a heart…”

Daniel’s mouth was left wide open, trying to grasp onto anything related to reality “So, her **Wish Granting** … is so OP, the requests she makes for the wisher could ultimately get them killed?”

“Not exactly, but I can’t say any more than this… you’ll find out about the _other_ rules, or should I say contradictions later.”

Daniel leaned back, more concerning information to ponder. Alluka could request his heart one day, a request that he may not be able to fulfil. His heart belongs to one person, and only one person… Killua.

 “~”

Bean held a piece of paper between his fingertips, eyeing down the first few names on the page “Ah, I have the results for the 13th chairman’s election.” He remembered the first time he counted them, tears filling his eyes once he got to a certain vote.

Upon unfolding the ballot, the name scribbled down was none other than ‘Netero’. He could only imagine how the Zodiacs would react upon hearing his name falling onto the counter. At first, he wanted to count it as a ‘null’ vote along with the others, which were pointed towards other dead, MIA or unconscious Hunters.

But the hand writing, he had seen it several times already, recognisable to anyone whose seen it before. Vastorie… maybe it was a cruel joke, but the possibility of the name being written down could also mean something important, to the future Chairman…

Taking a deep breath, Bean went through every name listed, still unsure about mentioning the last name.

“~”

Daniel was kneeling on a cushion, the cold, dark atmosphere choking him. Silva’s gaze hadn’t left him once, the man’s judgmental eyes peering into soul, as if he were searching for even the simplest of reasons to end his life.

Yet, at the same time, Killua’s eyes were doing the same to Silva. Although, his father was actively ignoring the scrutinising glare. For him, all that mattered in the room right now was the boy to Killua’s right.

**His I guess more… _mature_.**

**Imagine to my surprise, I see my grandson’s aura being surrounded by another’s… it was so… _infatuated_.**

Silva remembered his father telling him that, words which carried a foreboding omen. Even now, the terror, the bloodlust from his own son filling the room… he could feel the terror in Daniel’s quickened heart. The boy didn’t want to be in this room, yet at the same time, being in this room was the only way he could stay alive.

While the boy may look like his father, a reason to kill the boy right here, and right now; a situation which elicited a small amount of bloodlust to escape his own tamed emotions, the way the kid carried himself was unlike his father.

The apple had fallen pretty far from the tree with this kid…

Yet even still amongst the suffocating, raw feelings filling the room, he could sense what his father was insinuating here. A line of aura leaked from Daniel, enveloping his own child, the future prodigy of the Zoldyck estate.

This kid needed to be dealt with, but then again, with a simple flick of his finger, the hound to Daniel’s right would be more than enough to kill him.

“Father…” Killua waited until his dad’s attention was on him, and not his boyfriend, to his right. He made a mistake bringing Daniel in this room, but by Daniel being at his side, his family had no way to dispose of his body without him knowing about it.

Silva’s gaze turned to his son. His son finally came home like he planned, but he hadn’t expected him to bring a _friend_ as well. Nor did he expect this friend to mean something to the boy. He needed a wife to produce off-spring for the future of the Zoldyck estate… not some slave with feelings for him to fuck around with.

It would make him clench his teeth in disgust, if it weren’t for his tamed emotions.

“Let me see Alluka. I need her power…”

It was pleasing to Silva to know that his son said himself, and not _we_ , his son did well by keeping his little brother’s secret. But with the boy being here, that meant it may not be a secret for much longer.

“Killua…” Silva’s tone was dark, brooding, hoping that what his son was about to request wasn’t what he was originally thinking.

“I don’t have time, dad! I’ll go even if you try to stop me, so come with me… us.”

“It’s useless…” Silva retorted back, body barely moving “No one can control Alluka.”

Killua grit his teeth, hearing his own father say that was disgusting. Is that all his father thought of his children, people to control? If it weren’t for him removing the needle contained within his head, would he _only_ be the **_prodigy_** is father always wanted?

“That’s wrong!” Killua threw his arm out in a fit of rage “You’re wrong… Brother’s wrong… Alluka’s a member of the family! As her brother, I’m asking for her help!”

Silva’s eyes narrowed slightly, his son dared to call him wrong. _And you think the obsessive thing next to you is right? How much has he manipulated my son? How powerful are you… just how did you manage to convince, to order my son to remove that needle? He is a threat, one that needs to be eliminated!_ “You’re are going to ask that thing for help?”

Killua twitched in disgust, a drop of sweat falling along the side of his face. _How dare you! What are you thinking… referring to your own child… your own daughter as a **thing**?_

“That child… is not human. You shouldn’t consider that thing to be a member of the family.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. He thought the Zoldycks were a tightly knit family, with factions split between the brothers, but from what he gathered in this conversation alone, it seems there were factions between all family members.

He may be an outsider looking in, but the way Killua carried himself… he may as well be considered an outsider looking in as well. The only difference is his surname means his part of the family, but he is unwelcomed, unwanted if he remains like this.

“What did you SAY?” Killua’s aura increased tenfold, murderous aura leaking out in every direction. To think his own father, the one who raised him… the one he thought understood him more than the rest, was unable to grasp a simple emotion. No wonder his whole family is just a fractured pipe-dream, full of failures.

Killua’s reaction stirred the beast besides Daniel, the hound getting up as it’s clawed hand reached for Killua, hovering just over his head. He probably should move, but moving may cause the creature to instead pounce him.

Even with the situation, amongst all the rage, Silva barely reacted to Killua’s murderous aura. Just how tame is he? Was there anything or one that could snap him out of that demeanour “That thing is something that came from somewhere else.”

Killua’s mood mellowed out, dealing with his family was a hassle. But by him reacting this way, he might not ever get to see his sister at all. She was the only one that could save Gon, there was nobody else… “Sit…”

Killua commanded, the hound following the order. Although, from how close the animal was now to him, Daniel could practically reach his arm out, and ‘boop’ the hound. Although, it would probably kill him, or… tear his arm off.

Killua relaxed his nerves for the moment. His dad will need facts, considering he was nothing but an emotionless killer, not a father… a proper father would’ve listen to their child “If someone tries to dispel the restriction and covenant Gon set for himself, they’ll either be repelled or killed. If Alluka hasn’t changed…”

Killua bit his thumb, holding out his hand to his father just like they had done years ago, when his father made him promise that he would protect his friends, to never betray them “I’m the only one who can help her. And Alluka’s the only one who can save Gon. If I ignore a friend I have the ability to help, wouldn’t I be betraying him?”

Silva closed his eyes, to think his own son would remember such a tiny, miniscule detail against him. He would’ve thought these friends would’ve betray him by now… yet one of them was here with him, auras clashing together side-by-side. If anything, their relationship has improved… was Daniel that loyal to Killua? No, he had to have betrayed Killua at some point… yet, how was he still here? What has he done to Killua?

Silva opened his eyes, narrowing them slightly at the boy by his son’s eyes “Come with me… but the boy stays!”

Killua clenched his fist “He stays with ME! He came here with _me_ out of his _own_ volition, knowing the risks… he stays by my side!”

Silva stood up, frowning internally. It looks like he’ll have to kill the boy through some other means.


	116. Daniel X meets X Alluka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Just a heads up. Between family issues, and I’m also moving in with my partner soon, the next chapter may be delayed by up to a month.

Silva led his son and friend through the cold, uninviting hallways, the barely lit hallways providing very little light and warmth within the darkness of its surroundings. To Killua, this provided nothing more, than the comfort of knowing that his dad was leading him to the one family member he could trust, love with all his heart…

Yet on the other hand, to Daniel this was nothing more than a decedent into madness. He didn’t know how far away they were, let alone their current location within the mansion.

He couldn’t help but worry about the lack of maids and butlers. Was their lack of presence because of Silva, or were they lying in wait, looking for the moment Silva silently called for them to intervene, to split him from Killua without the boy noticing?

The only thing he could really take solace in, was the fact Killua was by his side… and that meant no harm _should_ come to him.

As the three went deeper, Daniel thought that there was no end to how far Silva would take them. Surely by now, he had to have led them to the core of the planet by now. ‘It felt like kilometres had gone by’ was the boy’s though, until the floors suddenly shifted from rocky cobblestone to metal plated walls and smooth marble floors.

Even the faintest of quiet steps could be heard on the floor, echoing off the metal walls. What should have been the final destination, was only the beginnings of a nerve-racking situation.

The three stopped, Silva turning to the keypad to enter a code. Once entered, the first door opened to what would be a long endless corridor, full of gates which all required a different code.

Silva even in his silence wanted to make it clear, that what these doors did, was protect them from a monster whom should’ve stayed locked away. It made Daniel visibly shake, nerves chattering, begging the gateways to come to an end.

Killua took the situation as disgusting outcome. His family was desperately trying to get on his nerves, trying to convince the sister he loves is a monster. No matter how many doors his father has installed, he’ll get Alluka out of this hellhole, even if he has to kill them.

After a dozen doors, Silva finally stopped, the last gate designed differently that the rest. This one didn’t need a keycode like the rest, it required several latches instead to be unlocked. Rather than working his way towards opening the final door, Silva expressed the situation they were in “I’m sure you already know this, but no new requests have been made.”

“Who made the last request?”

“Milluki… he asked for the newest computer available at the time. He made the wish himself in Alluka’s presence, so he couldn’t lie.”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow. _What a useless request… couldn’t he buy one like a normal per- OH WAIT, nothing about Killua’s family is normal…_

“A computer shouldn’t be that bad…” Killua bit his lip, trying to process the moment everything went wrong. _Was it because Illumi was controlling me? How could I leave my little sister in this situation?_ Clenching his fist, Killua grit his teeth together. Was it before he left for the Hunter’s exam, or after his fight with Illumi during the exam?

When did he forget about his adorable, cute, loving sister?

Silva posed the same, tired, question Killua was used to hearing “Killua, I want to go over this again. When making a wish to Alluka, what are the rules?”

What was the point in asking him the rules? Without him, they wouldn’t even know about the rules! He was the one who told them how Alluka’s ability works… Sure, he hid a few tiny, minuscule details, but they still knew the bulk of how her ability works…

Unless…

Killua turned slightly to Daniel. The boy’s glancing worriedly in his direction. _Dad wants me to scare Daniel with the details… he wants me to be the reason my boyfriend runs away scared, getting himself killed in the process... I won’t give him that satisfaction!_ “It’s not necessary… I know Alluka better than anyone.”

“It’s necessary. Not just for me to hear, but for Daniel to know as well!”

Killua bit the inside of his cheek. _You’re an asshole, dad!_

“Have you forgotten how many people have died?”

“What are you talking about?!” Killua threw his arm out in exasperation. This had to be a joke of some kind. He found out about the rules long before his parents, and without the need to sacrifice thousands of lives too “We’ve killed more people!”

“Killua, if you can’t stay calm, we’re stopping now. Our promise matters to me because I care about you, as a father. Can you go over the rules for me?”

 _Heh, like you’ve really ever cared about me… I’m just your prodigy child. Nothing more… Nothing less… If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t have done all of this to Alluka. YOU of all people should know how much she means to me…_ “Fine… Alluka is… Alluka’s eyes turn black after three requests, then she grants you a wish.”

Daniel reacts in shock, making Killua smile inwardly. _Good… keep up the charade_ “After she grants a wish, her eyes turn white. When three of her requests are fulfilled, she’ll grant one wish. There probably isn’t any limit to the wishes she can grant. My guess is that she can grant any wish.”

Killua shifted his weight, his father slowly walking towards the door “But the bigger the wish she grants… The bigger the next three requests will be. In other words, an equivalent exchange.”

Daniel hummed at the rule, Killua’s explanation as to why her requests could stretch to offering one’s heart now made sense. The bigger the last request, the more she demands.

“However,” Killua began to clarify Daniel’s hidden question, making sure the boy does react to what he’s about to say “the sacrifice isn’t made by the one whose wish was granted. It’s the next person who fulfils the requests. Refuse four of Alluka’s requests… You and your most loved one, and closest of _friends_ will suffer the same fate. A minimum of two people, will die… The bigger the last wish, the more people die when the requests aren’t fulfilled. **After that wish with Yasuha, sixty-seven people died, and those are just the ones we know of…** ”

Daniel was mortified from the example given. That meant the request for healing Gon could cost, easily 100,000+ lives… He can’t let Killua go with offering himself to fulfil the next set of wishes. He’d plead with the boy, hopefully taking the boy’s place instead… he knows Killua would survive longer when it comes to pain, but he just can’t watch the boy suffer through the pain of agony, blood pooling out of his wounds and mouth from having to remove vital organ, after vital organ.

Silva saw the terror in the boy’s face, the realisation of having understood how much Killua may need to offer to sedate Killua’s little friend’s **requests** “You can stay out here if you don’t want to watch, Daniel…”

Killua snapped his fingers, drawing both Daniel and his father’s attention “Just open the door already. I explained the rules just like you wanted. And Daniel already promised me he’ll _stick through the thick and thin_ … isn’t that right?”

Daniel smiled for a second. Killua’s right… he did make that promise, and no matter what, he’ll help Killua survive the next set of requests “I’ll stay… It is my duty as Killua’s future butler… slave, to stay by his side.”

Killua’s mouth twitched into a small smile. Daniel’s good at lying when it comes to biting the bullet. But this is only one step, in a long line of lies, in order make sure that himself, Daniel and Alluka all walk out of Kukuroo Mountain alive…

Silva’s eyes narrowed slightly, dismissing the idea of having the son of a threat become a butler to Killua. He was weak, and was too emotional like his son. He needed a butler whom could maintain his emotions, who would protect his son… NOT THIS THING! Silva gripped the last lock in his hands, turning the wheel needed in-order to release the last of the locks “We will see…”

Killua took a step forward once the door was open, leading Daniel inside into his sister’s home for the last few years. He’ll write all the wrongs for leaving his sister all alone, and it starts now.

Alluka failed to notice him at first, her eyes drawn to the floor. She was spaced out, even failing to notice the loud alarm and metal scraping the door opening. He sighed from her lack of reaction, forcing himself to get closer as the door shut behind them.

Daniel saw a sweet little girl sitting on the floor like a stuffed animal, wearing attire that looked similar to shrine maiden. Her black-hair flowed behind her, hair layered like a Christmas tree. Theatrical beads were used to layer the front bangs, each section perfectly aligned with each other, and a bandana also wrapped around her forehead, with a similar look as her theatrical beads.

The moment she noticed her big brother, her mood instantly brightened, a smile rivalling Gon’s golden sunshine glow “Big brother!” It looks like Gon wasn’t the only one whom could brighten up someone’s day, Killua achieved the same thing with his little sister.

The way Killua had described his sister, and the way he imagined her to look… she was as beautiful and charming as her smile. No wonder Killua considered her as his first, and only love… her smile was the one thing Killua never wanted to ever die.

Killua’s smile instantly softened at how quickly his sister came back to life from just his presence. As she bounded towards him, Killua pulled her into a loving embracing, wishing he had never forgotten her at all.

He hoping that after today, he can still keep her by his side “Alluka… I’m sorry about leaving you down here for so long, Alluka. I’m sorry…”

Killua wrapped his arms tighter around her as if scared of letting her go would mean the loss of her warmth.

“It’s okay! I’m really happy!” Alluka shook her head into his shoulder, warm, chubby cheeks rubbing against his skin, tickling it as he smiled even wider. Even after leaving her for so long, she still loved him. He couldn’t be happier, knowing that she still loved him.

That was until what she next said made him blush “I’ve missed your scent…”

Killua’s cheeks flushed red from how calmly she admitted it as he hoped Daniel wouldn’t notice it. Although, the snickering from behind him did not only alert him that he knew, but it also cause his sister to respond in surprise “Oh, big brother… who’s this?”

Killua let his sister go, a hand held out to Daniel. While he couldn’t introduce him properly, he could now surprise his whole family with a great reveal “Alluka, this is my… boy…friend…” the boy blushed as he let loose a grand secret. He could only imagine his families’ faces once the words hit them “Daniel… please get along.”

Alluka instantly frowned upon hearing she’d have to share her brother with another. A hiss escaped her mouth as she glared daggers at the boy, making the boy instantly recoiling from the reaction.

_Killua, your sister doesn’t like me…_

Killua chuckled from Alluka’s reaction “Alluka, I need your help with someone special to me.”

The girl pouted, crossing her arms with feign ignorance “I don’t like sharing big brother…”

Killua’s blush enhanced, cheeks tainted the same colour as deep red roses “I- It’s someone else! A friend of mine… don’t assume! And it’s the other way around! He has to share you with me!”

“What?!” Daniel freaked out from Killua’s reaction. _Why do we have to share… can’t we both just have you?! You’re not some tall-_ Daniel blushed from where his thoughts were head. _I was about to think of Killua as a tall drink I wanted to take in turns sharing with Alluka…_ I don’t think Killua sees her that way. _That would be incest… OMG, now I’m thinking Killua might be polyamorous incestual pansexual! NOPE, must get off that train of thought… BEGON EVIL THOUGHTS!_

“~”

Illumi shifted his glass around, playing with the ice contained within his drink. The dark brown liquid swished around, Illumi holding a hand out to his Partner-in-crime “Hisoka, to defeat one of its subordinates, Gon’s restriction and covenant must have been worse than death. Money and medical science cannot do anything to reverse that…”

“The wish will be granted.” Illumi’s eyes narrowed, attention now drawn to Hisoka “And then, Killua will do whatever he can to fulfil Alluka’s requests. Killua will receive requests he cannot fulfil. However, Killua will try his best, and fail halfway…”

Hisoka closed his eyes slowly, groaning from what this information meant “Mission failed. Since the price is the one he loves most and those he’s spent most time with, well there goes my chance with scoring with Zaikaria…”

“HUH?”

“You can’t be that dense! Daniel, you know… the kid who loves Killua most?”

“What? We’re talking about Killua here…”

Hisoka rolled his eyes at Illumi’s reaction “And people say _I_ have issues… When you mentioned that two would suffer, you did not mean Killua and Daniel. You were referring to Killua and yourself.”

“Yes, that’s right. What’s this about Daniel anyways…? He’s just another kid, whom also happened to be Zaikaria’s little brother, and also joined Killua and Gon…”

 _I may be a mass murdering psychopath who gets pleasure from killing others… but even I could tell when someone is falling for someone else. I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel has already made a move on your little brother… nor would I be surprised if Killua has fallen for him either. Then again, he could have fallen for Gon too… that would be such a messy outcome_ “You should get a reality check, soon…”

“~”

Alluka frowned at Daniel, still hating him for making her share her big brother with him. But he did promise her that she comes first, and it would be Daniel who has to fight for his attention. Killua still loves her more, and that’s what matters most of all “Ok, big brother…” Alluka held up her finger like a gun, a huge giddy smile plastered across her face “please die.”

Killua smiled, knowing full well that his sister only wanted him to play dead. He could only imagine Daniel’s reaction “Okay…”

Daniel looked mortified between the two, forced off to the side by his boyfriend. Under no circumstances, was he allowed to intervene. But then again, she did ask him to die… and with a huge smile to boot “Killua-”

“Bang!”

Daniel’s eyes widened as Killua’s head disappeared, his boyfriend’s body dropping to the floor like an empty husk. He didn’t know what to feel, besides the sorrow, the confusion and loss of the one he loves most. Does that mean he’s dead now, or going to die soon…?

As Alluka broke into a fit of giggles, tears fell down the Daniel’s face. _I’m gonna die now… with Alluka…_

“Brother, wake up!”

Daniel looked up confused as to why Alluka would demand that. _Isn’t Killua no longer alive?_ When the boy’s eyes fell on Killua, he noticed two things:

The first was that there was no blood pooling around his boyfriend.

The second was that a headless-Killua was now sitting up straight. The next thing Killua did was poked his head out, a huge smile encompassing his words “Boo!”

“You’re so good!” As Alluka clapped her hands, Killua’s eyes drew to Daniel’s location. He wasn’t expecting the boy’s expression at all “Wha- what are you crying about?”

“She said die…”

“She meant it _figuratively_ , not _literary_ … you know… as in play dead.”

“How was I supposed to know?!” Daniel argued back as he wiped away the tears “I had no context.”

Killua awkwardly rubbed the side of his face, blushing intensely for the situation. Daniel shouldn’t be that worried for him, after all, this is his sister he was playing with.

Alluka’s eye watched her brother and the boy talk back and forth, intrigued from how they treated each other. It did make her feel a little guilty for making Daniel cry, but at the same time, she felt more accepting of the boy. Daniel deeply cared for her brother, and seeing him cry over Killua’s fake death made her accept him a tiny bit more… **but she’s still not sharing her big brother with him** “Big Brother! Brother Daniel-Chan!”

Daniel recoiled in surprise. He hadn’t expected Alluka to call him ‘-Chan‘, nor was he expecting her to add ‘brother’ to the mix. She accepted him so quickly, and after her brother’s own fake death no less.

Although, for Killua this was more a shocking situation. He didn’t expect Alluka to accept Daniel at all “A- Alluka, what do you want to do n- next?”

“~”

“Brother, let’s play shiritori.”

“Okay then!”

“Then…”

Silva was seething with new found rage, the boy besides Killua bringing him nothing but problems. His wife was off to the side, enraged, screaming in hysterics. She had been demanding the boy to be killed non-stop since her son’s _grand_ reveal.

This was a mistake… he should’ve payed attention to his father’s words, listen more carefully to the hidden agenda. Daniel was indeed Killua’s boyfriend, a nightmare that had grown like an infection… a plague. His boy didn’t need the love, nor the attention of that _thing_ … let alone the boy Killua was playing with.

Daniel needed to be killed, before the end of this day… And Killua needed to be brought back under their control.

“Silva, why isn’t he dead yet! You should have killed him the moment you met him! Why? Why didn’t-”

“SHUT UP! After today he will die! Now I’m trying to watch!”

“~”

Alluka beamed in delight, a huge smile spreading across her face as she raised a finger “I’ll start with the end ‘A’ in ‘Alluka’!”

Daniel watched his boyfriend and sister play together, his smile growing with each passing second. Watching the two made him remember his relationship with Zaikaria, and how much he deeply missed her.

After this mission ends, he might need to call her… to apologise for not talking to her that much. Actually, now that he thinks about it… he misses his whole family! He’ll plan an adventure for Killua and Alluka, bringing them back home to show off to his family. Hopefully Vastorie says nothing disturbing, considering Alluka was going to be with them.

Alluka had this sweet innocence about her, unware of her families’ bloody history, especially Killua’s past profession. To her, Killua was the brother that always loved her. No matter how good or bad he is, she’ll always love him. Now that he thought about it, while she was talking with Killua, probing more details about Daniel and himself, her eyes glittered with curiosity.

She reminded him of Gon, sort of… there is no good and evil. She would ignore that someone killed a person, just to find the reason why they did it… like how Gon used to be…

Maybe that’s why Killua was getting attracted to Gon, because it unconsciously reminded him of his sister, in a way…

She wanted to know about everything she missed, and Killua was just happy to fill her in. Actually, the way Killua was smiling made Daniel feel a little jealous, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Killua could feel it, the jealousy swirling in the aura around him.

Killua cracked a smug grin when he felt Daniel’s jealousy, and he couldn’t time the situation anymore perfectly.

“Allure…”

“Envious!”

As Alluka pouted for a moment, thinking about her next word, Daniel freaked out; that had to be directed at him.

It took the girl only a moment to figure out her next word “Saviour!”

His sister’s word choice, caught Killua off-guard and make him blush. He couldn’t believe his sister was as cunning as him at times “Alright, you win!” _Envious wasn’t even being aimed at you…_

“Yey! Brother, pat my head.”

Killua offered his sister a small smile, gladly taking her into his arms when she decided to jumped onto him. The two fell onto the ground, Killua giggling from the affectionate hug. He really loved her, more than his whole family.

Actually, he would have been a blubbering mess if it weren’t for Daniel; all those practice hugs from Daniel and Gon sure did a number on him, breaking through the multiple walls his family forced him to build up. He’d never go back to his family, and if he did, he’d reform their whole business.

No more loneliness…

Torture…

Killing…

He’d never force his sister to go down that path, let alone his kids… if he had any. Actually, thinking about having kids with Daniel made him cheeks turn scarlet from the idea. He couldn’t believe his mind went there, or even thought about that scenario.

Killua kept running his fingers through Alluka’s hair, waiting for the very moment when Alluka changed to her other-self, Nanika. When he felt the atmosphere surround his sister change, Killua turned to Daniel “Hey, Daniel… sorry for ignoring you.”

“It’s fine… so what’s left?”

“To grant the wish…”

“Ok…” Daniel shifted his position, eyes trained towards the camera “Well, whenever you’re ready, make the wish to save Gon.”

Killua smiled inwardly. _Thanks… for lying for me. I do… I really have fallen in-love with you. I’ll just never admit it, even to myself, out loud…_ “We should get going.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow “Alright!” Daniel stood up, making his way over to Killua as his boyfriend also stood up, a smile permanently etched across his face as he continued to run his fingers through Nanika and his sister’s hair.

Killua inched his way towards the one and only exit, standing beneath the camera above the doorway. This is where the mission starts, where he makes sure to complete not only his main objective, but his secondary mission as well. _I’ll save all four of you… Nanika… Gon… Daniel… Alluka…_

Killua stilled his emotions as he looked towards the camera directly. He was pretty sure his whole family was watching one way or another, but his main concern was to convince his father to let them go “Father, open the door.”

“No. Make the wish in that room. We cannot let you go outside.”

Killua glared at the camera while smiling inward. _As I thought. They still haven’t figured out the **secret** rules…_ “Like father, like son…” The boy cracked a wicked smile “You said Alluka was something that came from somewhere else. Right? I call the black-eyed Alluka, **Nanika**. We’re leaving, all four of us… I’ll clean up my own mess. Nanika…”

The atmosphere shifted, a darkness enveloping Killua’s little sister. _So, this is where we make our first stand?_ Nanika gave off this suffocating feeling, like the room was being filled with Nanika’s _Nen_.

“If we haven’t left the mountain in half an hour, kill my mother!”

“Huh? Hey, Killua!”

Just as Killua suspected, his father wasn’t alone. His mother and older brother Milluki was in the room as well. They had freaked out, his mother wailing in the background “if we’ve left the mountain in half an hour, I want you to kiss Daniel and I on the cheek. Got it?”

Nanika’s head turned at the request, eyes drawn to door behind her “’Kay…” Her white skin left nothing to the imagination, and what should have been eyes, were now cold, empty black sockets and a black pit where the mouth was.

 _So, this is Nanika…?_ She looked more like she belonged in a horror movie than reality, and now that he saw her, he could understand why Killua’s family feared her. Yet, as Daniel drew his attention to Nanika, he felt no fear towards her. Yes, the wishes she could grant were a double-edged sword, but isn’t she still Killua’s loveable little sister?

Nanika could still have emotions of her own; fears, likes, desires… Just like King Meruem showed him, Nanika could also be someone else who doesn’t need to be feared. And Daniel would somehow prove it.

“Mama!”

The speaker went silent, Killua’s eyes still unable to look away from the camera. He was sure his father was now looking at him, a stare-off to prove one’s resolve. To fulfil the mission, he’ll employ every tactic his learnt from his own family against them.

Killua will make them learn from their mistakes…

“~”

Silva looked at his son through the camera, so much of him has changed… including how cruel he has become. While that pleased him, he didn’t like the fact he wasn’t the one in control now.

A part of him didn’t like that Killua was resorting to killing his mother just to fulfil his mission, while another was willing to risk sacrificing her just to keep his son in that room, but there was also another problem. Daniel was in there as well… the two of them could bounce the requests between each other until one was unable to…

And if it reaches that point, Killua… will die either way…

He can’t let Killua die, no matter what…

“Father, open the door.”

The man reached forward, pressing the button to release all locks. He’ll have to play by his son’s rules, for now…


End file.
